HOUSTON, Texas – Notre Dame (2-0) secured a series win with a come-from-behind 9-5 victory over Rice Saturday. OF David Glancy and INF Simon Baumgardt hit the first and second Irish home runs of the year, while RHP Tobey McDonough (1-0) earned the win on the mound for Notre Dame, and RHP Nate Hardman posted his second save in as many games this season.
Baumgardt led the Irish at the plate with two hits and three RBI. RHP Jackson Dennies started for Notre Dame and pitched 4.1 innings, as RHP Will Jacobsen entered for his first appearance in an Irish uniform to remain on the mound for 2.2 innings. McDonough pitched the seventh, his first outing for Notre Dame, delivering a pivotal strikeout with the bases loaded to hold Rice scoreless in the inning. RHP Rory Fox entered in the eighth, and Hardman took over to earn the save.
Notre Dame battled from behind twice to secure the victory, and a significant eighth inning proved to be the difference with two home runs. Baumgardt finished with two hits and three RBI and Glancy posted one hit, three runs and two RBI, while leadoff hitter DM Jefferson also posted an active day, with a hit, two runs and two HBP.
C Carson Tinney made his collegiate baseball debut and first-career start Saturday, while graduate transfers Jacobsen and McDonough marked their first game played for Notre Dame.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish got on the board early, as Glancy reached on a fielder’s choice, pushed to second by a Jack Penney walk. OF Tito Flores delivered a flyout to push Glancy to third, and Penney drew the infield on a stealing attempt, able to score Glancy before being tagged out.
Rice responded with a solo homer in the first, followed by a walk and two singles to put the Owls up, 2-1. Both sides went three up, three down in the second, and in the third, INF Estevan Moreno led off forcing an error and beating the throw. Tinney drew a walk, and Jefferson hit a sacrifice groundout to push Tinney to second and Moreno to third. Glancy hit a sac fly to score Moreno, evening the tally at 2-2.
Dennies and the Irish took care of business in the third, allowing a hit but stranding two runners on base to preserve the 2-2 score. The Irish went scoreless in the fourth, and a walk, hit and HBP loaded the bases for the Owls. Jacobsen entered in relief of Dennies, and Notre Dame allowed a run before closing the inning.
In the fifth, two outs brought Jefferson to the plate, who singled and later advanced to second on a passed ball. Glancy drew a walk, and Penney took a HBP to load the bases. Rice threw a wild pitch, and Jefferson scored in the aftermath to again tie it up, 3-3. In the bottom half of the inning, Rice responded with an RBI triple to take the lead.
Both sides went three up, three down in the sixth, and the Irish did not add runs in the seventh. McDonough entered to begin the bottom of the seventh, and with bases loaded, McDonough earned a strikeout to end the inning and keep Rice scoreless in the stanza.
Glancy led off the eighth inning with a full-count solo homer, Notre Dame’s first home run of the season. Two outs brought INF Josh Hahn to the plate, who drew a walk. Baumgardt then sent his shot over the walls for a two-run homer, and the Irish went to the bottom of the eighth up 6-4.
Fox took the mound for Notre Dame and forced a groundout and a flyout. After two walks, Notre Dame brought in Hardman, and the Irish made the last out at third.
Jefferson led off the ninth, drawing his second HBP of the game, and stole second base. Glancy walked, and a passed ball allowed Jefferson to take third. Penney delivered a single to score Jefferson, and Flores delivered a sac bunt, reaching first, as Glancy took advantage of a RIce error to score. Later, Baumgardt stepped to the plate and fired a sac fly to score Penney, making the score 9-4.
In the bottom of the ninth, Hardman stayed on the mound. Rice drove in one run, but the Irish cleaned up the next three batters to secure the win.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame and Rice close out the series Sunday with a 2 p.m. ET first pitch at Reckling Park. RHP Matt Bedford will start on the mound for the Irish, and LHP Jackson Mayo will start for Rice.