NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Coming off the series-opening loss on Friday, the No. 12 Notre Dame baseball team battled back on Saturday as the game came down to the final inning. With Louisville tying the game in the top of the ninth, Ryan Cole was at it again with his second walk-off home run in as many weeks as the Irish defeated No. 6 Louisville 5-3 to tie the series.
“(John Michael) Bertrand got us deep into the game and was in control of his outing, as we have seen before,” said head coach Link Jarrett. “Our defense played very well and there were very nice plays at essentially every defense position on the field. (Jack) Brannigan had a great day at the plate, at third, and to come in and help close out the ninth.”
The Irish (11-4, 10-4 ACC) took the lead in the seventh inning after plating three runs in the inning to go ahead 3-2 which held until the top of the ninth. Alex Binelas hit a solo home run to tie it in the top of the ninth. The Cardinals (16-6, 8-3 ACC) got a runner to third but Brannigan took to the mound and got the Irish out of the inning.
WALK IT OFF!@ryan_cole13 wins it for the Irish against No. 7 Louisville 😱#NCAABaseball x 🎥 @NDBaseball pic.twitter.com/p017gfSKTY
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) March 27, 2021
“Baseball is such a great game and to think you would see the same guy hit his second walk-off home run in six home games is simply amazing,” stated Jarrett. “Louisville is a very good team and tomorrow will be another exciting Sunday.”
Following a one-out single from David LaManna, Cole took a 2-1 pitch over the bushes in left field for his second career walk-off home run. With the win, the Irish ended a 20-game losing streak to the Cardinals and tied the weekend series heading into Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Bertrand set down the first nine batters of the game in order. The Irish had the first seven batters retired in order before Brannigan got the first hit of the game for either team in the bottom of the third.
Louisville did not get their first hit of the game until the fifth inning but that made it count. Lucas Dunn reached on a single and then stole second to get in scoring position. With two outs Levi Usher hit one back up the middle that scored Dunn and gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead after five innings.
Louisville added another run in the sixth inning with a leadoff solo home run from Cooper Bowman. The homer doubled the lead for the Cardinals at 2-0 after six innings.
The Irish offense woke up in the seventh inning and it started with a leadoff single to right from Jared Miller. After advancing to second on a ground out and stealing third, he scored on Brooks Coetzee’s single to center. Cole went from first to third on the play and Coetzee made it to second on the throw into the plate. Brannigan stepped up and launched a double off the wall in center that scored the pair and put the Irish up 3-2.
The Cardinals tied the game in the ninth off Binelas’ solo shot but Brannigan kept the Irish tied after getting the final two outs of the inning.
Cole’s heroics in the ninth propelled the Irish to their 10th conference win and sets up a rubber match on Sunday.
UP NEXT
The Irish and Cardinals will meet Sunday afternoon to decide the series between the Top-15 teams. The Irish will send LHP Will Mercer to the hill for Sunday’s matinee that is scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start and will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
—ND—