The University of Notre Dame baseball team (7-2) rallied three times from multiple-run deficits to win the second game of its three-game series at Tennessee Tech (6-4) 15-11 Saturday afternoon in Cookeville, Tennessee. Sophomore second baseman Estevan Moreno tied the school record for home runs in a single game with three and batted in six runs to power the Irish offense. Jack Penney had three hits for the Irish with a two-run home run while Tito Flores also notched three hits.
Rory Fox picked up the pitching victory in relief and Ricky Reeth delivered four solid innings from the fifth to the eighth, giving up just two hits and striking out four. Nate Hardman pitched a one-hit ninth to close out the win.
The Irish will look to sweep the series with the Golden Eagles at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 3.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tennessee Tech starting pitcher Peyton Calitri sat the Irish down in order in the top of the first inning and was provided a quick lead by the Golden Eagle lineup. A lead-off single was followed by two outs before Nicoh Jordan homered down the left field line for the first two runs of the game. A single, double and two more singles drove in two more runs before a strike out ended the six-hit, four-run first inning for the home team.
The Irish responded quickly to cut into the lead back to one run in the top of the second. Simon Baumgardt started the inning with a single up the middle and Carson Tinney beat out an infield hit at third base. After Brady Gumpf fouled out on the first pitch, DM Jefferson reached on a fielding error by the Golden Eagle first baseman. Baumgardt scored on the play and Tinney moved to third, from where he scored just two pitches later on a ground ball back to the mound.
Jefferson was on third after the play back to the pitcher and he then scored on a well-executed bunt single from T.J. Williams – back to the pitcher again – and the Irish had almost erased the Tennessee Tech lead in the second inning.
Unfortunately for Notre Dame, that one-run lead for the home team would balloon to six runs by the end of the second inning. A one-out infield single was followed by a walk and a single back to the pitcher to load the bases. Yet another infield single, this one to shortstop, scored one run and the throw to first was wide, allowing two more runs to score. Theo Bryant then homered down the right field line to drive in three runs and chase Irish starter Jackson Dennies from the game. Rory Fox entered in relief and ended the inning with a ground out, walk and strike out.
The third inning was quiet for both teams, then the Irish put together a rally in the top of the fourth. Jefferson led off with a four-pitch walk, then Estevan Moreno blasted a home run to center field to cut the lead to 9-5. Williams was then struck by the first pitch after the home run to bring up Jack Penney. Working the count to 2-0, Penney drove a two-run homer to left field and the Golden Eagle lead was cut down to just two runs.
The back-and-forth slugfest continued in the bottom of the fourth. A seven-pitch walk opened the inning, then Tech’s Preston Steele homered to right field and the Irish found themselves trailing by four runs once again.
The Irish offense answered the call yet again. With one out, Gumpf singled through the left side which led to the first Golden Eagle pitching change of the game. Jack Erdman entered for Calitri, who would finish the day with 4 ⅓ innings, seven hits and eight runs (five earned). Working the first count with Erdman to 2-2, Jefferson tripled down the right field line to drive in Gumpf, then he would trot home on Moreno’s second home run of the day – this one down the left field line.
Williams reached back on a hit by pitch and stole second and moved to third on a double to center field from Penney. The second Tennessee Tech pitching change of the inning followed, as Jaxson Pease came on to face Flores with runners at second and third. A ground ball to shortstop was thrown wide of first, however, which allowed Penney and Williams to both score and give the Irish their first lead of the game 12-11.
Entering the fifth inning, Ricky Reeth came on in relief of Fox, who would finish with 2 ⅔ innings, one hit, three walks, four strikeouts and two runs given up. The Golden Eagles posted a single up the middle on Reeth’s first pitch, but the Irish reliever settled down to get two fly outs and a ground ball to hold Tennessee Tech off the scoreboard for just the second half-inning of the contest.
A quiet sixth inning from both teams led to more fireworks from Moreno to lead off the seventh inning. He hammered a 1-1 pitch to left field for his third home run of the game to tie the Notre Dame school record for homers in a single game for the second time in his career.
After the Moreno bomb, Williams drew a walk and Penney doubled to move Williams to third base. Flores then drove the first pitch he saw into centerfield to drive in the final two runs of the game for both teams.