SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame improved to 12-8 on the season with a 16-11 win over Western Michigan (9-10). OF T.J. Williams batted 1.000 on the day, going four-for-four with two RBI and two runs. He leads the team on the season with a .419 batting average. OF David Glancy was responsible for three RBI, while INF Estevan Moreno knocked three hits on the day, including a double.
RHP Radek Birkholz earned the win for Notre Dame, improving to 3-0 on the season. RHP Hagan Ward made his first-career start in Tuesday’s game.
The 27 combined runs scored by both teams rank tied for sixth-most in a single game at Frank Eck Stadium.
Notre Dame improves to 2-0 at home this season, and will host the first ACC home series of the season this coming weekend as Miami comes to town March 22-25.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Broncos got off to a hot start, as the leadoff batter drew a walk and reached second on a balk, advancing to third on a wild pitch. A double scored Western Michigan’s first run, and a subsequent single scored another. RHP Will Jacobsen took the mound for the Irish, and the Broncos homered to score two more. The Irish took care of the next two batters to head to the bottom of the inning down four.
Notre Dame responded, as Williams led off with a single and stole second, getting to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, INF Simon Baumgardt walked, and both advanced on a passed ball, Williams scoring Notre Dame’s first run. OF Tito Flores walked, and INF Jack Penney doubled to score Flores and Baumgardt, bringing the Irish within one. OF Brady Gumpf stepped to the plate and fired a ground-rule double to even the score, bringing Penney home.
In the second inning after two outs, two Broncos batters walked. RHP Rory Fox entered to pitch for the Irish. Western Michigan sent a three-run homer to right field to go up 7-4. Notre Dame placed a runner on second in the bottom of the inning, but was unable to convert.
In the top of the third, Western Michigan led off with a single, and a walk placed runners on first and second. Both runners took another base on a passed ball, and a sac fly scored one for the Broncos. A following single scored another, but a later strikeout from Fox ended the top half of the inning at 9-4 Broncos.
Baumgardt led off the third with a solo homer, putting the score at 9-5. Notre Dame added two singles in the third, but were unable to bring more runs home.
Western Michigan homered for the third time on the day to lead off the fourth and add a run. Two lineouts and a Fox strikeout ended the Bronco run. INF Estevan Moreno led off the fourth with a single, and Williams followed with another single. OF David Glancy hit into a fielder’s choice, pushing Moreno to third and tagging Williams out. An INF Connor Hincks sac fly scored Moreno to put the Irish back in the game down 10-6. After a Baumgardt walk, Flores singled to score both Baumgardt and Glancy, cutting away at the Bronco lead.
Heading to the top of the fifth with Western Michigan up 10-7, Birkholz entered to pitch for Notre Dame. After walking one, Birkholz struck out the next three batters for the Broncos’ first scoreless inning of the game. In the bottom of the inning, C Joey Spence led off with a single, and Moreno drew a HBP. Williams dropped a sac bunt to push both runners a base, and Glancy doubled to score Moreno and Spence, putting the Irish within one at 10-9.
Birkholz remained on the mound in the sixth, forcing a 5-4-3 double play from Baumgardt to Moreno to Hincks. A groundout ended the inning, the second-consecutive inning holding Western Michigan scoreless.
The Irish opened it up in the bottom of the sixth and batted through the order, as Flores led off with a single. Penney walked, and after a strikeout, Spence reached first and scored Penney and Flores on an errant throw, as the Irish took an 11-10 lead. Moreno then doubled to score Spence. Moreno stole third, and Williams singled, his third of the day, to score Moreno. Glancy delivered a fielder’s choice, but Williams got home, and the Irish went to the seventh up 14-10.
RHP Tobey McDonough entered to pitch for the Irish in the seventh, sitting the Broncos down in order and adding a strikeout. In the bottom of the seventh, two walks created traffic on the basepaths as Moreno singled to score OF Brady Gumpf. Williams hit his fourth single of the day to score Spence, and the Irish extended the lead to 16-10.
In the eighth, Western Michigan led off with a double, and a one-out single put two on base. RHP Nate Hardman took the mound for Notre Dame, and a sac fly scored another run for the Broncos. After a single, a flyout to Gumpf ended the inning. Notre Dame earned a walk in the eighth, but a double play sent the game to the ninth.
Hardman dealt two strikeouts to begin the ninth, and a groundout to Penney secured the 16-11 win.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame prepares to host Miami for its first home ACC series of the season at Frank Eck Stadium March 22-24. All games will be broadcast on ACCNX.