The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are taking a road trip to take on the Grafton Bearcats at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Grafton will be up against a hot Notre Dame squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Fighting Irish put the hurt on Hundred with a sharp 18-2 victory on Monday. The Fighting Irish might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by nine runs or more this season.
Dominick Bombardiere
| 04/28/25 @ Hundred | 5 |
| 04/07/25 vs Valley | 4 |
| 03/29/25 vs Trinity Christian | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Hundred | 2 |
| 04/24/25 vs Harman | 1 |
Dominick Bombardiere was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with three stolen bases, four runs, and five RBI. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Landon Perkins also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Grafton got the win against St. Marys on Wednesday by a conclusive 12-4. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bearcats.
John Gouzd made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Grafton is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 11-12 otherwise. Gouzd was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Grant Murphy, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Greyson Ramezan was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Notre Dame pushed their record up to 9-5 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Grafton, they now have a winning record of 14-13.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Notre Dame has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Grafton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Notre Dame came up short against Grafton in their previous matchup back in March, falling 7-2. Can the Fighting Irish avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
