May 23, 2018
By Megan Golden
DURHAM, N.C. — The University of Notre Dame baseball team concluded play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament with a 21-4 loss to second-seeded Clemson on Wednesday afternoon.
Notre Dame (24-30) received 3.1 innings out of starter Cameron Brown, who held the Tigers (44-13) to four runs. But the Irish bullpen lost control in the fourth, and Notre Dame was unable to come back against Clemson.
How It Happened
Matt Vierling put the Irish on the board in the first inning, courtesy of a two-run homer to straightaway center, scoring Jake Johnson and giving Notre Dame a 2-0 lead.
Following a 30-minute lightning delay, the Irish offense was back at it. Alex Kerschner walked, Daniel Jung doubled, and David LaManna drove in Kerschner with a sacrifice fly.
Clemson answered in the top of the third, connecting for a double and eventually a two-out, RBI-single off Brown to cut the Irish lead to 3-1.
Brown exited the game in the fourth, but it was all Tigers from that point on as they went on to win, 21-4.
Notes
- Notre Dame is 1-3 versus Clemson and 5-9 against top-10 teams in 2018.
- Starter Cameron Brown worked 3.1 innings and allowed four runs.
- Matt Vierling‘s two-run homer in the first inning gave him 10 homers on the season. Vierling and Gilgenbach each own 10 homers this season, the first time two Irish players have reached double-figure home runs since 2012 (Mancini and Jagielo).
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.