NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame baseball team couldn’t get the bats going Saturday morning and dropped the second game of the series to No. 14 NC State 4-2 at Frank Eck Stadium.
The Irish (18-23, 11-12 ACC) scored first in the bottom of the fourth but the Wolfpack (33-11, 14-9 ACC) had a big inning in the sixth, scoring all four runs with two outs to take the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, the Irish looked to rally with a run in and the bases loaded but a ground out ended the game before the Irish could level the score.
How It Happened
A pitcher’s duel was on tap through the first couple of innings Saturday morning as both offenses got off to a slow start.
Cameron Junker kept the Wolfpack scoreless through the first four innings, scattering a few hits while striking out two.
The Irish broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth. Daniel Jung hit a double to right-center to lead off the inning and moved to third on a groundout. Eric Gilgenbach lined a single to left to score Jung for the first run of the game.
Junker kept the Wolfpack off the scoreboard in the fifth but ran into trouble in the sixth. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, the Wolfpack loaded the bases and took the lead on a Tyler McDonough bases-clearing double that just got by Jack Zyska as he dove to try and make the play. NC State added one more run in the inning and led 4-1 halfway through the sixth inning.
Both bullpens kept the offenses quiet heading into the final inning when the Irish had a rally on their mind.
Two singles from David LaManna and Ryan Cole and a walk from Gilgenbach loaded the bases with two outs. Spencer Myers singled through the left side to score Gilgenbach and bring the Irish within two. That was the closest the Irish would get as the game ended in a ground out in the next at bat.
Game Notes
- Spencer Myers stole his team-leading 16th base Saturday against the Wolfpack.
- Myers also had two hits for his 15th multi-hit game of the season.
- Daniel Jung was 2-for-4 for his second straight multi-hit game against the Wolfpack.
- Jared Miller was also 2-for-4 for his sixth multi-hit game of the season.
- The trio of Andrew Belcik, Anthony Holubecki and Evan Tenuta tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless relief and limited the Wolfpack to just two hits.
Up Next
The series will be on the line when the Irish and Wolfpack take the field for the final game on Sunday. The third game of the series is set for a 1 p.m. ET start on Sunday and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra. Admission is still free for all fans as part of Strikeout ALS Weekend.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the Irish baseball program, follow @NDBaseball on Twitter and @NotreDameBaseball on Instagram. For tickets to an Irish baseball game, click here.