May 4, 2018
By Megan Golden
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — In Scott Tully‘s final start at Frank Eck Stadium, the University of Notre Dame baseball team came from behind to top Pittsburgh, 7-4, on Friday night.
With the win, Notre Dame (22-24, 11-14) has won seven of its last eight and is now 12-3 in its last 15 games versus Pittsburgh (25-18, 10-12).
How It Happened
Pittsburgh got off to an early start against the Irish, drawing a lead-off walk and then connecting for a one-out double and single to go up, 2-0, in the first inning.
In the third inning, Pittsburgh’s David Yanni reached on an infield hit to third and came around to score on a two-run homer from Liam Sabino.
Nick Podkul singled to left to open the bottom of the fourth and stole second base. Niko Kavadas followed with a walk. With runners on the corners, Pittsburgh starter Dan Hammer struck out Eric Gilgenbach on a wild pitch that allowed Podkul to score. In the next at-bat, Daniel Jung connected for an RBI-double to left, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
Podkul recorded his third hit of the night in the fifth and scored on Matt Vierling‘s eighth homer of the season, a two-run bomb that tied the game, 4-4.
Kavadas belted his fifth homer of the season to lead off the sixth inning and put the Irish ahead, 5-4.
Notre Dame was back at it in the eighth, when Vierling doubled to left, and Kavadas walked with one out in the inning. Eric Gilgenbach knocked an RBI-single into the gap in left center that drove in Vierling, giving Notre Dame an insurance run at 6-4. Jung then laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Spencer Myers and give the Irish a 7-4 advantage.
Cole Kmet, who entered in relief with one out in the eighth, put two men on base in the ninth, and Tommy Vail then entered and walked a batter to load the bases. Right-hander Zack Martin took the mound with two outs and struck out Sabino to end the game.
Co-Players of the Game
Graduate student Scott Tully made the final home start of his five-year career, working 7.0 innings and collecting seven strikeouts. Tully earned his fifth win of the season, moving to 4-0 with a 4.25 ERA (26 ER/55.0 IP) over his last seven starts.
Nick Podkul finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs scored, leading the Irish to a come-from-behind victory over the Panthers.
Notes
- Notre Dame owns a 44-21 lead in the all-time series against the Panthers.
- The Irish own a 12-8 record at home in 2018.
- Notre Dame has won eight of nine games over its current 11-game homestand.
- Irish starter Scott Tully worked 7.0 innings, allowing four runs and striking out seven.
- Zack Martin worked 0.1 inning and recorded his first career save.
- Jake Johnson owns an 19-game on-base streak during which he is batting .338 (23-68) with 14 walks, 11 runs scored and seven RBI.
- Niko Kavadas is in control of a five-game hitting streak, homering three times over that span.
Up Next
Notre Dame is scheduled to honor its senior class prior to Saturday’s game versus Pittsburgh at 2:05 p.m. ET. The game will air on ACC Network Extra and 103.1 FM (South Bend)/WatchND.
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.
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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame baseball and women’s soccer programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.