Game Thread | (G3) Notre Dame at NC State
Notre Dame (14-11, 2-9) at NC State (17-7, 7-4)
When: March 30
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Where: Doak Field at Dail Park | Raleigh, N.C.
Watch: ACC Network Extra (ESPN+)
QUICK FACTS
- NC State leads the all-time series 17-13 over Notre Dame
- The Wolfpack hadn’t won a series against Notre Dame in Raleigh since 2018
- Eleven players have hit home runs for the Irish this season
- Notre Dame lost game one 9-4 and game two 7-6
PROBABLE STARTERS
SATURDAY
| SCHOOL | NAME | RECORD | ERA | IP | STRIKEOUTS |
| Notre Dame | RHP Rory Fox | 1-0 | 5.50 | 18.0 | 16 |
| NC State | LHP Dominic Fritton | 1-2 | 8.37 | 23.2 | 32 |
WHAT TO WATCH
Notre Dame needs to do anything and everything it can to avoid a third ACC sweep in four weekends. The Irish offense showed some life in game two as every position recorded a hit outside of the DH spot where Joey Spence and DM Jefferson went 0-for-4 with one walk. It’s a step in the right direction offensively, especially considering Jack Penney recorded two much-needed hits.
2B Estevan Moreno continued to show growth in his game by going 2-for-5 with 3 RBI and two doubles. The sophomore did strikeout three times, but you’ll take the production out of the 9-hole and Moreno is now batting .308 on the year.
As a team, Notre Dame struck out 12 times on Friday night, which is still too high. In addition to Moreno, three players struck out twice, which is too high, especially given Notre Dame’s veteran presence.
Freshman Jack Radel had another good start going 4.0 innings giving up two hits, one run, two walks and striking out two. The bullpen struggled a bit as Bennett Flynn gave up four runs in two innings and then Caden Spivey got tagged for two runs in the final 2.1 innings.
NC State got its second walk-off win of the night as Luke Nixon’s single to right field allowed the game-winning run to score. The bases were loaded, so the infield was in, but if they weren’t, it looked like a routine double play ball.
Overall, Notre Dame needs to start finding ways to make game-winning plays, whether at the plate, mound, or field. In game two, Notre Dame went 0-for-2 with the bases loaded, while NC State went 2-for-2. That wins and loses games.
NOTRE DAME LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| TJ Williams | CF | .415 |
| David Glancey | LF | .265 |
| Connor Hincks | 1B | .299 |
| Simon Baumgardt | 3B | .299 |
| Jack Penney | SS | .212 |
| Tito Flores | DH | .258 |
| Brady Gumpf | RF | .303 |
| Joey Spence | C | .394 |
| Estevan Moreno | 2B | .308 |
NC STATE LINEUP
| NAME | POSITION | BATTING AVERAGE |
| Brandon Butterworth | SS | .274 |
| Garrett Pennington | 1B | .365 |
| Alex Makarewicz | 3B | .350 |
| Jacob Cozart | C | .337 |
| Josh Hogue | RF | .333 |
| Eli Serrano III | CF | .289 |
| Drew Lanphere | DH | .348 |
| Chase Nixon | LF | .296 |
| Luke Nixon | 2B | .236 |
OFFENSIVE STATS (Entering the series)
| STAT | NOTRE DAME | NC STATE |
| Batting Avg. | .283 | .303 |
| Runs | 191 | 187 |
| Hits | 227 | 224 |
| 2B | 46 | 37 |
| 3B | 9 | 3 |
| Home Runs | 45 | 39 |
| RBI | 173 | 178 |
| SLG% | .531 | .519 |
| Walks | 99 | 135 |
| Hit by Pitch | 35 | 21 |
| Strikeouts | 201 | 137 |
| OB% | .382 | .419 |
PITCHING STATS (Entering the series)
| STAT | NOTRE DAME | NC STATE |
| ERA | 6.53 | 6.83 |
| Hits | 213 | 192 |
| Runs | 152 | 157 |
| ER | 145 | 141 |
| Walks | 95 | 114 |
| Strikeouts | 182 | 197 |
| Opponent Batting Avg. | .275 | .269 |
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