SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame baseball team captured a 9-6 win over Michigan State at Frank Eck Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Dylan Heine retired the side in order in the top of the first, and Estevan Moreno collected a grounder before a good stretch by Parker Brzustewicz led to a force out to end the second inning for the Irish defense.
Notre Dame erupted for nine runs in the bottom half of the second inning. Davis Johnson led off with a single through the right side of the infield. Jared Zimbardo was hit by a pitch to put a pair on base, and Brady Gumpf ripped a double up the left field line to drive in Johnson. Nick DeMarco lofted a soft single to right field to plate Zimbardo, and Jayce Lee used a single through the left side as Gumpf came in to score. Noah Coy beat out an infield bunt single to load the bases. Parker Brzustewicz then drove a double off of the base of the wall to drive in all three runners. Bino Watters was inches away from a home run as his RBI double hit off the wall while Brzustewicz scored easily on the play. Estevan Moreno was then hit by a pitch as the Irish hit around without an out being recorded. After a passed ball and a walk by Zimbardo loaded the bases, Nick DeMarco delivered his second hit of the inning to drive in Watters and Moreno for the 9-0 lead.
The Spartans plated a run in the top of the third before the Notre Dame defense forced Michigan State into stranding a runner in scoring position in the fourth in an effective two-inning performance by Kellan Klosterman. Jared Zimbardo had a perfectly-placed bunt single in the bottom of the fourth and stole second, but the Irish were unable to capitalize with the runner in scoring position.
Xavier Hirsch used three pitches to strike out the first Michigan State batter he faced in the top of the fifth as Hirsch retired the side in order. The Spartans put three hits together in the top of the sixth to make it a 9-3 game midway through the sixth inning.
Sammy Cooper dialed up a strikeout to begin his outing on the mound, and Cooper used a strikeout and a ground out later in the seventh to shut the door on the Spartans.
Oisin Lee then came into the game in the top of the eighth and sat down all three batters he faced with strikeouts. The Irish threatened to add to their lead in the bottom half of the inning. Connor Hincks drew a walk, and Bino Watters followed suit with a walk of his own to put a pair on base with one out gone. Back-to-back…