BGSU baseball (31-19, 17-10 MAC) took a 4-0 loss against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (29-19, 12-15 ACC) Sunday in the finale of a three-game weekend series.
The first two games of the series were played in South Bend, Ind, with Notre Dame taking both games by run rule in the seventh (10-0) and eighth (11-1) innings of each respective game before transitioning to Steller Field for the final matchup of the series.
This matchup marks the first time in over 30 years that Notre Dame and BGSU played at Steller Field.
“I think it is pretty special the level of respect they have for our program,” BGSU head coach Kyle Hallock said. “I think it’s a huge sign of respect for what our players have done for this program.”
The Orange and Brown were outscored 25-1 in the series by the Fighting Irish, with 18 runs coming within five innings.
“The difference in the two teams is probably five innings, in a total of 30 minutes of baseball, and that’s all it takes when you’re playing a program like Notre Dame,” said Hallock.
Senior infielder Gunner Antillon recently made his way back into the lineup for the Falcons and made an impact quickly in the first inning of the game with a double play ball between himself and senior utility player Gavin Ganun.
“It’s good to have him back out there; it’s good to have him at the top of the lineup and being able to finish strong for us,” Hallock said.
The Falcons started senior right-hander Landon Willeman on the mound, who gave them five scoreless innings along with five strikeouts on only three hits.
Notre Dame got on the Orange and Brown’s redshirt freshman relief pitcher, Titus Lotz, early in his sixth inning outing.
Lotz would not record a single out before giving up three runs following a walk, a hit by pitch, and multiple hits and being pulled from the game for junior right-hander Kade Arn.
The Fighting Irish had right-handed graduate student Jackson Dennies on the bump to start the game. Dennies pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only four hits and recording five strikeouts.
“Making another team beat us is going to be the difference in how long our season goes these next couple of weeks,” Hallock said.
The Falcons look to bounce back with a non-conference matchup against rivals Toledo on Tuesday, with first pitch at 3:00 pm. Followed by a weekend series against Northern Illinois on Thursday through Saturday, which concludes the regular season for the Orange and Brown.
