March 23, 2018
By Megan Golden
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — On a beautiful day for Irish baseball, the University of Notre Dame turned in a gem against Wake Forest, defeating the Demon Deacons, 5-2, at Frank Eck Stadium.
Notre Dame (9-11, 3-4) won its first home game of the 2018 season after a dominant outing from Irish starter Scott Tully.
The Irish offense, led by Nick Podkul, touched two-time 2018 ACC Pitcher of the Week Griffin Roberts and Wake Forest (10-12, 4-3) for three runs in the first inning, enough to secure the win.
How It Happened
Jake Johnson and Podkul connected for back-to-back singles up the middle with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Matt Vierling stepped up to bat and drilled a two-run double to right-center field, allowing the Irish to open a 2-0 lead. Daniel Jung joined in on the party, recording the team’s fourth straight hit and driving in Vierling with a double to right-center. Notre Dame took a 3-0 advantage into the second inning.
Consecutive singles and a walk off southpaw Scott Tully loaded the bases for the Demon Deacons with nobody out in the second. Wake Forest’s Logan Harvey recorded his first RBI of the season with a sacrifice fly, cutting the Irish lead to 3-1.
Tully exited the game after 6.2 innings, turning in his most dominant start of the season against Roberts and the Demon Deacons.
Jake Johnson walked and stole second base with two outs in the seventh. Podkul then added to his day with an RBI-single that gave the Irish an insurance run and a 4-1 lead.
Jung led off Notre Dame’s half of the eighth inning with a double off the right field wall. Jung advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Eric Gilgenbach to make it a 5-1 ballgame.
Andrew Belcik came on in relief of Tully and combined with left-hander Cole Kmet to work 2.1 innings and allow one run from the bullpen.
Kmet, who tossed 0.2 innings, earned his third save of the season after securing the 5-2 Irish victory.
Co-Players of the Game
Irish starter Scott Tully recorded his second straight quality start, throwing 6.2 innings and striking out three. Tully allowed just three Wake Forest hits and limited the Demon Deacons to one run in the outing.
Second baseman Nick Podkul went 4-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored. Podkul’s fourth single of the day drove in Johnson, giving him his 50th career RBI.
Stat of the Game
Tully’s quality start was the third of the season for the Irish pitching staff.
Game Notes
- The Irish own a 6-13 record against Wake Forest all-time and have gone 4-6 at home.
- Notre Dame moves to 1-1 at home in 2018.
- Daniel Jung collected his 50th career hit with a double in the first inning.
- Nick Podkul‘s RBI-single in the seventh gives him 50 RBI in his career.
- Matt Vierling has recorded six multi-hit games in the month of March. Vierling is batting .375 (18-48) this month.
Up Next
Notre Dame and Wake Forest battle in the second game of the series at 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday at Frank Eck Stadium. The game will be available on ACC Network Extra and on 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.