Louisville sweeps No. 1 Notre Dame baseball behind offensive explosion, two late home runs
Louisville has Notre Dame’s number, to say the very least.
On Sunday, the Cardinals completed the sweep of the top-ranked Irish, winning their 23rd meeting against Notre Dame in the last 24 tries by a score of 7-5. It was the closest matchup over the weekend, as Notre Dame fell 16-11 on Friday night and 8-1 on Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
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It was unfamiliar territory for an Irish team that had not dropped a road series in its last eight tries, and it happened less than a week removed from earning the No. 1 spot in the Baseball America Top 25. Now the Irish and head coach Link Jarrett go back to the drawing board.
Here are a couple of observations from the series.
Elite pitching challenged
On Friday, starter Aidan Tyrell made it through just eight batters and one inning with four hits, five earned runs, a walk and a strikeout. It was hardly his best outing.
Saturday brought graduate student John Michael Bertrand to the mound, and he pitched lights out. The veteran went six and one-third innings, allowing just four hits and one earned run. If there was an issue on the day, it was the walks. Bertrand walked six batters. He had allowed just three walks in four prior appearances this season.
Saturday and Sunday’s collapses certainly shouldn’t land squarely on third baseman and pitcher Jack Brannigan‘s lap, but he was on the mound when two late-game homers changed the game dynamics. On Saturday, a Ben Bianco grand slam blew the game open, as the Cardinals posted a seven-run eighth inning. It was over from there.
On Sunday, Brannigan took the mound with a 5-4 lead in the eighth. Cardinals right fielder Isaac Humphrey had something to say about that, launching a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. Notre Dame had its second, third and fourth batters up in the ninth and could not capitalize.
The Irish pitching staff entered the weekend as one of the nation’s best rotations and bullpens, tied with North Carolina for the top team ERA in the country (1.66). They left Louisville with a slice of humble pie and some clear areas to improve.
A tale of two Brannigans
While Brannigan was responsible for the grand slam and three-run home run that ultimately sealed Notre Dame’s fate, he had a really nice series with the bat in his hands, going 2-4 in each game, including two doubles on Sunday. He actually tied Saturday’s game at 1-1 with a home run prior to Louisville’s big eighth inning.
Brannigan has joined Brooks Coetzee and Carter Putz atop the hit list for the Irish; each player has 21 hits on the year. Additionally, Brannigan has 10 doubles this year. No other Irish player has more than four.
Next up: Notre Dame hosts Northwestern on Tuesday at Frank Eck Stadium for a mid-week game. First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
