Notre Dame Takes Final Game of Series for First ACC Win of the Season

Notre Dame's Noah Coy trots to first during Clemson's win over ND on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Photo By Charles Mays/Tiger View Media)

The Clemson Tigers faced off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the final game of this three-game weekend series. The Irish were able to win their first ACC game of the season, 7-3, after a strong start in the first inning. Notre Dame improved to 11-6 on the season and 1-5 within ACC play, while Clemson fell to 19-2 and 2-1 within the ACC. Chase Van Ameyde picked up the win for Notre Dame, while Justin LeGuernic was tagged for the loss after his rough start. 

Notre Dame Strikes First

The Fighting Irish got off to a blistering start in this one, taking an early three-run lead. The inning started with leadoff hitter Jared Zimbardo lacing a home run into the right-center field seats to give Notre Dame a quick 1-0 lead. But the Irish were not done there as a Bino Watters walk brought up Estevan Moreno with one out. The Illinois native did not disappoint, smoking a home run over the reach of Dominic Listi to put Notre Dame up 3-0 in the first inning. Justin LeGuernic’s day was over after pitching just 0.2 innings, as Erik Bakich brought in BJ Bailey to get out of the jam. 

Notre Dame Extends Lead

The Irish were able to extend their lead to five runs in the fourth inning. The inning started with a walk to Nick DeMarco and a throwing error by Hudson Lee allowed Jared Zimbardo to reach base to put runners on the corners. Bino Watters was able to bring DeMarco home with an RBI groundout to give Notre Dame a four-run lead. The Irish kept the runs coming as a Parker Brzustewicz base hit up the middle brought home Zimbardo to give the Irish a 5-0 lead. 

Clemson Cuts Into Deficit, Notre Dame Takes it Right Back

The Tigers were finally able to get on the board in the fourth inning to cut into the Notre Dame lead. The rally started with a single by Jacob Jarrell to bring up Tristan Bissetta. The South Carolina native was able to get on base with a walk to bring up Andrew Ciufo with two on and two out. The Clemson shortstop came through for the Tigers, lacing a base hit into left field to bring home Jarrell and cut the Irish lead to 5-1. In the top of the sixth inning, the Irish fought right back, grabbing two runs of their own. DM Jefferson started off the inning with a walk and a stolen base to get into scoring position for Jared Zimbardo. The New Jersey native came through with a base hit to score Jefferson and give the Irish a five-run lead. A one-out walk to Parker Brzustewicz and a hit by pitch to Estevan Moreno loaded the bases for Notre Dame. A wild pitch by Chance Fitzgerald would give the Irish a 7-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. 

Clemson Fights Back

The Tigers were able to fight back in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run inning. The inning started with a walk to Dominic Listi and a hit by pitch to Jarren Purify to get the Tigers rolling. Josh Paino stepped up to the dish with one away and lined an RBI single into right-center field to cut the Irish lead to five. Collin Priest would add on to the inning with a sac fly to make it a 7-3 ball game heading into the eighth inning. Clemson was unable to score again, and the final score was 7-3.

Takeaways

• Rory Fox - Notre Dame’s starter was solid for the Irish today, allowing just one run in four innings of work. The Irish needed a strong start from Fox after losing the first two games of the series, and the junior from Wisconsin came through. 

• Jared Zimbardo - The New Jersey native came through immediately for the Irish, lacing a leadoff home run for Notre Dame to put them up 1-0 in the first inning. Zimbardo was able to record another base hit and RBI while also stealing a base.