Home, sweet home! Notre Dame baseball wins their home opener

The Irish enjoyed home cooking

For many northern baseball teams, your home season doesn’t start until you’ve played a handful of games and that was exactly the case for [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag].

The Irish had played themselves to a 9-8 record until they finally hosted their first game in Frank Eck Stadium today against Valparaiso. Safe to say the home cooking helped as the Irish won 8-4.

Notre Dame was down early, 2-0 after the top of the 3rd before the bats woke up. They cut the lead in half in the bottom of the 3rd before taking the lead for good with 3 runs scored in the bottom of the 4th.

It was all about the long ball as [autotag]Zach Prajzner[/autotag] hit a solo homer first then [autotag]Jack Zyska[/autotag] hit a 3-run blast as the Irish took the lead. Valpo would battle back and cut the lead to 4-3 but that was as close as they’d get.

The Irish answered the visitors two runs in the 7th with four of their own to get to the final tally of 8-4.

Notre Dame will now have a few days to rest before they welcome in Louisville over the weekend for a 3-game ACC matchup.

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Watch: Notre Dame gets on the board with a LaManna homer

Is this the start of another Irish comeback?

Throughout the [autotag]Link Jarrett[/autotag] era of Irish baseball, his teams have shown a propensity to never give up, to play to the last out. That is exactly what they will need for a comeback victory against Oklahoma in their second game of the [autotag]College World Series[/autotag].

Down five run entering the top of the sixth inning, the Irish needed a spark. It was [autotag]Carter Putz[/autotag] that started the rally, singling to lead off the inning. [autotag]Jack Zyska[/autotag] would then strike out, bringing up David LaManna to the plate. On a one-strike count, LaManna blasted a long home run over the left field wall to get the Irish on the board.

Although the Irish didn’t get any more runs during the inning, they still cut into the Sooner lead as they game gets later and later.

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Tale of the Tape: Individual Leaders – Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma

Do you take the Irish’s leaders or the Sooners’?

Notre Dame gets to play Oklahoma in its next College World Series game, and it might have an advantage as far as balance. Sure, you have [autotag]Carter Putz [/autotag]pacing the Irish in both runs scored and RBIs, and [autotag]Jack Findlay[/autotag] is terrific at keeping runs off the board and closing games. However, you have a variety of names after that. [autotag]David LaManna[/autotag] hits well for average, [autotag]Jack Zyska[/autotag] provides the power, and [autotag]Ryan Cole[/autotag] is a menace on the basepaths.

For the Sooners, it’s mainly one guy apiece on the hitting and pitching sides. One of them is shortstop Peyton Graham, who is projected to be taken early in the upcoming MLB draft. Also getting ready for the draft is left-handed pitcher Jake Bennett, who won’t be available after starting and winning the Sooners’ last game against Texas A&M. Although not listed in the above chart, make sure you’re on the lookout for catcher Jimmy Crooks, too.

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Notre Dame knox off number one seeded Tennessee, advance to College World Series

The Irish are off to Omaha for the first time in 20-years!!!

For the majority of game three of the Knoxville Super Regional, it looked like the Irish would be ending their season once again on the brink of making the College World Series. [autotag]Link Jarrett[/autotag] then saw his team respond, like they have done all season.

First it was [autotag]David LaManna[/autotag], whose opposite field 2-run home run with two outs tied the game at three for the Irish. Then it was [autotag]Jack Brannigan[/autotag] time, who launched a solo-homer to give Notre Dame their first lead of the game, 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

Reliever [autotag]Jack Findlay[/autotag] then had what no other Irish pitcher had all game, a lead. He would then retire the Volunteers in order, send the game to the eighth.

More two-out magic for the Irish would continue in the top of the eighth. With runners on second and third, [autotag]Carter Putz[/autotag] sent a shot to right-center, falling for a double, plating two more runs, giving the Irish a 6-3 lead. The bats weren’t done, as [autotag]Jack Zyska[/autotag] singled to left scoring Putz and adding another run to the Notre Dame lead, 7-3.

Jarrett would ride the hot left-handed arm of Findlay through the end of the game, as he continued to put up zero’s against the Volunteer offense. Five innings of work for Findlay, allowing just one hit and two walks. Alex Rao deserves a lot of credit as well, as he came in relief of starter Liam Simon and limited damage as well.

The win propels the Irish to their first trip to Omaha since 2002, exactly twenty-years since their last visit and third time overall. The season that looked like it was over, will continue with the Irish having a chance to play for a National Championship.

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Notre Dame takes a few for the team, wins again in Statesboro Regional

One win away from the Super Regionals

It has not been easy for the Irish so far, but you wouldn’t know it by the results. Once again, Notre Dame scored late and held off their opponent, this time host Georgia Southern feeling the luck of the Irish.

After falling behind by a run early, the Irish put together two runs, both solo home runs by [autotag]Jack Zyska[/autotag] and [autotag]Jack Brannigan[/autotag]. Georgia Southern would then battle back to take a 4-2 after top of the sixth. The Irish bats once again answered in the bottom of the inning, as [autotag]Zack Prajzner[/autotag] blasted a two-run home to even the score at four.

The Irish would then score two more runs in the bottom of the seventh in an unconventional way. Back-to-back hit-by-pitches with the bases loaded scored the go-ahead runs for the Irish, 6-4.

[autotag]Matt Bedford[/autotag] would then struggle but [autotag]Jack Findlay[/autotag] has his back. Bedford allowed back-to-back singles to put runners on first and third. Findlay relieved him and promptly struck out back-to-back batters and got a ground out to end the inning. That wasn’t the end of Findlay’s brilliance, he would then shut down Georgia Southern in the top of the ninth, securing the win for the Irish, 6-4.

[autotag]Link Jarrett[/autotag] has now lead this team to one win away from a return to the Super Regionals, NCAA Baseball’s version of the ‘Sweet 16’ for the second consecutive season.

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Notre Dame outlasts Florida State, advances to ACC tournament semi-finals

A first for the Irish baseball program!!!

The Irish made history today and it wasn’t starting pitcher [autotag]John Michael Bertrand’s[/autotag] eight strike outs. It was the fact that [autotag]Link Jarrett’s[/autotag] team staved off a ninth inning comeback by Florida State to defeat the Seminoles 5-3 and advance to their first ever ACC Baseball semi-final round.

The Irish ace once again led the way for Notre Dame, going eight strong innings, allowing just one run and the aforementioned eight K’s. Offensively, the Irish were led by a barrage of home runs, which included long balls from [autotag]Zack Prajzner[/autotag], [autotag]Jack Zyska[/autotag], and [autotag]Brooks Coetzee[/autotag]. While Prajzner’s was a solo shot, both Zyska’s and Coetzee’s were two-run blasts which accounted for all the Irish runs.

It was a team effort that advanced the Irish to face off against Virginia, tomorrow with a berth to the championship round on the line. This season the Irish have yet to face the Cavaliers. First pitch is schedule for 11:00 am EST tomorrow.

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Notre Dame completes comeback, baseball team sweeps Wake Forest

WOW, what a comeback for the Irish

After the top of the fifth inning, it very much looked like the Irish’s modest four-game winning streak would come to an end after Wake Forest took at 8-2 lead. The Notre Dame hitters had something else to say about that, as they soon went to work.

The Irish battled back and after five innings, trailed 8-7, but they were going to need more eventually. The Demon Deacons scored three in the top of the sixth then the Irish answered back with on, for a 11-8 score at the end of the inning. The visitors would tack on another run in the top of the seventh before the Irish bats once again woke up with a four spot in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 12. Jack Zyska with the biggest hit of that inning, his three-run homer, his second on the day, tied the game.

A single by Carter Putz in the bottom of the ninth would close the heroics for the Irish as they at one time erased a six-run Wake Forest lead. This comeback was one that many will not forget, especially Zyska.

The win improved gave the Irish eleven straight wins at home and a perfect 5-0 home stand. Their winning streak also has reached five games and their ACC record is now at 11-7.

Notre Dame is back on the road on as they travel north to face Michigan State in Comerica Park, the home of MLB’s Detroit Tigers. They will then return to South Bend as Boston College comes into town for a weekend series beginning Friday afternoon.

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The streak reaches three, Notre Dame Baseball takes game 1 against Wake Forest

The Irish are streaking again, one hits three games

The streaks for this years Irish baseball team have been odd to say the least. Aside from the first series of the year, Link Jarrett’s team has either won multiple games in-a-row or lost them in the same fashion.

After a terrible road series at Duke, where the Irish lost each game, they turned around and won their two mid-week home games before Wake Forest came to South Bend. The Irish’s streaky ways continued, as they defeated the Demon Deacons 8-3 on Friday night, extending their winning streak to 3-games, while improving their overall record to 24-8. They moved to two-games over .500 in ACC play as well, with a 9-7 record in conference.

Ace John Michael Bertrand was great again, as he allowed just five hits and one walk, two runs with one earned. He stuck out four before giving way to Alex Rao, allowed a run in 2.1 innings, and Jackson Dennies who finished off Wake.

Offensively Jack Zyska led the way with three hits, an RBI and two runs. David LaManna also scored twice while Jack Brannigan drove in two.

The series continues this afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium at 2pm EST, and if you on campus for the Blue vs. Gold game, head on over after and check out the Irish baseball team.

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No. 1 Notre Dame routs Valpo in home opener

12-1 (x2)

No. 1 Notre Dame baseball opened the home portion of their schedule with a dominating performance over Valparaiso on Tuesday.  The Irish got ahead early scoring a pair of runs in each of the first three innings en-route to a 12-1 victory.

Brooks Coetzee again led the way for Notre Dame as he hit his team-leading fifth home run of the year and added a single and double for good measure.  Pinch hitter Jack Zyska also went yard for the hometown squad while on the mound Jack Findlay made his second career start and again allowed no earned runs.

Notre Dame dominated it’s way to victory in improving to 12-1 on the season.  The Irish return to action for another road series in the ACC this weekend as they’ll be in Louisville for three games starting Friday night.

Next:  Highlights from Notre Dame’s 12-1 win

Notre Dame baseball routs Marist to start their weekend series

A nice way to start a weekend

The Irish didn’t want to let another team think they could hang around with them and it showed against Marist. Link Jarrett’s team jumped out to an early 8-0 lead after the first inning and then cruised to a 20-2 win to open their weekend series.

It was a total team effort as four players (TJ Williams, Jack Zyska, DM Jefferson and Nick Juaire) each had multiple RBIs in the contest. Ryan Cole led the team with three hits, and two players, Zyska and Justin Kapus hit homers.

Starter Aidan Tyrell was magnificent, going seven strong innings, allowing just three hits, no runs and striking out five batters. Sammy Cooper finished off the game and although he did allow two runs, he struck out three finishing off the blow out.

The Irish play two today, their first game of the doubleheader starting at 2pm EST as John Michael Bertrand takes the hill against Monmouth.

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