Facing elimination, Notre Dame will play tomorrow against Seton Hall. The Scarlet Knights lost their first round matchup with #3 seed Seton Hall, 6-1.

Freshman pitcher Pat Connaughton did not retire a single batter from Saint John’s. He  gave up 5 straight hits to open the game and all 8 batters that Connaughton faced reached base as St. John’s rolled out to a 7-0 lead. Certainly not the way Connaughton thought this game would go.

Sophomore 1B Trey Mancini, who won last night’s home run derby, went 3-for-4 with a 3 singles and a run scored. Senior RF Alex Robinson also added a 3-hit game. He went 3-for-3 with a run scored. Freshman LF Mac Hudgins went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and junior CF Charlie Markson added a sacrifice fly.

Despite all of the hits, Notre Dame couldn’t capture fire on offense. The Irish had a leadoff base runner in every inning from the 3rd inning on, but could not find a way to score.

For the complete box score, click here.

The game between Notre Dame and Seton Hall will start at 10am, and it could be the Irish’s final game of the season if they don;t win. The game can be seen on bigeast.tv.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Week One- vs Navy — win (31-14)

Sept. 3, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Michael Floyd (3) celebrates with tight end Tyler Eifert (80) after a touchdown against the South Florida Bulls in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Week Two- vs Purdue — win (24-20)

Week Three- at Michigan State — win (26-20 OT)

Week Four- vs Michigan — loss (24-34)

Week Five- vs Miami — win (27-23)

Week Six- vs Stanford — win (24-14)

Week Seven- vs BYU — loss (20-28)

Week Eight- at Oklahoma — loss (13-27)

Week Nine- vs Pittsburgh — win (14-10)

Week Ten- at Boston College — win (38-24)

Week Eleven- vs Wake Forest — win (30-20)

Week Twelve- at USC — loss (24-42)

Overall record — 8 Wins and 4 losses

This record would be a huge success for Notre Dame. They easily have the toughest schedule in the entire country and with quarterback controversy, you never know what could happen (good or bad), I think this would be a giant step in the right direction for ND. Some of the games I predicted could go either way, but 8-4 is a record that is not only manageable, but very good based on the strength of schedule.

offensive and defense players to watch are on the next page

The first match-up was difficult for both teams. Notre Dame knocked off Yale, 13-7, while Virginia edged Princeton 6-5.

Sunday will be the 7th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Virginia. The Cavaliers lead the series 5-1, including a 3-0 mark in the NCAA tournament. However, every game was played in Virginia. So, hopefully this time will be different.

Payer to watch on UVA-

Senior attackman Steele Stanwick will be vital to the Cavaliers’ offense. With 27 goals and 46 assists on the season, Stanwick is definitely someone to keep an eye on. Irish goalie John Kemp will be tested.

Team capitan Nicholas Beattie will be back for the first time since a leg injury against Duke the first game of the year. The Irish look re-energized and ready to go.

Score Prediction-

Notre Dame 10, Viginia 8.

The Irish will most likely be trailing at halftime, but I fully expect for them to pull out the victory.

The winner of the Notre Dame-Virginia contest will face the winner of the quarterfinal tilt between Loyola and Denver in the semifinals on Saturday, May 26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Game-time: 12pm ET

Location: PPL Park (Philadelphia, PA)

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!