Notre Dame baseball stifled regional foe Valparaiso with a 6-1 victory on Wednesday afternoon. Following the win, the Irish improved to 17-15 overall, while the Beacons fell to 9-23 on the year. Notre Dame has now won 18 straight games against Valparaiso, with its last loss to Valparaiso coming in May 2012.
It was a pristine afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium, with game-time temperatures in the high 70s and a slight wind pushing toward left field. Freshman left-hander Caden Crowell toed the rubber to get things started in the top of the first. Crowell, a Valparaiso native, wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the first before settling down for two more clean frames. In total, Crowell delivered three shutout innings, scattering two hits and a walk along the way.
It was a solid bounce-back outing for the young left-hander, who’s had a tough freshman campaign. He brought an inflated 8.40 ERA into the contest after some difficult outings against North Carolina and NC State.
With his strong start against Valparaiso, Crowell looks to be regaining confidence on the mound. He’ll be an important contributor for the Irish moving forward, whether it’s as a midweek starter or a long reliever on the weekends.
Designated hitter Mark Quatrani got the Irish on the board with a solo home run in the first. The Irish were held scoreless for the next four innings, though it wasn’t for lack of trying. Notre Dame put plenty of runners on base but struggled to bring them home, stranding two in the second, three in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Valparaiso tied the game in the fifth with a solo home run to left field. The game was knotted at 1-1 until Notre Dame put up three runs in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead. In that consequential inning, Quatrani worked a bases-loaded walk to put the Irish up 2-1. Sophomore left fielder Bino Watters then laced a two-run single through the right side to pad the Irish advantage.
The Irish added two insurance runs in the seventh off three consecutive doubles from first baseman Parker Brzustewicz, catcher Shane Miranda and third baseman Jamie Zee. Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth, making the final score 6-1 Irish.
Graduate righty Eli Thurmond was the first man out of the bullpen, coming on in the top of the fourth. He worked two innings of one-run ball, giving up three hits. He was relieved by senior southpaw Noah Rooney in the sixth, who twirled two scoreless innings. Sophomore righty Oisin Lee pitched a scoreless eighth, and freshmen righty Will Jaisle closed out the contest with a clean ninth inning.
Watters, Miranda, and Quatrani led the Irish at the plate. Watters went 3-5 with two RBIs, making hard contact each time up. Miranda delivered a 3-3 afternoon and scored twice, while Quatrani slugged the Irish’s lone home run and logged two RBIs as well.
Notre Dame will continue ACC competition this weekend with a three-game road series at No. 8 Florida State. All three games will be streamed on the ACC Network. First pitches in Tallahassee are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
