Notre Dame baseball lost all three games at NC State over Easter weekend. The team lost 7-3 ballgames on Thursday and Friday before dropping Saturday’s getaway game 7-6. The Irish have now lost six straight games and are 15-12 overall with a 6-9 record in ACC play.
Thursday
It was freshman lefty Caden Crowell on the mound to kick off the series Thursday for Notre Dame. After a scoreless first inning, freshman second baseman Mason Barth put the Irish on the board in the second with a two-run double. NC State responded, however, by tagging Crowell for five runs and chasing him from the game. Mark Quatrani tacked on a solo home run in the third to pull within two, but then the bats went cold. NC State scored two insurance runs in the eighth to make the final score 7-3.
A bright spot in an otherwise forgettable game for the Irish was senior righty Xavier Hirsch. He provided five scoreless innings in relief and kept the Irish within reach for most of the game. Unfortunately, the lineup couldn’t find a big hit to put them over the hump. The offense managed just seven hits and went 1-5 with men in scoring position. Barth led the Irish with a 2-3 performance with two RBIs, while junior catcher Mark Quatrani provided the other RBI with his solo home run.
Friday
The Irish came into Friday’s game hungry for a rebound after Thursday’s disappointing loss. With staff ace Jack Radel on the mound, Notre Dame had the perfect opportunity to get back in the win column. However, a pivotal seventh inning saw NC State take a three-run lead, and the game ended by the same score as the night before: 3-7 Wolfpack.
Radel pitched into the seventh with the game tied 2-2. In that inning, the Wolfpack used a walk and a double to take a 3-2 lead with one out. Radel was then relieved by graduate right-hander Eli Thurmond, who promptly surrendered a two-run home run. The home run put NC State up 5-2. The Irish scored a run in the eighth, but the Wolfpack notched two more runs in the bottom of the inning to take a decisive 7-3 lead, and the game would end by that score.
Radel took the loss after giving up four runs over 6.1 innings. A highlight on offense was a 2-4 performance by sophomore shortstop Noah Coy. Another bright spot was a solo homer by sophomore right fielder Jayce Lee, who led the Irish with four total bases on the day.
Saturday
Notre Dame entered Saturday’s contest in danger of being swept in two straight ACC series. It wasn’t apparent Saturday’s game, though, as the Irish displayed a lack of urgency and competitiveness. For most of the game, Notre Dame didn’t play like a team whose postseason chances are imitating of a lead balloon. Instead, for the first eight innings of Saturday’s contest, Notre Dame continued to be outclassed by NC State in all phases of the game.
The opportunistic Wolfpack were eager for a series sweep and showed it by scoring four unearned runs in the bottom of the second after a costly two-out error by Barth. The Irish took the blow largely without response and entered the ninth inning down 1-5.
Facing a four-run deficit in the ninth, Notre Dame showed some toughness by scoring five runs to take a 6-5 lead. Sophomore left fielder Bino Watters galvanized the lineup with a solo home run to deep left field. The Irish tacked on four more runs in the inning, including two on a clutch double by freshman third baseman Jamie Zee, who later scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
Entering the bottom of the ninth, freshman left-hander Dylan Singleton was tasked with protecting a one-run lead. After center fielder Brandon Logan made a great diving play to get the first out, though, Singleton gave up three straight hits, and NC State walked it off, earning the series sweep.
After being swept at home by then No. 13 North Carolina two weekends ago, the NC State series was a chance for the Irish to rebound and show an ability to hang with postseason teams. Instead, Notre Dame dropped all three games, and with two nationally ranked opponents next up on the schedule, the squad’s fortunes might get worse before they get better. The Irish will host No. 13 Virginia this weekend before traveling to No. 5 Florida State next weekend — two series where wins will be hard to come by.
Before hosting the Cavaliers next weekend, the Irish have a chance to get right when Michigan State comes to town Wednesday for a 5 p.m. game.
