TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Notre Dame (11-7, 0-4 ACC) fell 4-2 to Florida State (17-0, 2-0 ACC) to allow the Seminoles a series win on Saturday. RHP Matt Bedford (1-3) took the loss, going four innings with four strikeouts, allowing just two runs in the first inning and none afterwards.
RHP Bennett Flynn pitched three innings, also posting four strikeouts, and RHP Radek Birkholz closed it out with an inning of work, allowing one hit, zero runs and earning a strikeout.
OF T.J. Williams made impacts in both phases Saturday, leading the Irish with two hits, including a solo homer, and posting four putouts in center field, including a highlight-worthy leap for a fly ball in the sixth inning.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame went scoreless in the first with three strikeouts. INF Estevan Moreno recorded an impressive double play in the bottom half, snagging a line drive and dishing to Hincks, but a subsequent FSU homer scored two for the Seminoles.
Both sides went three up, three down in the second. After an out in the third, C Carson Tinney doubled, the second double of his career, and got to third on a Williams single. OF David Glancy sent a grounder to score Tinney and cut the FSU lead in half.
Bedford and the Irish kept the Seminoles off the board in the third to head to the fourth down 2-1.
Notre Dame got two runners on base in the fourth, but were unable to convert. Bedford returned to the mound in the bottom of the inning, adding a strikeout and sitting down the side.
The Irish went down in order in the fifth, and Flynn entered to pitch. Florida State led off the bottom half with a double. A subsequent single scored one another for Florida State, and another single placed runners on first and third. Later on, a sacrifice fly scored a run to allow FSU to take a 4-1 lead.
Both sides went scoreless in the sixth, each retired in order, and also went scoreless in the seventh. In the eighth, Williams sent a solo homer to cut the Seminoles’ lead to 4-2. Birkholz entered to pitch for the Irish to begin the bottom of the inning. Later, with one out and two runners in scoring position, Birkholz and the Irish sat down the next two batters to hold off the Seminoles.
Notre Dame looked to make a run in the top of the ninth, as INF Jack Penney drew a one-out walk, and OF Brady Gumpf added a two-out double, but a final out cemented the 4-2 Florida State victory.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame and Florida State will close out the series at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on ACCNX.