The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the Akron Tigers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Notre Dame is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last six games.
Notre Dame proved they can win big last Wednesday (they won by six) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Avon, sneaking past 3-2.
Evan Fitzpatrick made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.
Fitzpatrick wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Finn Davies, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Akron ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-3 win over Oakfield-Alabama.
Anthony Consiglio and Collin Miller did most of the damage at the plate: Consiglio went a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double, while Miller went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Miller has become a key player for Akron: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-4 otherwise.
Notre Dame pushed their record up to 6-1 with the victory, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.2 runs over those games. As for Akron, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
Notre Dame beat Akron 3-0 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Fighting Irish have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
