The Notre Dame Spartans are taking a road trip to square off against the Northern Lehigh Bulldogs at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Notre Dame is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Notre Dame made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Lincoln Leadership Academy, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Spartans blew past the Lions 21-10 on Tuesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Spartans considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Lucas Vega made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk). Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was even better at the plate, scoring five runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances.
Aidan Acosta
| 04/01/25 @ Lincoln Leadership Academy | 3 |
| 03/29/25 vs Mahanoy Area | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Pocono Mountain West | 1 |
| 03/20/25 vs Shenandoah Valley | 1 |
In other batting news, Notre Dame got a massive performance out of Aidan Acosta, who scored five runs and stole five bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Acosta a new career-high in hits (three). Another player making a difference was Daniel Bordas, who scored three runs and stole four bases while going 4-for-5.
Notre Dame always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .692. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Northern Lehigh had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They had just enough and edged out Jim Thorpe 8-6. The game was the first time the Bulldogs have beaten the Olympians on their field since April 15, 2016.
Northern Lehigh also got a great performance from Chris Vargas as he didn't allow a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Parker Schaffer was a standout: he scored a run while going 3-for-3. Braedon Dougherty was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Notre Dame's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Northern Lehigh, their record now sits at 2-7.
Northern Lehigh's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Notre Dame hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. It's a different story for Northern Lehigh, though, as they've only averaged .192. Will they be able to contain Notre Dame's hitters?
Notre Dame suffered a grim 7-0 defeat to Northern Lehigh when the teams last played back in April of 2019. Can the Spartans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
