The Notre Dame baseball team will roll into its home opener Tuesday against Purdue with plenty of lingering questions about its starting pitching.
And lots to feel good about just about everything else in its first 10 games of the season — all on the road — including its power bats and relief pitching.
The Irish got both in heavy doses Sunday in sweeping a three-game series with host Tennessee Tech with a 14-11 come-from-WAY-behind victory in Cookeville, Tenn.
Notre Dame (8-2) smashed five more home runs Sunday, giving the Irish 29 through 10 games — way ahead of a pace to obliterate the single-season school record of 79, with admittedly better pitching ahead in most of its remaining 45 regular-season games.
Shortstop Jack Penney’s second long ball of the game and fourth of the season, with football linebacker/pinch-runner Drayk Bowen aboard, tied the game at 11-11 in the top of the seventh after Notre Dame had trailed 9-2 after one inning.
Penney drove in three runs on the day and scored three.
Third baseman Simon Baumgardt, a grad transfer from Tulane, then put the Irish ahead for good with an RBI double in the eighth. Brady Gumpf’s pinch-hit two-run homer later in the frame gave the Irish a three-run cushion.
Baumgardt reached base five times against Tennessee Tech (6-5), with two doubles among his three hits. He walked twice, scored twice and drove in two runs.
First baseman Connor Hincks, and DH and UCLA grad transfer Josh Hahn also homered for Notre Dame.
Irish starting pitcher Caden Spivey was pulled without recording an out in the first inning, and was charged with nine earned runs on five hits and three walks and a hit batsman.
But the Irish bullpen responded with just one earned run on two hits over nine innings among five relief pitchers. Freshman right-hander Keenan Mork got the win with two hitless/scoreless innings, in the seventh and eighth.
Evansville grad transfer Nick Hardman followed with a hitless/scoreless ninth for his third save in an Irish uniform.
The Irish face Purdue (8-3) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., with actual baseball weather in the forecast (high of 73 degrees).
NOTRE DAME 14, TENNESSEE TECH 11: Box Score
And lots to feel good about just about everything else in its first 10 games of the season — all on the road — including its power bats and relief pitching.
The Irish got both in heavy doses Sunday in sweeping a three-game series with host Tennessee Tech with a 14-11 come-from-WAY-behind victory in Cookeville, Tenn.
Notre Dame (8-2) smashed five more home runs Sunday, giving the Irish 29 through 10 games — way ahead of a pace to obliterate the single-season school record of 79, with admittedly better pitching ahead in most of its remaining 45 regular-season games.
Shortstop Jack Penney’s second long ball of the game and fourth of the season, with football linebacker/pinch-runner Drayk Bowen aboard, tied the game at 11-11 in the top of the seventh after Notre Dame had trailed 9-2 after one inning.
Penney drove in three runs on the day and scored three.
Third baseman Simon Baumgardt, a grad transfer from Tulane, then put the Irish ahead for good with an RBI double in the eighth. Brady Gumpf’s pinch-hit two-run homer later in the frame gave the Irish a three-run cushion.
Baumgardt reached base five times against Tennessee Tech (6-5), with two doubles among his three hits. He walked twice, scored twice and drove in two runs.
First baseman Connor Hincks, and DH and UCLA grad transfer Josh Hahn also homered for Notre Dame.
Irish starting pitcher Caden Spivey was pulled without recording an out in the first inning, and was charged with nine earned runs on five hits and three walks and a hit batsman.
But the Irish bullpen responded with just one earned run on two hits over nine innings among five relief pitchers. Freshman right-hander Keenan Mork got the win with two hitless/scoreless innings, in the seventh and eighth.
Evansville grad transfer Nick Hardman followed with a hitless/scoreless ninth for his third save in an Irish uniform.
The Irish face Purdue (8-3) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., with actual baseball weather in the forecast (high of 73 degrees).
NOTRE DAME 14, TENNESSEE TECH 11: Box Score
