April 26, 2017
By Michael Bertsch
NOTRE DAME, Indiana – Sophomore Charlie Vorsheck tossed 6.0 scoreless innings and fellow sophomore Matt Vierling went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and three RBI as Notre Dame blanked Eastern Michigan, 5-0, Wednesday night at Frank Eck Stadium.
Vorsheck picked up the win for the Irish and improved to 3-0 on the year. The right-handed limited the Eagles to just five hits, four of which were singles. Vorsheck struck out four and did not issue a walk. Eastern Michigan advanced just two runners into scoring position against Vorsheck and neither reached third base.
Freshman Patrick McDonald hurled an immaculate inning in the seventh. He struck out the side on just nine pitches. McDonald then fanned the Eastern Michigan leadoff batter in the eighth, also on just three pitches. After McDonald surrendered a one-out hit (on an 0-1 pitch), junior Sean Guenther came into the game and fanned the fifth straight Eagles batter. Eastern Michigan did advance the tying run into scoring position and go-ahead run on base following a Marquise Gill infield single, but Guenther induced an inning-ending fielder’s choice to evade any damage.
McDonald threw 14 pitches on the night and all 14 were strikes.
Guenther worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth and picked up his fifth save of the season. He struck out three and walked one.
Notre Dame’s three pitchers, Vorsheck, McDonald and Guenther, combined to fan 11 and walked just one.
Sophomore Cole Daily added two hits, including a double, and a run scored. Five other Irish hitters collected base hits.
Justin McMurtrey of Eastern Michigan was charged with the loss and dropped to 3-1. He allowed one run, Vierling’s solo home run, on three hits in 2.0 innings of relief.
Key Innings
Bottom Fourth
Vierling gave the Irish a 1-0 lead with a solo home run. The sophomore lifted McMurtrey’s 0-1 offering just over the wall in right field. It was Vierling’s team-best sixth round tripper of the season.
Bottom Eighth
Notre Dame added four crucial insurance runs in its half of the eighth inning. Sophomore Nick Podkul and Daily each single to open the frame. After senior co-captain Kyle Fiala walked to load the bases, Vierling ripped a two-run single up the middle to push the Irish lead to 3-0. Senior Ryan Lidge followed with an RBI single and sophomore Connor Power closed with scoring with a sacrifice fly.
On Deck
The Irish continue their season-long 13-game homestand when Duke visits Frank Eck Stadium this weekend. Friday’s game starts at 6:05 p.m., with Saturday’s first pitch at 1:05 p.m. and action on Sunday getting underway at 11:35 a.m.
The entire series can be seen live on ACC Network Extra, via WatchESPN, and heard live on WatchND and 103.1 FM in South Bend.
Michael Bertsch, director of football media relations at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2006. An Akron, Ohio, native, he graduated from Walsh University (Ohio) in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and also received his master’s degree in health and physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from Marshall University in 2001.
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