Baseball Recap: Notre Dame's Win on Thursday Extends Winning Streak to Three

Notre Dame proved they can win big on Wednesday (they won by 13) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 victory over the Hopewell Valley Central Bulldogs. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Irish have posted since March 18th.

Josh Klena tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.

At the plate, Notre Dame saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Joseph Banco, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Banco also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Mike Shipula was another, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI.

Irish

Previous 3 Games

04/10/25 vs Hopewell Valley Central	3-1
04/09/25 @ West Windsor-Plainsboro South	16-3
04/08/25 @ West Windsor-Plainsboro South	16-3

The victory (which was Notre Dame's third in a row) raised their record to 7-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Hopewell Valley Central, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That lines up perfectly with their 1-4-1 record this season.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Notre Dame will host West Windsor-Plainsboro North at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Hopewell Valley Central, they will be playing at home against Colts Neck at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Cougars' pitching crew has only allowed two runs per game this season, so the Bulldogs' hitters will have their work cut out for them.