Notre Dame baseball continued their 14-game homestand over the weekend by welcoming Florida State to South Bend for the second ACC home series of the season. Despite entering the weekend at just 1-8 in conference play, nationally the Irish ranked in the top-15 of the RPI with big wins at No. 5 Clemson and over Big Ten foes Iowa and Michigan State.
The fourth-ranked Seminoles came to Frank Eck Stadium with a 20-3 overall record, but had yet to play a game outside of the Sunshine State. The Garnet and Gold are led by Seminole alum and third-year head coach Link Jarrett, who guided the Irish to the Super Regionals in 2021 and the College World Series in 2022 during his three-year tenure at Notre Dame.
Home run happy game one
The ‘Noles got good pitching from southpaw Jamie Arnold, which alongside a trio of home runs, gave FSU a 3-0 edge after the top of the fourth. Sophomore catcher Carson Tinney got the Irish attack going in the bottom half of the frame, as he launched his third four-bagger of the year to get one back for Notre Dame.
After sophomore right-hander Jack Radel turned in a strong 5.2 inning outing, the Irish put up a five-spot in the sixth to claim their first lead at 7-4. South Bend native freshman outfielder Jayce Lee notched his first collegiate home run to tie the game at four, before junior infielder Estevan Moreno delivered his 100th career hit with a clutch two-out, three-run blast into the left field screen.
The Seminoles showed resolve by plating three in the top half of the seventh to level matters, but South Bend native and graduate outfielder Brady Gumpf belted a go-ahead home run to straightaway center to reclaim the lead for Notre Dame just after. Florida State matched again with a run in the eighth, but the frenzied Irish offense would score eight in the bottom of the frame to extend the lead to 16-8.
Graduate outfielder Jared Zimbardo had a solo shot in the lead off spot, Tinney cleared the bases with a line drive double and senior infielder Nick DeMarco launched a three-run shot in the inning before senior outfielder DM Jefferson capped off the 16-9 win with a pinch hit home run.
A Sunday doubleheader
After storms cancelled Saturday’s planned doubleheader, the teams squared off in games two and three of the series on Sunday. More impending weather pushed the start time up to a 10 a.m. matinee, and both teams’ bats seemed to still be asleep for the early start.
In the bottom of the second, Lee hit his second home run of the weekend to give Notre Dame a 2-1 advantage, but Seminole starter Joey Volini would hold the Irish to just two more hits for the remainder of the game. FSU took a 3-2 lead in the top half of the fifth, and added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to claim the shortened game 4-2.
A redshirt junior who transferred to Florida State from South Florida, Volini allowed just four hits and two earned runs with only two walks in the complete game effort to move to a perfect 7-0 on the year. Despite suffering the loss, junior right-hander Rory Fox turned in his best start of the year, striking out five while allowing just one hit in his six innings of work.
The offensive display in the rubber match was closer to that of Friday night’s series opener, as the Seminoles' bats terrorized Irish pitching en route to a 14-0 advantage midway through the third. All told, Florida State belted five round-trippers to claim the 17-9 victory and take the weekend series over Notre Dame. The Irish did record 12 hits in the losing effort, headlined by Watters’ sixth home run of the season and a triple from Lee.
Western Michigan on tap
The Irish will get their two-game midweek slate going on Tuesday by hosting the Western Michigan Broncos. Out of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Western Michigan sits at 6-19 overall, but has recently compiled consecutive midweek wins against the Power 4 by besting Michigan and Northwestern, respectively.
Sophomore infielder Tanner Mally leads the Bronco attack with a batting average above the elusive .400 mark and an OPS of nearly 1.000. Tuesday’s game at Frank Eck Stadium is set for a 5 p.m. with first pitch streaming on ACCNX.
