Plagued by uncharacteristically shaky defense, No. 12 Notre Dame falls to Michigan State
A brief look at the box score tells you everything you need to know.
On Tuesday night, No. 12 Notre Dame baseball (26-9, 11-7 ACC) headed to Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, to face regional foe Michigan State (17-21, 3-9 Big Ten). The Irish and the Spartans played once this year already, and Notre Dame earned the 2-1 victory. Tuesday’s result was a 6-2 win in favor of Michigan State.
Here are three observations from the loss.
Defensive mishaps doom Irish
Notre Dame entered Tuesday evening’s contest with a fielding percentage of .984, good for fourth in the nation. They had committed just 21 errors in 34 games. The team left Detroit with three errors, two of which were committed by third baseman Jack Penney.
This is a troubling developing trend for the Irish, as they committed three errors last weekend against Wake Forest as well. Granted, typical third baseman Jack Brannigan has been the designated hitter for the last few contests so Notre Dame can utilize him on the mound. He boasts a fielding percentage of .987. But the team has to return to their beginning-of-season form if they expect to compete at the highest level, one which was nearly flawless on defense.
After record-breaking weekend, bats go relatively silent
Notre Dame scored 42 runs against Wake Forest last weekend, a record in a three-game series since they joined the ACC in 2014 and the most in three games since 1993.
Tuesday was a different story. The Irish scored just two runs — one on a single by Brooks Coetzee (32) and the other on a double by Brannigan (28) — and they stranded 14 men on base. First baseman and steady hand Carter Putz had a pair of hits, but nothing much came of them.
Notre Dame actually out hit Michigan State nine to six, but leaving runners in scoring position killed their chances of a comeback.
Bullpen inconsistency continues
Liam Simon got the start for the Irish, his third of the year, as Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett continues to toy with his mid-week starter and bullpen rotation. The junior from New Jersey went two innings and allowed two runs. Both were unearned. He struck out four but walked three, demonstrating he could never really get a handle on the ball.
Notre Dame used a total of six pitchers, including four in the final four innings. Just three of the Spartans’ six runs were earned, and all three of those were allowed by Jackson Dennies. He notched just one out in the process and was pulled after 23 pitches. Dennies got the loss, making him 1-1 on the season with a 4.40 ERA, up from 2.57.
The 12th-ranked Irish, who currently sit at No. 2 in the RPI, have big dreams for the postseason. But it’s going to be really difficult to play June baseball at Frank Eck Stadium with an identity-less bullpen. The clock is ticking on that front for Jarrett and pitching coach Chuck Ristano.
But before postseason play becomes the complete focus, the Irish still have three crucial ACC series in front of them plus a handful of mid-week games. Next up, Boston College (16-25, 3-18 ACC) visits South Bend beginning on Friday. First pitch on Friday is at 5:00 p.m. ET on ACCNX.
