RALEIGH, N.C. – Notre Dame (14-12, 2-10 ACC) suffered a heartbreaking 7-6 defeat at the hands of No. 22 NC State (18-7, 8-4 ACC) in the series finale Sunday. The Irish battled through the ninth inning, surrendering a two-run lead on a walkoff home run.
RHP Rory Fox earned the start Sunday and pitched 5.0 innings, a career-high, posting a strikeout and allowing just one run. RHP Ricky Reeth (1-3) shouldered the loss, going 3.2 innings with three strikeouts.
OF David Glancy had an outstanding day, going 4-for-5 at the plate with four RBI, two runs scored and a home run in the top of the ninth. He also posted four putouts in left field.
Glancy led the Irish in the series with a .455 batting average, totaling five hits and five RBI. INF Estevan Moreno was close behind, batting .400 with four hits (all doubles) and three RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
OF T.J. Williams led off the first with a single, but was held at first as the next three batters went down in order. NC State posted a single in the bottom half, but INF Connor Hincks grabbed a grounder at first, turning a double play to INF Jack Penney for the out at second to end the inning.
Notre Dame went three up, three down in the second, and the Wolfpack led off with a single, but Fox notched a strikeout and the next two batters could not reach base.
Still scoreless, Moreno drew a one-out walk in the third, and Williams took a HBP to place both on base. Both runners advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. Glancy delivered an RBI single to strike first, scoring Moreno. Hincks then laid down a bunt to score Williams, putting the Irish up 2-0 headed to the bottom of the third. NC State led off with a single, and after a popup, Williams snagged a fly ball in center field and fired it to Hincks at first for Notre Dame’s second double play of the game.
The Irish were retired in order in the fourth, and the Wolfpack led off the fourth with a solo homer to cut the lead in half. Penney, OF Brady Gumpf and Williams took care of the next three batters to preserve a 2-1 lead.
Moreno drew a one-out walk in the fifth, and moved to second on a groundout. Glancy hit his second RBI single of the day as Moreno sped home from second to add a run. Hincks singled, pushing Glancy to second, and INF Simon Baumgardt took a HBP to load the bases. Penney drew a walk to score Glancy, sending the Irish to the field with a 4-1 lead. Glancy took care of all three outs in the bottom of the fifth, as Fox forced three fly balls to left field, allowing only a single in the inning.
The Irish were unable to add in the sixth, and after two batters came aboard for NC State in the bottom of the inning, Reeth took the mound for Notre Dame. The Wolfpack began to chip away at the lead, as a HBP loaded the bases and two groundouts to Hincks scored two runs for NC State. A final grounder ended the inning, as the Irish kept a 4-3 lead.
Glancy hit his third single of the day to lead off the seventh, but three outs followed to keep Notre Dame from scoring. Reeth dealt two strikeouts to begin the bottom of the seventh inning, and after a walk, a groundout to Baumgardt held the Wolfpack from scoring.
In the eighth, Notre Dame went down in order. After a popup, NC State singled, and Reeth added another strikeout as NC State stole second. An RBI single tied the game at 4-4, and a grounder to Hincks ended the inning.
In the top of the ninth, Moreno led off with a double, and after a strikeout, Glancy delivered a two-run homer to left center, giving the Irish a 6-4 lead. In the bottom of the ninth after an out, two singles and a fielder’s choice put runners on first and third. With two outs, the Wolfpack homered to walk it off with the 7-6 win.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame returns home for four games, facing Michigan State on April 2 and hosting No. 3 Clemson for a three-game series April 5-7. All games will be played at Jake Kline Field at Frank Eck Stadium, and Friday’s game vs. Clemson will be broadcast on ESPN2. All other games will be streamed on ACCNX.