Too much Virginia Tech offense for Notre Dame baseball to keep pace
Notre Dame baseball took Tuesday night’s opener 5-4 against 15th-seeded Clemson but couldn't keep pace with No. 7 seed Virginia Tech.
SOUTH BEND —A dearth of pitching depth once again proved to be Notre Dame baseball’s undoing in a second-round loss to Virginia Tech at the ACC Tournament . The seventh-seeded Hokies wiped out an early four-run deficit and rolled to a 17-10 win on Wednesday evening, May 20 at Truist Field in Charlotte, N. C.
Starter Ty Uber (4-3) was knocked out in the third and took the loss after giving up a pair of homers to cleanup hitter Ethan Ball. The Hokies kept scoring no matter what pitcher Notre Dame brought in, including a pair of successful safety squeeze bunts in the fifth and sixth innings. In all, 10 different Notre Dame hurlers threw a total of 197 pitches while allowing 19 hits, six walks and three wild pitches.
The runs and hits were both season highs for Virginia Tech, which went 9-for-21 with runners in scoring position. The game took more than four hours to complete. The Irish, seeded 10 th , had won 12 of their last 13 games but head home at 31-22 overall and 14-18 in the league.
Virginia Tech (30-23) advances to face second-seeded North Carolina on Friday in the quarterfinals. Jack Radel: Notre Dame baseball coach challenges young players: 'Go be a Jack Radel' Nine ACC teams are projected to make this year’s NCAA Tournament, but Notre Dame’s modest RPI (66) and strength of schedule (98 th ) will likely keep it home for a fourth straight season. Mark Quatroni’s two-run homer keyed a four-run outburst in the top of the first inning as the Irish chased Virginia Tech starter Ethan Grim after just five batters.