California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, April 26
South Bend, IN
11:00 AM
California
18-24, 6-17
0
at
10
Notre Dame
23-17, 9-14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 10 | 12 | 1 |
Alex Birge broke up a Notre Dame no-hit bid with a fifth-inning single on Saturday.
Photo by: Ashley Herman
Notre Dame Secures Series With Win Over Bears
4/26/2025 3:06 PM | Baseball
Fighting Irish Score Seven Runs In Second Inning On Way To 10-0 Run-Rule Victory In 7
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The California baseball team dropped a 10-0 decision in seven innings to Notre Dame at Frank Eck Stadium on Saturday as the Fighting Irish secured a series victory in the first games between the teams since 1961 and the first hosted by Notre Dame since 1941.
Alex Birge (1-3) broke up winning pitcher Rory Fox's no-hit bid with a two-out single in the top of the fifth and Dominic Smaldino followed with a double but both runners were left stranded after collecting the Bears' lone hits. Cal was shutout for the third time in 2025.
Fox (2-3) struck out six and allowed just two hits in 6.0 innings of work, while also walking one and hitting one.
Notre Dame scored a single run in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single from Parker Brzustewicz before exploding for a seven-run second frame with the final six runs scoring after two were out with no runners on. Jayce Lee's one-out solo homer made it 2-0 Notre Dame before DM Jefferson started the two-out rally by beating out an infield single to shortstop. Two batters later Carson Tinney connected on a three-run homer to put the Irish ahead 5-0 before a two-run single by Connor Hincks and an RBI single by Estevan Moreno chased Cal starter and losing pitcher Oliver de la Torre (2-4). De la Torre allowed eight runs (eight earned), nine hits, one wild pitch and one hit batsmen in a short 1.2 inning start.
Cal reliever David Shaw (3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO, 1 HBP) retired the only batter he faced to get the Bears out of the Fighting Irish second and then kept the Notre Dame lead at 8-0 by blanking the Irish in the third and fourth innings. Shaw would allow his lone run in the fifth when he walked a pair of batters and hit another to load the bases with no outs before Bino Watters' RBI ground out plated a run. Shaw was able to escape further damage by retiring each of the next two batters he faced.
Notre Dame added the run that turned the game into a run-rule shortened seven innings on Johnson's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth off Cal reliever Jordy Lopez (0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 SO).
Notre Dame reliever Keenan Mork (1.0 IP, 1 SO) sent the Bears down in order in the top of the seventh and the final game time of 2:14 was the second-shortest Cal game of the season.
Brzustewicz (2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB), Hincks (2-4, R, 2 RBI), Lee (2-4, 2 R, HR, RBI) and Watters (2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) each had a pair of hits to lead Notre Dame's 12-hit performance.
Cal (18-24, 6-17 ACC) and Notre Dame (23-17, 9-14 ACC) conclude their three-game ACC series Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. PT. A live steam of the game will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+.
STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal baseball, please follow the Bears on X (@CalBaseball) and Instagram (@CalBaseball).
Alex Birge (1-3) broke up winning pitcher Rory Fox's no-hit bid with a two-out single in the top of the fifth and Dominic Smaldino followed with a double but both runners were left stranded after collecting the Bears' lone hits. Cal was shutout for the third time in 2025.
Fox (2-3) struck out six and allowed just two hits in 6.0 innings of work, while also walking one and hitting one.
Notre Dame scored a single run in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single from Parker Brzustewicz before exploding for a seven-run second frame with the final six runs scoring after two were out with no runners on. Jayce Lee's one-out solo homer made it 2-0 Notre Dame before DM Jefferson started the two-out rally by beating out an infield single to shortstop. Two batters later Carson Tinney connected on a three-run homer to put the Irish ahead 5-0 before a two-run single by Connor Hincks and an RBI single by Estevan Moreno chased Cal starter and losing pitcher Oliver de la Torre (2-4). De la Torre allowed eight runs (eight earned), nine hits, one wild pitch and one hit batsmen in a short 1.2 inning start.
Cal reliever David Shaw (3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO, 1 HBP) retired the only batter he faced to get the Bears out of the Fighting Irish second and then kept the Notre Dame lead at 8-0 by blanking the Irish in the third and fourth innings. Shaw would allow his lone run in the fifth when he walked a pair of batters and hit another to load the bases with no outs before Bino Watters' RBI ground out plated a run. Shaw was able to escape further damage by retiring each of the next two batters he faced.
Notre Dame added the run that turned the game into a run-rule shortened seven innings on Johnson's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth off Cal reliever Jordy Lopez (0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 SO).
Notre Dame reliever Keenan Mork (1.0 IP, 1 SO) sent the Bears down in order in the top of the seventh and the final game time of 2:14 was the second-shortest Cal game of the season.
Brzustewicz (2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB), Hincks (2-4, R, 2 RBI), Lee (2-4, 2 R, HR, RBI) and Watters (2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) each had a pair of hits to lead Notre Dame's 12-hit performance.
Cal (18-24, 6-17 ACC) and Notre Dame (23-17, 9-14 ACC) conclude their three-game ACC series Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. PT. A live steam of the game will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+.
STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal baseball, please follow the Bears on X (@CalBaseball) and Instagram (@CalBaseball).
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP/OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
1B
/ BaseballTeam Stats
Pitching:
W: Rory Fox (2-3)
L: de la Torre, Oliver (2-4)
Batting:
2B: Smaldino, Dominic 1
Base Running:
HBP: Moutzouridis, PJ 1
Batting:
2B: Bino Watters 1 ; Parker Brzustewicz 1 ; Estevan Moreno 1
HR: Carson Tinney 1 ; Jayce Lee 1
RBI: Davis Johnson 1 ; Carson Tinney 3 ; Bino Watters 1 ; Parker Brzustewicz 1 ; Connor Hincks 2 ; Estevan Moreno 1 ; Jayce Lee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Davis Johnson 1 ; Carson Tinney 1 ; Bino Watters 2 ; Parker Brzustewicz 1 ; Connor Hincks 1 ; Jayce Lee 2 ; DM Jefferson 2
SB: DM Jefferson 1
HBP: Davis Johnson 1 ; DM Jefferson 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
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