SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The sixth-ranked Notre Dame baseball team (17-5) ground out a 5-2 win over Butler (14-15) Tuesday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium. Playing in just their fourth home game of the season, the Irish used a three-run sixth to propel them to their fifth-straight win.
The bullpen carried the Irish against the Bulldogs as Ryan McLinskey, Jack Findlay, Jackson Dennies and Austin Temple combined to pitch 8.1 innings of relief. The bullpen did not allow a hit for Butler from the second inning until there were two outs to go in the eighth. Findlay earned his third win of the season while Temple tallied his second save on the year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Butler jumped out to an early lead as they tallied two runs off of three hits in the top of the first.
The Irish started to battle back in the bottom half of the inning as Jack Brannigan hit a solo home run to left. His fourth home run of the season cut the deficit in half and the Irish trailed 2-1 after the first inning.
Notre Dame tied things up in the bottom of the second and it started with a leadoff double by Ryan Cole. He advanced to third with a stolen base and then came home on the RBI single from Nick Juaire. After two full innings, the score was tied at 2-2.
The Irish took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on second and third and just one away, Zack Prajzner hit a chopper to third that scored Cole. An errant throw from the third baseman allowed Juaire to score from second and advance Prajzner one base to second. Prajzner scored later in the inning on a sacrifice bunt from Spencer Myers. After the sixth, the Irish led 5-2.
The three-run lead was more than enough as Dennies and Temple combined to secure the final nine outs of the game. The win marked Notre Dame’s fourth mid-week win this season and improved to 9-0 in mid-week games under head coach Link Jarrett.
UP NEXT
The Irish continue the homestand this weekend as they welcome Clemson to Frank Eck Stadium. The Tigers will be making their first trip to Eck since 2018 as the three game series gets underway Friday afternoon. The series opener is set for a 5 p.m. ET first pitch and will be aired on the ACC Network Extra. Admission is free for all fans this season at Frank Eck Stadium.
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