Peter Solomon pitched three perfect innings to help lift the Irish over SIU-Edwardsville in the season opener. Photos/UND.com
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]oming off a disappointing 22-31 season last year, the Fighting Irish came out of the gates swinging during opening weekend in Oklahoma.
After splitting Friday with an opening win over SIU-Edwardsville and falling to Oklahoma, Notre Dame would go on to beat the Sooners in back-to-back days to start the 2015 season in the right direction. With a 3-1 record after opening weekend, Notre Dame will travel to San Antonio Thursday for the Irish Alamo Invitational, facing Incarnate Word at 6:05 p.m.
Notre Dame survives SIUE to win season opener
The Irish entered the sixth inning with a 5-1 lead that would soon fall apart. The Cougars scored five unanswered runs over the sixth and seventh innings to put SIUE ahead, 6-5.
Sophomore catcher Ryan Lidge saved the Irish after cracking his first career home run in the bottom of the seventh. The ball sailed over the right-field fence to drive in two runs, allowing Notre Dame to retake the lead, 7-6.
“I knew we were in a tough situation, we had been battling all game. There was a lot of emotions running through us since it was the first game,” Lidge told UND.com “That first at-bat, Mac (Hudgins) had just gotten hit by a pitch and we had two outs and I was just looking to make some solid contact and try to get something rolling. I didn’t think it would be a home run, but it was and I I’ll take it.”
Freshman pitcher Peter Solomon pitched three perfect innings in the outing to assist in the win.
Notre Dame falls to Sooners to cap double-header
Oklahoma’s Jake Elliott kept Notre Dame at bay to help the Sooners coast to an easy 6-1 win.
Elliott allowed just a pair of hits and walks each with four strikes to hand the Irish its first loss of the season. Notre Dame mustered just three hits in the game with four errors, while Oklahoma was afforded 12 hits.
Cavan Biggio tallied a double down the left line in the eighth to send a runner home, avoiding the shutout for the Irish. Scott Kerrigan suffered the loss on the mound after allowing five runs — four earned — on nine hits.
“It was a tough game. We were in there putting up a good fight,” said Lidge. “We just have to move on. I honestly see it as a tough loss; things didn’t go our way.”
Irish, Sooners explode in 10-9 outing
Cavan Biggio was a homerun shy of completing the cycle in Games 2 and 3 against Oklahoma, helping Notre Dame to exciting wins.
Six runs in the fourth inning helped Notre Dame take down Oklahoma in an explosive 10-9 outing to force the rubber match between the two teams.
Heading into the seventh inning, Notre Dame held a 10-2 lead that soon imploded as the Sooners battled their way back, nearly completing the rally. Oklahoma scored three runs in the seventh and an additional four in the eighth to nearly doom the Irish.
In the ninth, Oklahoma saw the tying run on second but failed to muster more than that as Irish pitcher Ryan Smoyer produced a pair of fly outs to give Notre Dame its second win of the year.
Biggio was a home run short of completing the cycle after notching the single, double and triple throughout the early innings. He finished with and RBI and two runs.
Freshman pitcher Brandon Bielak earned his first win after pitching five innings and allowing just two runs — one earned. Bielak threw the ball 92 times, allowing just two hits, two walks and earning two strikeouts.
Notre Dame clinch series over Oklahoma
Notre Dame won its first road series since 2013 after dismantling the Sooners for the 5-1 victory.
Pitcher Nick McCarty pitched nearly eight full innings to earn his first win of the year. McCarty gave up four hits and one run while earning a single strikeout.
“As a pitcher, it (early runs) help you to settle in there and get comfortable early in the game,” McCarty told to UND.com. “Props to the offense, they have been great to us this entire weekend. I can’t wait for the rest of the season to see what else they can do for us.”
Biggio performed again for the Irish, going 3-for-4 at the plate and tallying three runs. Like in game two, Biggio finished just a homer shy of completing the natural cycle. Through the first few games of the season, Biggio has a split of .500/.938/579 with three doubles, two triples, two RBI, three walks and six runs scored.
He is 2-f0r-2 in stolen base attempts and is perfect in the field in 20 attempts.
Notre Dame began work early, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first.
