Notre Dame Baseball: Irish primed to bounce back in Game 2
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Baseball team may have lost the series opener to the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but there is a ton of baseball left to play in the series.
The Notre Dame Baseball team has been one of the best college baseball teams in the country all season long and has made it to the Super Regional. Playing on the road against No. 7 Mississippi State, the Irish looked to be in control on Saturday, before the Bulldogs erased a four-run deficit and won on a game-winning home run by Logan Tanner.
During our preview of this series, we had said that runs could be scored in bunches thanks to these two lineups, and the two teams combined for 17 runs in the opener. On Sunday, the Irish will be looking to tie up the series at 1-1, sending it to Monday, where the winner will advance to the College World Series in Omaha.
To do so, the Irish are going to have to figure out a way to stop this Bulldogs lineup for nine innings, as they proved Saturday that they are never out of it.
Notre Dame Baseball in a must-win situation
On Sunday, the Irish have a great chance to push this series to a tie, as they have the arms, and the bats to beat the Bulldogs in Game 2. However, to do so, they will have to overcome a hostile crowd, one that set the NCAA Baseball attendance record on Saturday.
Junior left-hander Will Mercer will get his chance to send the Irish to a Game 3 on Monday, as he is likely to get the start for Notre Dame in this one. The Irish showed they can certainly go blow-for-blow against Mississippi State on Saturday, but if they fall behind late again on Sunday, it could be lights out, as the Bulldogs have arguably the best closer in the country.
When two teams are so evenly matched, these kinds of games are bound to go down to the wire, and the hope is, the Irish can find a way to live to see another day. Mississippi State is a Super Regional constant, but the Irish can make things really uncomfortable inside Dudy Noble Field with a win on Saturday.