After their game against Eastern Michigan was postponed, the Notre Dame baseball team traveled to Winston Salem, North Carolina to play three games against Wake Forest in their conference opener.
Game 1
Wake Forest managed two runs in the first inning to put themselves ahead of the Irish and continued their offensive drive in the second, with three more to go ahead 5-0. In the top of the third inning, senior infielder Nick DeMarco homered to left field to get the Irish on the board and bring the score to 5-1. Following this, freshman infielder Parker Brzustewicz drew a walk before fellow freshman Bino Watters hit the second homer of the inning to bring the score to 5-3.
In the bottom of the fourth, Wake Forest exploded for 11 runs to gain a 16-3 lead and scored three more in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 19-3. Junior shortstop Estevan Moreno hit a two-run blast in the sixth to bring the score to 19-5, but with the Irish not able to score in the seventh, the game ended and Wake Forest took the victory 19-5.
Game 2
The Irish fought to the very end in the second game on Saturday. Wake Forest started the first inning hitting three home runs to put them ahead 3-0. After no score from either team in the second inning, senior outfielder DM Jefferson started the third with a single followed by a single from Brzustewicz to advance Jefferson to third base. Another single from Watters allowed Jefferson to score and a fielding error put Brzustewicz and Watters in scoring position. However, the Irish stranded the runners, leaving the score at 3-1 to end the inning. With strong defense on both sides, neither team was able to score until the seventh inning. Wake Forest then added on three runs in the bottom half of the frame to make the score 6-1.
In the eighth inning, sophomore catcher Carson Tinney was hit by the pitch and a single from graduate outfielder Brady Gumpf advanced Tinney to second. Graduate infielder Connor Hincks drew a walk to load the bases before a single from freshman infielder Noah Coy forced an error, allowing Tinney and Gumpf to cut the deficit to three. After a fielder's choice, Jefferson drove in Hincks, bringing the score to 6-4. In the ninth, Moreno hit a single, followed by a walk from Tinney, moving Moreno to third. The junior proceeded to get home on a wild pitch to get the Irish within a run. The furious comeback was cut short, howeer, and Wake Forest took the 2-0 series lead.
Game 3
Starting the third game on Sunday, Wake Forest managed three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. Neither team scored in the second inning, but in the bottom of the third, the Demon Deacons scored two more runs for extend their lead to 5-0. In the fourth inning, Wake Forest added another run to make it 6-0. Notre Dame got on the board in the fifth after Coy's double drove Gumpf in to score. In the bottom of the seventh, Wake Forest added on three more runs, bringing the score to 9-1 and closed it out in the eighth with a two-run homer triggering the mercy rule of a 10-run lead after the seventh inning. The final score of 11-1 finished a series sweep of the Irish.
Notre Dame now makes their way to Rock Hill, South Carolina for a pair of games against Winthrop on March 11 at 6 p.m. and March 12 at 4 p.m.
