Pittsburgh won the first two games of the series, 6-5 and 3-2, but Notre Dame’s win on Sunday allowed the Irish to even their record at 3-3 in the Big East and jump to 11-14-1 overall. Pittsburgh fell to 15-10 overall and 3-3 in the conference.
Reliever Will Hudgins earned the win by tossing 1.1 scoreless, hitless innings for Notre Dame. Sean Fitzgerald was credited with the save by shutting out the Panthers over the final three frames. Fitzgerald sat down nine of the 10 batters he faced.
The Irish offense banged out 13 hits, led by three from Greg Sherry and two apiece from Mick Doyle, Eric Jagielo and Trey Mancini. Sherry had a pair of doubles, a run score and two RBI while Doyle had two doubles, a run and an RBI. Mancini added a three-run homer while Adam Norton had a hit and two RBI.
Notre Dame trailed 6-2 after five innings, but got one run back in the sixth before breaking out for five in the seventh to take the lead for good. Mancini’s blast tied the game, 6-6. Matt Grosso and Joe Hudson followed with consecutive two-out walks before Sherry’s single put the Irish on top. Norton’s single gave Notre Dame its insurance run.
Pittsburgh got to Irish starter Todd Miller for three runs in the first before Miller retired his next seven hitters. A solo homer in the fourth gave Pitt a 4-0 lead.
A run-scoring double by Doyle and a sacrifice fly by Norton cut the Panthers’ lead in half before two runs in the fifth pushed Pitt’s advantage back to four runs.
Notre Dame will be back in action on Tuesday with its annual contest with the South Bend SilverHawks at Frank Eck Stadium.
