This Notre Dame baseball team is just different than what they were a year ago. The Shawn Stiffler project is finally looking like the real deal — and a lot of that has to do with the phenomenal pitching of Irish Ace, Jack Radel.
Radel took the mound to open the weekend series against ACC foe, Clemson, and he pitched an absolute gem of a game for a 9 inning shutout.
Notre Dame Baseball: Radel Throws a Gem as Irish Shutout Clemson SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior right-handed pitcher Jack Radel struck out eight,
allowed just four singles and did not surrender a walk on his way to a complete-game shutout in a 6-0 Irish win over No. 19 Clemson on Friday night.
Jack Radel used a trio of strikeouts after facing four batters in the top of the first to retire the side in the opening frame. The Irish got out of a jam in the top of the second. The Tigers put their first two batters aboard on a pair of hits. Jamie Zee jumped up to snag a grounder and turned a double play, and Radel used a strikeout to end the inning.
Mason Barth drilled the second pitch of his at-bat over the center-field fence for a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third.
The Irish forced the Tigers into stranding a runner in the top of the fourth, and Notre Dame added to the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Bino Watters reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced on a throwing error. A single by Parker Brzustewicz drove in Watters from second for a 2-0 Irish advantage.
Jack Radel struck out the first two batters of the top of the sixth and induced a ground out to Mason Barth at second base to quickly retire the side. Radel added another three-up, three-down inning in the seventh, and the Irish gave the junior righty some big run support in the bottom of the inning. Parker Brzustewicz drew a lead-off walk, and Davis Johnson put down a perfect sacrifice bunt. Jayce Lee had an infield single beat at first, and a throwing error on the play allowed Brzustewicz to score. Mason Barth was hit by a pitch, and Jamie Zee drilled a homer well clear of the right field fence to put the Irish ahead 6-0.
Radel continued to roll with a one-two-three eighth with a great play at first by Brzustewicz, a strikeout and a fly out to Watters in left to retire the side.
The Tigers got their first hit since the second inning with a lead-off single in the top of the ninth. Radel induced a flyout before a pair of ground outs closed out the game and the win for the junior righty in a 6-0 victory.
Jamie Zee had a three-run home run and Mason Barth added a solo home run and scored twice to help pace the Irish offense. Parker Brzustewicz had a hit, an RBI and scored a run. Jayce Lee tallied a hit and scored once, and Drew Berkland posted a hit for the Irish.
Jack Radel went nine complete on the bump with his first collegiate complete-game shutout. Radel had eight strikeouts, zero walks and scattered four singles over his outing. He needed just 117 pitches to earn the first Irish nine-inning complete game shutout since June 4, 2021 (John Michael Bertrand vs. Central Michigan).
The Irish (12-7, 4-3 ACC) face No. 19 Clemson on Saturday for game two of the three-game series starting at 2:00 p.m. at Frank Eck Stadium.
