April 16, 2017
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina — The Notre Dame baseball team dropped the third and final game of a series at No. 20 Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon, 5-1.
The Irish couldn’t get the bats going on Sunday afternoon off Wake starter Connor Johnstone. Johnstone held Notre Dame to five hits and one earned run in seven innings of work, striking out eight.
Daniel Jung did record an RBI for Notre Dame, while Connor Daily had a 2-for-3 afternoon with a run scored. Nick Podkul was hit by a pitch and walked, extending his on-base streak to 23 games. Jake Johnson also had a single to push his on-base streak to 14 games.
Sean Guenther was solid in relief of Irish starter Brad Bass. Guenther held Wake Forest off the scoreboard while allowing just three hits in 3.2 innings of work. Bass allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits in 4.1 innings.
Key Innings
Bottom First
All three games saw one of the teams lead after the first, and this time it was the Deacons. Jonathan Pryor walked to start the inning before Jake Mueller popped out. Stuart Fairchild then singled on a smash to Fiala at third. Gavin Sheets flew out, with Pryor moving up to third. Wake started Fairchild at first with two outs and Lidge’s throw ricocheted off Podkul as Fairchild took a hard slide into second, allowing Pryor to score. Ben Breazeale flew out to end the frame with Wake up, 1-0.
Bottom Second
Fairchild added to the lead in the second with a two-out solo homer to right that would have been a routine fly ball at Frank Eck Stadium.
Bottom Fourth
Johnny Aiello doubled the lead in the fourth. After Breazeale singled to center to start the frame, Aiello drove a pitch over the wall in left-center to make it 4-0.
Top Eighth
The Irish had their best chance to get back in the ballgame in the eighth. Podkul and Johnson drew consecutive walks off Wake Forest closer Griffin Roberts to start the inning. Unfortunately, Fiala flew out, Johnson popped out and Lidge grounded out to end the threat.
On Deck
The Irish get the opportunity to play in a Major League stadium on Tuesday, April 18, when they visit Detroit’s Comerica Park for a contest with Central Michigan. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be heard live on WatchND and 103.1 FM.
— ND —
Michael Scholl joined Fighting Irish Media in August 2016, coordinating communications for the baseball program and assisting with the football team at his alma mater. The South Bend native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts & Letters in 2009 before going on to work in athletics communications at Providence College, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati.