March 17, 2018
By Megan Golden
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The University of Notre Dame baseball team fell 6-4 to No. 7 Florida State in the second game of the weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium.
Notre Dame (8-9) had an opportunity to tie and win the game in the ninth, but the Irish could not capitalize late against the Seminoles (15-4).
How It Happened
Mike Salvatore got the Florida State offense started, knocking a single to center in the third inning. Rhett Aplin walked and moved Salvatore to second, and Cal Raleigh hit a two-out, two-run single to right to put Florida State ahead 2-0.
Cole Daily got the Irish on the board in the fourth inning, when he connected for an inside-the-park homer, the first home run of his career. The four-base hit cut the deficit to 2-1.
In the fifth inning, Alex Kerschner led off with a bloop single to center. Eric Feliz, who made his second start of the year in the outfield, lined a double into the gap in right-center. Ryan Cole pinch-ran for Feliz and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice from David LaManna. In the next at-bat, Jared Miller hit a line shot through the third baseman’s legs, allowing Cole to score and tie the game, 2-2.
Reese Albert pinch hit for Florida State in the seventh and hit a solo homer to right-center field, allowing the Seminoles to jump ahead 4-2.
LaManna lined a perfectly placed single to center to lead off the eighth inning. Eric Gilgenbach and Jake Johnson each walked to load the bases, and Cole Daily hit into a fielder’s choice that scored LaManna to bring the Irish within one run, down 4-3.
In the bottom of the eighth, Anthony Holubecki allowed a two-out single, followed by a home run, which extended Florida State’s lead to 6-3.
For the second time in as many days, Vierling belted a homer to left field, this time hitting the top third of the scoreboard in the outfield. The Irish had the bases loaded in the ninth and grounded into a double play to end the game, falling 6-4.
Game Notes
- The Irish move to 3-2 against top-10 teams this season.
- Notre Dame trails the all-time series against Florida State, 8-16, including a 4-12 mark on the road.
- Tommy Sheehan worked 4.1 innings and allowed two runs while striking out one batter.
- Cole Daily hit his first career homer, an inside-the-park home run to left field. The inside-the-park homer is the first since Kyle Fiala hit one on Feb. 25, 2017.
- Matt Vierling hit his third homer of the season and second of the series, a solo shot to left field.
- Nick Podkul snapped an on-base streak of 22 games, dating back to 2017. The second baseman hit .398 (33-83) with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs and 21 RBI during the streak.
Up Next
Notre Dame returns to action at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday in the rubber match against Florida State. The action can be seen live on ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN and heard on WatchND.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the Irish baseball program, follow @NDBaseball on Twitter and @NotreDameBaseball on Instagram. For tickets to an Irish baseball game, click here.
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Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August of 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame baseball and women’s soccer programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College and former Irish women’s basketball manager. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.