The Irish were just swept by the North Carolina Tar Heels at home last week, and this week they went down to Raleigh to take on the NC State Wolfpack. The results were pretty much the same as the Irish go down 7-3.
Notre Dame Baseball: Irish Stymied by Wolfpack in Series Opener
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Notre Dame baseball team fell in a 7-3 final at NC State in the series opener on Thursday night.
Caden Crowell forced the Wolfpack into stranding a lead-off double with a pair of strikeouts on either side
of a ground out fielder’s choice in the bottom of the first.
Davis Johnson dropped a single into center field, and Dylan Passo came in to run for the junior. Jayce Lee drew a walk, and a Parker Brzustewicz fly ball allowed the pair to move into scoring position. Mason Barth drilled the first pitch of his at-bat down the left field line for a two-RBI double as Passo and Lee both scored easily on the play for the 2-0 lead.
The Wolfpack scored five in the bottom of the second to gain a 5-2 advantage. Mark Quatrani got the Irish back on track with an opposite-field solo home run in the top of the third to make it 5-3.
Xavier Hirsch started a big double play before Drew Berkland made a sliding catch in center field to retire the Wolfpack quickly in the bottom of the third. Hirsch then forced NC State into stranding a runner on second in the fourth with a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning. Hirsch needed just six pitches to retire the Wolfpack in order in the bottom of the sixth.
Hirsch closed out the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout as the score remained 5-3. NC State, however, added a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 7-3 score.
Mason Barth had a pair of hits with a double and drove in a pair for the Irish. Mark Quatrani belted a solo home run and was hit by a pitch. Dylan Passo and Jayce Lee each had a hit and scored a run. Bino Watters and Davis Johnson each added a hit. Drew Berkland had his 21-game hitting streak snapped. It was the longest hitting streak by an Irish player since Notre Dame joined the ACC.
Caden Crowell suffered the loss on the mound after going 2.0 and striking out three. Xavier Hirsch went a career-best 5.0 innings on the mound, allowing just three hits and striking out two while not surrendering a run. Oisin Lee had a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning of work, and Will Jaisle added a strikeout in one-third of an inning.
The Irish (15-10, 6-7 ACC) look to even the series on Friday night when they take on NC State in game two starting at 6:00 p.m. ET.
