WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-8) fell to No. 4 Wake Forest (18-2) in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 18 at the David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, NC. The Demon Deacons took game one 4-1 and game two 12-3. The Irish drop to 1-4 in the ACC as they look for their second conference win tomorrow in the final matchup of the three-game series at Wake Forest.
GAME ONE
Jackson Dennies started on the mound for the Irish, finishing the day with three strikeouts while allowing two runs and five hits across 3.2 innings pitched. Aidan Tyrell came in relief with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, throwing 3.1 innings, recording four strikeouts, and giving up just one run and one hit. Sammy Cooper would come in to close for the Irish, pitching just one inning and giving up one earned run and two hits.
After a scoreless first for the Irish and the Demon Deacons, Notre Dame would go three up, three down in both the first and second innings, while Wake Forest put their first run of the day on the board after a homer to left field in the bottom of the second.
Trailing 1-0 heading into the top of the third, Danny Neri led off for the Irish with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a sac bunt from TJ Williams. Estevan Moreno followed with his first hit of the day as he singled through the left side to score Neri and make it a tied ball game at 1-1.
The Demon Deacons would tack on their second run of the day in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI triple to right field. While the Irish were in scoring position in the top of the fifth, they finished with another scoreless opportunity at the plate. Williams reached on a HBP and after a single through the left side from Moreno, he was able to advance to third. It was bases loaded after Zack Prajzner reached via a walk, but a Brooks Coetzee strikeout would close the top of the fifth. Wake Forest recorded their second home run of the day in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 3-1.
A scoreless sixth and seventh kept it within two, as the Irish were looking to get the offense going in the top of the eighth. Penney singled to right field and advanced to scoring position on a balk, but the Irish were unable to capitalize at the plate. Trailing 4-1 headed into the top of the ninth, Williams would add on one more base hit, but the Demon Deacons would take game one 4-1.
GAME TWO
With a similar offensive start for the Irish in game two as in game one,…