No. 12 Notre Dame baseball extends winning streak to 8 with Clemson sweep
No. 12 Notre Dame completed a three-game sweep of Clemson with a 9-3 victory Sunday at home in Frank Eck Stadium.
The Irish (20-5, 8-4 ACC) jumped out to a 5-1 lead with a four-run fourth inning. Designated hitter Jack Zyksa scored right fielder Brooks Coetzee III on an RBI double. Third baseman Jack Brannigan brought home Zyska with a fielder's choice. Then first baseman Carter Putz completed the scoring with a two-run double to right center.
From the cleanup spot Sunday, Putz delivered three RBIs for the Irish on 2-for-5 hitting. He totaled eight RBIs in the three-game series.
Notre Dame starting pitcher Will Mercer completed three innings of scoreless work while allowing three hits with two strikeouts. Reliver Roman Kimball (3-0) picked up the victory despite allowing three runs in 2 1/3 innings. Alex Rao picked up his first save of the season with 3 2/3 hitless innings. Rao walked three and struck out two Tigers.
Clemson (19-12, 2-9) scored all three of its runs on solo homers off Kimball in the fourth and sixth innings.
Notre Dame tacked on a pair of solo home runs by second baseman Jared Miller and left fielder Ryan Cole in the bottom of the eighth.
The Irish extended their winning streak to eight games including six against ACC opponents. Notre Dame will host Michigan (17-14) on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
Saturday: Putz drives in five, pitching again superb in Irish victory
Carter Putz homered among his three hits and drove in five run as No. 12 Notre Dame won its seventh straight game, 8-1, over Clemson Saturday on a frigid afternoon.
Hot-hitting DH Nick Juaire, Brooks Coetzee and Danny Neri each added solo shots for the Irish (19-5, 7-4 ACC). Neri was 3-of-4 with two runs scored.
The Irish pitching staff extended its streak to 26 ⅔ innings without allowing an earned run. Clemson nicked reliever Jackson Dennies for a run with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly, but it was unearned.
Notre Dame came into the weekend 10th nationally in ERA at 3.28.
Austin Temple (3-0) pitched the first 5 ⅓ innings to pick up the win. Ryan McLinskey relieved with two on and one out in the top of the sixth in a 3-0 game. He struck out the two batters he faced to end the frame, then pitched two more scoreless innings.
Bertrand leads Notre Dame to 4-1 win in ACC series opener with Clemson
Sixth-year lefty John Michael Bertrand pitched into the ninth in a masterful performance as No. 12 Notre Dame won its sixth game in a row, 4-1, Friday at Frank Eck Stadium in the opening game of a three-game ACC series with visiting Clemson.
The older brother of ND linebacker JD Bertrand in 8 1/3 innings allowed four hits, three walks and an unearned run on a passed ball, third strike. Overall, he struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 1.53, bested in the ACC only by Miami’s Karson Ligon (1.45).
Seton Hall transfer Ryan McLinskey finished for his third save.
RBI singles by Spencer Myers and Jack Brannigan in the bottom of the second inning gave Bertrand (5-0) all the offensive support he would need. Brannigan scored on a passed ball in the fifth for a 3-1 ND lead, and Nick Juaire knocked in a run in the eighth for the Irish (18-5, 6-4 ACC) on a sacrifice fly.
Myers, Brannigan and Brooks Coetzee each finished with two hits in the game.
Clemson (19-10, 2-7) was coming off a Tuesday win over 17th-ranked Georgia. The Tigers are 5-10 since opening the season with 14 straight victories.
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