Notre Dame Baseball Loses First Series of the Season to Florida State

For the first time this season, and for the first time in the ACC under head coach Link Jarrett, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team lost a series, dropping two games against the Florida State Seminoles. Notre Dame still sits in first place in the conference and with only one series remaining in the season is in position to claim the top seed for the conference tournament.

Game 1: Notre Dame 2 (24-9, 21-9) - Florida State 5 (24-16, 16-12)

Win: Parker Messick, FSU (6-2)

Loss: Will Mercer, ND (1-2)

Save: Jack Anderson, FSU (3)

Notre Dame grabbed the early lead on Friday night, loading the bases in the first inning. Unfortunately they were only able to bring home one runner, with Spencer Myers scoring on a sacrifice fly from Jack Brannigan. The stranded runners would prove to be costly.

Florida State took the lead in the fourth inning, scoring two on a single from Davis Hare. They added three insurance runs in the ninth inning that proved to be the difference. Notre Dame added another run in the bottom of the ninth with Jared Miller driving in Brannigan, but the total six runners left on base and the Seminole insurance runs were too much to overcome.

Game 2: Notre Dame 5 (25-9, 22-9) - Florida State 3 (24-17, 16-13)

Win: John Michael Bertrand, ND (6-1)

Loss: Bryce Hubbart, FSU (5-4)

Save: Jack Brannigan, ND (2)

Notre Dame again took the early lead in game one, with Spencer Myers scoring on another sacrifice fly, this time from Carter Putz. In the sixth inning Jack Brannigan extended the Notre Dame lead, hitting a three run home run to the opposite field. Niko Kavadas drove in the fifth and final Notre Dame run with a single in the seventh.

John Michael Bertrand started the game for Notre Dame and was superb once again. He threw seven innings while striking out nine and not allowing a single run. Once Bertrand left the game Florida State was able to jump on the Notre Dame bullpen, scoring a run in the eighth and two in the ninth. Jack Brannigan was able to come in for the final two outs in the ninth inning and shut the door for the Irish win.

Game 3: Notre Dame 1 (25-10, 22-10) - Florida State 7 (25-17, 17-13)

Win: Conor Grady, FSU (5-2)

Loss: Alex Rao, ND (1-1)

The Irish bats went quiet in the third game, and unfortunately the Seminoles were able to control throughout. They scored a run in the second inning and two each in the fourth and sixth for the 5-0 lead. They added one more in the seventh and ninth innings.

In the bottom of the seventh Notre Dame got their only run of the game. Niko Kavadas hit an RBI double but Notre Dame was unable to add any more. This was the first series loss of the season for Notre Dame, the last ACC team without losing a series. It is also the first ACC series loss under second year head coach Link Jarrett.

Up Next

Notre Dame travels to Virginia next weekend for their final series of the season against the Virginia Tech Hokies. The ACC tournament follows at the end of May.