Game Thread | (G3) Notre Dame at Pitt
Notre Dame (17-11, 7-7) at Pitt (13-15, 4-8)
When: April 8th
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Where: Charles L. Cost Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
Watch: ACC Network Extra
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 53-25.
- The Irish are 19-17 at Pitt.
- Notre Dame took game one 10-8 and game two 11-2.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Saturday
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD (APPEARANCES) | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | LHP Jack Findlay | 4-1 | 2.73 | 33.0 | 50 |
| Pittsburgh | RHP Logan Evans | 1-1 | 8.53 | 6.1 | 4 |
WHAT TO WATCH
- Notre Dame has found the bats this weekend. The Irish have tallied 21 runs in two games, which includes an impressive 11-2 win on Friday afternoon to take the series. Shawn Stiffler’s club has struggled in the ninth inning the last two series, but the Irish came out strong in game two as they extended a 4-1 lead to 11-1.
The Irish offense also did it without hitting the long ball, which had been friendly to the program over the last few weekends. Carter Putz continued his hot streak at the plate going 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and TJ Williams had a solid game going 2-for-3 with 2 RBI, including two beautiful sac bunts. DM Jefferson seems to have some momentum for the job in left field as he went 3-for-4 and scored twice.
- Jackson Dennies has started to really find his groove as a starter and knows his role. The New Orleans native pitched 4.2 innings giving up just one hit, three walks and while striking out six. For the year, Dennies ERA now sits at 2.59.
LHP Aidan Tyrell entered the weekend leading the ACC in ERA and that took a small hit on Friday. Tyrell’s 1.24 ERA now sits at 1.62 after giving up two home runs to Jayden Melendez. Outside of the long balls, Tyrell was phenomenal as he went 4.1 innings of three-hit baseball while striking out three. The Dennies/Tyrell combination has worked very, very well for the Irish.
- Saturday is simple for Notre Dame. Maintain momentum at the plate and let LHP Jack Findlay cook. The Irish haven’t had to dive too deep into the pen as Caden Spivey, Carter Bosch and Matt Bedford haven't thrown, while LHP Ryan Lynch and RHP Sammy Cooper should be able to pitch in situational baseball if needed.
Notre Dame needs to be greedy. Taking the series was expected, but a sweep would be icing on the cake.
OFFENSIVE STATS (Entering the series)
| STAT | Notre Dame | Pittsburgh |
| Batting Avg. | .222 | .264 |
| Runs | 142 | 198 |
| Hits | 187 | 233 |
| 2B | 32 | 51 |
| 3B | 4 | 6 |
| Home Runs | 29 | 36 |
| RBI | 130 | 181 |
| SLG% | .373 | .457 |
| Walks | 98 | 182 |
| Hit by Pitch | 50 | 22 |
| Strikeouts | 242 | 257 |
| OB% | 0.337 | 0.398 |
PITCHING STATS (Entering the series)
| STAT | Notre Dame | Pittsburgh |
| ERA | 4.30 | 6.87 |
| Hits | 195 | 269 |
| Runs | 128 | 189 |
| ER | 108 | 172 |
| Walks | 97 | 138 |
| Strikeouts | 231 | 249 |
| Opponent Batting Avg. | .230 | .294 |
Notre Dame Lineup
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Jack Penney | 3B | .218 |
| Zack Prajzner | SS | .259 |
| Carter Putz | 1B | .308 |
| Brooks Coetzee | RF | .250 |
| Vinny Martinez | DH | .192 |
| DM Jefferson | LF | .286 |
| Estevan Moreno | 2B | .174 |
| Danny Neri | C | .265 |
| TJ Williams | CF | .204 |
Pitt Lineup
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Sky Duff | 3B | .265 |
| Tommy Tavarez | SS | .205 |
| Noah Martinez | 1B | .301 |
| Jack Anderson | DH | .301 |
| Kyle Hess | CF | .303 |
| CJ Funk | RF | .267 |
| Justin Acal | 2B | .218 |
| Jayden Melendez | C | .250 |
| Caleb Sturtevant | LF | .333 |
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