CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The No. 4 seed Notre Dame baseball team (34-13) extended their time in Charlotte with a 5-3 win over No. 9 seed Florida State (33-23) Thursday afternoon at Truist Field. With the win, the Irish will win Pool D and advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history.
The Irish did their damage via the long ball against the Seminoles. They hit three on the afternoon and all off starter Parker Messick. It tied for the most home runs Messick had given up in a game in his career. Zack Prajzner hit a solo shot while Jack Zyska and Brooks Coetzee III both hit two-run shots.
John Michael Bertrand had another masterful outing on the mound against the Seminoles. He went 8.0 innings and allowed just one unearned run, one walk and struck out eight to pick up his eighth win of the year. Over his two starts against the Seminoles this season, he did not allow an earned run in 15.2 innings pitched and struck out 20.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both starters kept the offenses at bay through the first two innings but the Irish opened the scoring in the third. Prajzner stepped up with two outs in the frame and unloaded on a 1-0 fastball and took it over the wall in left. His fifth home run of the season put the Irish up 1-0.
The Seminoles responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning and the score was tied 1-1 after three.
The Irish took the lead right back in the fourth with another long ball. Zyska crushed his 10th home run of the season into the stands in left center to put the Irish back up. His two run blast gave the Irish a 3-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Seminoles loaded the bases with no outs. Bertrand got two-straight strikeouts and forced a fly out to end the inning and keep the Seminoles from cutting into the Irish lead.
The very next inning, Notre Dame added on to its lead. A leadoff double by Prajzner and a sacrifice bunt got the Irish with a runner on third and just one out. Coetzee III took a 1-2 pitch off the picnic area in left for his team-leading 11th home run. His two-run blast doubled the Irish lead to 5-1 after five.
The Seminoles added two runs in the ninth and got the tying run to the plate but Alex Rao secured the final out for his third save of the season and clinched a trip to the semifinals.
UP NEXT
The Irish will have their final game of Pool Play Friday morning against No. 5 seed Virginia. The Irish and Cavaliers will start the action at 11 a.m. ET and it will be aired on RSN channels regionally along with ACC Network Extra. Check your local listings for your RSN/Bally Sports Channel in your area. Following Friday’s game, the Irish will be in the first semifinal matchup on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET against the winner of Pool A.
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