SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Stanford carried a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning on Friday, but Notre Dame managed to score six unanswered runs from there to earn a 6-2 victory in the opener of a three-game ACC series being played at Frank Eck Stadium.
With the loss, Stanford dropped to 22-20 overall and 10-12 in the ACC, and had its six-game win streak snapped. Notre Dame improved to 22-20 overall with the win, including 9-16 in the conference.
Eric Jeon put the Cardinal on the board first in the first inning, following up a Teddy Tokheim two-out double with one of his own.
Two more doubles led to a second run for the Cardinal in the third as Rintaro Sasaki laced a pitch into the right-center field gap that went for an automatic double before Cort MacDonald shot a pitch back up the box and beat the throw to second for the two-bagger. Jeon was once again the benefactor of the RBI-situation, contributing a productive out two batters later to drive in Sasaki from third and make it 2-0 Cardinal.
Notre Dame drew back even with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings after the Fighting Irish took advantage of two of Stanford’s four errors on the game in those two innings.
After notching a single to start the fifth inning, Drew Berkland eventually came in to score on a two-out double-steal that saw the relay throw to the plate from Charlie Bates skip off the glove of Luke Lavin and trickle away.
An error charged to JJ Moran in the sixth allowed Parker Brzustewicz to reach leading off the inning, as he charged a chopper but threw up the line, allowing the Brzustewicz to take second. The next two hitters struck out, but a walk kept the inning alive for a game-tying single from Berkland to make it 2-2.
Mason Barth delivered the knock-out blow in the seventh, sending a three-run opposite-field home run out to right to break the stalemate and give Notre Dame the lead it would not relinquish. The Fighting Irish would add one more on a sacrifice fly in the eighth to push the tally to 6-2.
The Cardinal managed to get to Notre Dame ace Jack Radel in the first four innings, but the right-hander ultimately settled in to work seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 12 batters to improve to 6-3 on the year. Radel retired the final 11 batters faced after allowing a one-out double to Bates in the fourth inning.
Left-hander Noah Rooney pitched the final two scoreless frames for the Irish, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out one to secure his third save of the season.
Sophomore Parker Warner, the first of five relievers used on Friday by the Cardinal, contributed a strong effort, pitching three innings and allowing just one run on two hits with four strikeouts in a no-decision.
Senior Kassius Thomas was saddled with the loss and dropped to 1-2 on the season, allowing a run on a hit and two walks while getting two outs.
The Cardinal will look to even the series with Notre Dame on Saturday when the two teams meet for an 11 a.m. PT first pitch.