Notre Dame baseball wins series over Boston College
The Irish bounced back from a Friday afternoon loss to take two of three from the Eagles. The Irish dropped a 7-4 decision in the series opener. Then, they scored eight runs in the first inning on Saturday, winning 11-5. On Sunday, Notre Dame posted 11 runs in the sixth frame en route to a 16-10 victory. Graduate student catcher David LaManna went 5-10 with a walk in the series.The Irish went down 7-1 midway through the opener. A late rally and four perfect relief innings from freshman Radek Birkholz weren't enough to close the gap. On Saturday, the Irish started fast. They chipped their way to four runs. Then, senior shortstop Zack Prajzner opened it up with a grand slam. The Irish then held on from there. Seniors Alex Rao and Aidan Tyrell fired five innings of one-run ball in relief.
On Sunday, the Irish led 5-2 after five innings. Then, the Eagles scored six times in the top of the sixth for an 8-5 advantage. However, Notre Dame responded with 11 runs in the sixth. Senior left fielder Jack Zyska knotted the score with a two-run single. Then, graduate student second baseman Jared Miller launched a grand slam for the 12-8 lead. Graduate student center fielder Ryan Cole added an inside-the-park shot, and Zyska blasted a two-run bomb. That was good for a 16-8 advantage, and the Irish held on to win. They are 13-8 in ACC play, good for second in the division and fourth overall.
Notre Dame men‘s lacrosse blasts Syracuse
The Irish went on the road and dismantled Syracuse for the second time this season, this time by a seven-goal margin. Junior attack Pat Kavanagh notched four goals and six assists to spark the offense. Defensively, the Irish held Syracuse scoreless on five man-up opportunities. Junior goalie Liam Entenmann recorded a career-high 22 saves to keep the Orange at bay. Kavanagh assisted two first-quarter goals, as Notre Dame jumped to a 5-2 advantage.By halftime, the score was 10-5, and eight different Irish players had notched a goal. Syracuse pulled within 13-9 in the third quarter, but that was the closest it got. Kavanagh found the back of the net for three second-half goals and Notre Dame closed it out, 18-11. Notre Dame is 4-1 in ACC play. After that win, they sit second in the conference.
Notre Dame women‘s lacrosse beat Duke, fall to UNC
The Irish women's lacrosse team entered the ACC tournament as the fifth seed. Hosting the weekend, Notre Dame rode the home crowd energy to a 19-11 victory over Duke. The Irish scored on their first twelve shots of the game, opening up an 8-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Junior attack Madison Ahern notched five goals to pace the scoring. Graduate student attack Maddie Howe and junior midfielder Kasey Choma each scored four times. Junior attack Jackie Wolak scored twice and assisted on six goals for a team-leading eight points.That trio each scored one apiece as Notre Dame opened on a 3-0 mini-spurt. Choma scored twice more in the period, and Ahern added a second as the Irish opened up a commanding lead. Wolak notched four of her six assists in the opening frame. Ahern scored two more times in the second quarter. Courtesy of another big period, the Irish extended the advantage to 14-6. Notre Dame opened the second half with three straight goals and held Duke to just one third-quarter goal. As such, the advantage never fell to less than that eight-goal margin.
Notre Dame was less successful against UNC, losing a close contest to the top-ranked team in the country. The Irish started hot, opening up a 5-2 lead in the first quarter. However, the Tar Heels responded with a dominant second period. They scored eight times en route to a 10-6 halftime advantage. The Irish couldn't secure a late comeback, falling a goal short in the 14-13 decision. Wolak led all Irish scorers with four goals in the game. Notre Dame now awaits their NCAA Tournament fate. The Irish entered the ACC Tournament likely on the wrong side of the bubble. However, a top-10 win over Duke may be enough to swing the odds in their direction.
Saint Mary‘s celebrates Senior Day games
Saint Mary‘s spring sports all celebrated their senior day games this past weekend. Their lacrosse squad used a big fourth quarter to win 21-10 over Alma. Softball earned a doubleheader sweep of Albion, 3-0 and 7-2. Tennis fell to Bethel in a non-conference match, 7-2.Several Belles seniors posted strong performances in their home finales. Senior attack Gabby Belsito led the lacrosse squad in scoring with seven goals. Sophomore defender Bridget Kane tied a program record with six assists. The win gave Saint Mary's a berth in the MIAA conference tournament.
In softball, the Belles polished off a sweep of Albion to finish 7-9 in conference play. Senior catcher Winnie Tomsheck went 2-3 in the doubleheader with her first multi-hit collegiate game. Senior pitcher Mandi Hettinger spun a complete-game shutout in the opener.
On the tennis courts, seniors Meredith Heckert and Nikki Rust were honored. Heckert played a key role in one of Saint Mary‘s points when she teamed up with junior Kalyn Borger for a dominant 8-1 win at the second doubles court. Freshman Alayna Campbell had the other win, as the Belles now prepare for the MIAA tournament.
Holy Cross men‘s tennis drops CCAC Championship
After a strong regular season ended in a second-place conference finish, the Saints made a run to the conference title game. However, they came up short versus Cardinal Stritch. The teams were the only ranked squads in the CCAC. Holy Cross entered at No. 25, with Cardinal Stritch sitting at No. 18. The Wolves beat the Saints 4-0 in the regular-season finale. And while the Saints picked off one point this time, they couldn't stay with their conference foe, falling 4-1 in the championship. They'll sweat out the selection day for the NAIA tournament.
