Bubble trouble?
Not Thursday night in Coral Gables, Fla., in a must-win series for the Notre Dame baseball team against host Miami.
DH Davis Johnson hit a three-run homer in the top of the third inning, and the Irish pitching and defense made it stand up as Notre Dame edged the Hurricanes, 3-2, in the opener of the final ACC series of the season for both teams.
Game 2 is set for Friday night at 7 EDT (ACC Network Extra), with junior righty Rory Fox (4-3, 3.09 ERA), the ACC’s leader in opponents’ batting average (.176), taking the mound for the Irish (31-19, 13-15) opposing Miami freshman righthander AJ Ciscar (4-1, 4.03).
Notre Dame will be shooting for its 16th win in 18 games. The series finale is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra), with ND grad senior righty Jackson Dennies (3-3, 4.80) opposing freshman right-hander Tate DeRias (2-1, 3.79).
Notre Dame left fielder Jared Zimbardo punctuated Thursday’s win with a long run on a two-out fly ball deep to left in which he crashed into the wall to make the catch, with the tying run on base.
Sophomore right-hander Jack Radel (7-4) got the win, his sixth in his last seven starts with a 1.41 ERA in that stretch and 39 strikeouts to eight walks over those 44 ⅔ innings. Against Miami (30-22, 14-12), he went 7 ⅓ winnings, giving up four hits, a solo home run to Miami shortstop Jake Ogden, and a walk, while fanning six.
Ricky Reeth got nicked for a ninth-inning run during his 1 ⅓ innings on the mound. Closer Tobey McDonough then came on to get the last out of the game, a deep fly ball by Miami first baseman Renzo Gonzalez, for his ninth save of the season and second in a three-day span.
Johnson, filling in for injured DH Bino Watters, also had a double in four at-bats. Watters has been in a protective boot since suffering a lower-leg injury May 3 against Louisville and is listed as “day-to-day.”
Sophomore catcher and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist Carson Tinney and senior third baseman Nick DeMarco were on board when Johnson pounded his sixth home run of the season.
Freshman first baseman Parker Brzustewicz had the only other extra-base hit for the Irish behind Johnson’s two — a double.
The ACC Tournament will be ND’s next challenge after the Miami series. There’s a new single-elimination format that includes all 16 teams and runs Tuesday through Saturday in Durham, N.C.
The top four seeds get double-byes into the quarterfinals Thursday and Friday. Seeds 5-8 get byes into Wednesday’s second round. The Irish are on a trajectory to be the 11th seed, with a possible climb as high as ninth in play.
Selection day for the NCAA Tournament is Monday, May 19.
NOTRE DAME 3, MIAMI 2: Box Score
Not Thursday night in Coral Gables, Fla., in a must-win series for the Notre Dame baseball team against host Miami.
DH Davis Johnson hit a three-run homer in the top of the third inning, and the Irish pitching and defense made it stand up as Notre Dame edged the Hurricanes, 3-2, in the opener of the final ACC series of the season for both teams.
Game 2 is set for Friday night at 7 EDT (ACC Network Extra), with junior righty Rory Fox (4-3, 3.09 ERA), the ACC’s leader in opponents’ batting average (.176), taking the mound for the Irish (31-19, 13-15) opposing Miami freshman righthander AJ Ciscar (4-1, 4.03).
Notre Dame will be shooting for its 16th win in 18 games. The series finale is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. (ACC Network Extra), with ND grad senior righty Jackson Dennies (3-3, 4.80) opposing freshman right-hander Tate DeRias (2-1, 3.79).
Notre Dame left fielder Jared Zimbardo punctuated Thursday’s win with a long run on a two-out fly ball deep to left in which he crashed into the wall to make the catch, with the tying run on base.
Sophomore right-hander Jack Radel (7-4) got the win, his sixth in his last seven starts with a 1.41 ERA in that stretch and 39 strikeouts to eight walks over those 44 ⅔ innings. Against Miami (30-22, 14-12), he went 7 ⅓ winnings, giving up four hits, a solo home run to Miami shortstop Jake Ogden, and a walk, while fanning six.
Ricky Reeth got nicked for a ninth-inning run during his 1 ⅓ innings on the mound. Closer Tobey McDonough then came on to get the last out of the game, a deep fly ball by Miami first baseman Renzo Gonzalez, for his ninth save of the season and second in a three-day span.
Johnson, filling in for injured DH Bino Watters, also had a double in four at-bats. Watters has been in a protective boot since suffering a lower-leg injury May 3 against Louisville and is listed as “day-to-day.”
Sophomore catcher and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist Carson Tinney and senior third baseman Nick DeMarco were on board when Johnson pounded his sixth home run of the season.
Freshman first baseman Parker Brzustewicz had the only other extra-base hit for the Irish behind Johnson’s two — a double.
The ACC Tournament will be ND’s next challenge after the Miami series. There’s a new single-elimination format that includes all 16 teams and runs Tuesday through Saturday in Durham, N.C.
The top four seeds get double-byes into the quarterfinals Thursday and Friday. Seeds 5-8 get byes into Wednesday’s second round. The Irish are on a trajectory to be the 11th seed, with a possible climb as high as ninth in play.
Selection day for the NCAA Tournament is Monday, May 19.
NOTRE DAME 3, MIAMI 2: Box Score
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