Notre Dame Homers Six Times, Takes Game 1 From No. 8 Virginia 10-7

Coming into the weekend, the Fighting Irish had hit 37 home runs this season, the second-fewest homers by any team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. You would never have guessed that was the case based on the way the Irish swung the bat against the Cavaliers on Friday.

Behind a staggering six home runs, three of which came off the bat of true freshman Estevan Moreno, who had hit just three homers all season, Notre Dame took game 1 from No. 8 Virginia 10-7 on Friday evening at Frank Eck Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.

The game started well enough for the Cavaliers, who jumped out to a one-run lead in the top of the first after Griff O'Ferrall singled, moved to third on a double from Ethan O'Donell, and scored on a groundout from Jake Gelof. It was an otherwise dismal night at the plate for Gelof, who went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts. UVA starter Brian Edginton faced the minimum in the bottom of the first thanks to a 4-6-3 double play and the Cavaliers seemed to be in business.

Notre Dame tied the game in the top of the second on a solo homer from Jack Penney, an early foreshadowing of the home run derby that this game would become.

Still, Virginia seemed to be in good shape after the Cavaliers put up four runs in the top of the fourth. Casey Saucke singled and Anthony Stephan was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with one out. Henry Godbout and Colin Tuft hit back-to-back RBI singles and then O'Ferrall brought in another run with a double to left center. O'Donnell followed that up with a sacrifice fly and UVA took a 5-1 lead.

Virginia's lead didn't last for long. Penney drew a leadoff walk and then Edgington gave up a two-run home run to DM Jefferson, cutting the deficit in half. Edgington retired the next two batters to get out of the inning, but more trouble awaited the UVA starter in the fifth. Estevan Moreno went yard to left center for his first home run of the day to make it 5-4. Zack Prajzner hit a slow dribbler that Edgington fielded, but airmailed the throw to first, allowing Prajzner to advance to second before coming home on a single from Carter Putz. A groundout moved Putz to second and then he scored on a double down the left field line from Vinny Martinez to give the Fighting Irish a 6-5 lead.

Angelo Tonas replaced Edgington in the sixth, but he couldn't avoid Notre Dame's wave of home runs, as Moreno took an 0-2 fastball deep over the field fence for his second homer of the game. Chase Hungate entered the game and tossed a 1-2-3 seventh, but then gave up two home runs in the eighth, a two-run bomb to Brady Gumpf and a solo blast to Moreno.

UVA scored a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Anthony Stephan and another in the ninth on a solo homer from Ethan O'Donnell, but the Virginia bats couldn't quite keep up with the onslaught of home runs from the Fighting Irish.

The loss drops Virginia to 32-7 overall and 12-7 in ACC play. UVA will look to even the series in game 2 on Saturday at 3pm at Frank Eck Stadium.

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