Losing continues
Notre Dame is having a tough time winning baseball games this year, and on Tuesday, the Irish lost another midweek home game — this time against the Northwestern Wildcats.
From the ND press release:
Irish Clipped in Close Contest with Wildcats
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team pulled within a run in the eighth inning but was unable to complete the comeback in a 9-7 final against Northwestern on Tuesday night.
The Irish struck first when Connor Hincks used a double to drive in Parker Brzustewicz in the bottom of the second inning. The Wildcats put three runs on the scoreboard in the top of the third, and Notre Dame responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Davis Johnson drew a full-count walk and stole second before Carson Tinney hit a double down the left field line to make it a 3-2 game.
Northwestern plated three runs in the top of the fourth to gain a 6-2 advantage. The home side put a run on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fourth. Estevan Moreno was hit by a pitch, and Nick DeMarco walked to put a pair of runners on base. Jared Zimbardo was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Davis Johnson was hit by a pitch to push Moreno across home plate.
The Wildcats added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but Ricky Reeth closed the sixth inning by picking a runner off of first base. Brady Koester recorded a pair of strikeouts and retired the side in order in the top of the seventh, and the Irish used that energy to build momentum on the offensive side. Parker Brzustewicz drew a lead-off walk before Estevan Moreno was hit by another pitch. Connor Hincks laced a single up the middle to drive in Brzustewicz, and Moreno scored on a wild pitch that put Hincks on second. DM Jefferson was hit by a pitch, and Jared Zimbardo singled to left field to load the bases for the Irish. Two batters later, Carson Tinney drove a single to left-center field as Hincks and Jefferson both scored on the play to make it an 8-7 game.
Tobey McDonough had a three-up, three-down inning in the top of the eighth and also tallied a pair of strikeouts to make quick work of the Wildcats in the inning. Northwestern used a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a double in the top of the ninth to gain a 9-7 edge heading into the final stretch of play. DM Jefferson drew a one-out walk to bring the tying run up to bat for the Irish, but the comeback was unable to materialize in a 9-7 final.
The Irish batters were hit by seven pitches and drew four walks on the night.
Kellan Klosterman took the pitching decision after three innings of work while striking out two. Dylan Heine, Ricky Reeth, Brady Koester, and Tobey McDonough all combined to cover 6.0 innings with seven strikeouts in relief.
Carson Tinney went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI on the night. Connor Hincks was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and a run. Jared Zimbardo collected a pair of hits. Estevan Moreno was hit by three pitches and scored twice, and Parker Brzustewicz was walked once and scored twice. Davis Johnson walked once, was hit by a pitch, collected an RBI, and scored a run. DM Jefferson walked once, was hit by two pitches, and scored a run.
The Irish (15-15) return to ACC action this weekend when they travel to Boston College for a three-game series beginning on Friday. The series opener begins at 4:00 p.m. at the Harrington Athletics Village.