Entering the midweek at 7-14 in conference play and 20-17 overall, the Irish hoped to build momentum at home stepping into the box against Purdue Fort Wayne. Notre Dame sits at 12th in the ACC, ahead of Stanford, California and Pitt. They will take on the Golden Bears this weekend in a critical home series. Despite trailing midway through the contest, the Irish stormed back with six runs in the final two innings to emerge victorious against the Mastodons by a final score of 8-6.
The Irish started right-hander Dylan Heine at the stripe, the graduate managing one strikeout through 2.1 innings of work. Junior righty Xavier Hirsch came in for the relief effort and threw a career-best, three strikeouts through 2.2 innings.
Sophomore catcher Carson Tinney helped knock in the first Irish run in the bottom of the first with a ground-rule double that brought graduate outfielder Jared Zimbardo home. This first double was part of a 3-of-5 showing from Tinney in the batter's box, which also included two runs batted in and a run scored.
Purdue Fort Wayne responded to the early Irish run with a lead-off moonshot in the top of the third inning followed by three more hits that helped put the Mastodons ahead 3-1.
After trailing for two innings, the Irish fought back from the two-run deficit in the fifth frame. Zimbardo led off the attack with a two-bagger into left. Tinney followed with a single that drove him in. Then, prolific freshman infielder Bino Watters added on with a single and was advanced with Tinney by a magnificent sacrifice bunt from sophomore Davis Johnson. Finally, freshman Parker Brzustewicz evened the game for the Irish with a groundout that brought Tinney home. Graduate infielder Connor Hincks added on a two-out, ground-rule double beyond the right field fence to drive in another run. To cap off the four-run onslaught, junior infielder Estevan Moreno hit the third double of the inning to bring Hincks home and regain the lead at 5-3.
In the next half inning, Purdue Fort Wayne cut the Irish lead to 5-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Despite the close game, the Irish maintained their scoring in the bottom half of the frame with another two runs. Freshman outfielder Jayce Lee got things started with a single before Zimbardo's walk put two on the bags. Tinney then singled again to load the bases from Watters, who was able to draw a walk that brought Lee in to score. Johnson drove in Zimbardo with a sacrifice fly, helping to extend his team's lead to 7-4.
In the top of the seventh, the Mastodons were able to tally a pair of runs to once again cut the lead to only one at 7-6. Freshman righty Chase Van Ameyde shut the door on any more scoring, however, as he struck out back-to-back batters to withhold the comeback attempt.
In the next inning, Watters provided some insurance with a no-doubter over the fence to extend the lead at 8-6. This proved to be simply too much for Purdue Fort Wayne. Senior right-handed Ricky Reeth had no trouble in his two-inning closing effort, logging three strikeouts en route to the save.
Staying in South Bend over the weekend, Notre Dame will take on Cal in a critical three-game series. They sit one spot above the Golden Bears in the standings, leading by only a single game. The other teams beneath competing for the final ACC Tournament spot include Stanford, who also sit a game behind, and Pitt, who is behind by two. This series provides the Irish with an opportunity to lengthen the distance between themselves and the rest of the pack. The first game starts on Friday at 6:30 p.m. followed by Saturday and Sunday games at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
