Notre Dame baseball, softball win home openers

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Spring temperatures are back here in Michiana, and so are Notre Dame students after taking a week off for spring break.

So, why not have spring sports return to campus?

That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday afternoon, as both the Irish baseball and the softball teams played their home openers. Each game marked the start of a long homestand for both teams.

The baseball team hosted Valparaiso at Frank Eck Stadium. The Beacons took an early 2-0 lead, but Notre Dame got on the board in the bottom of the third thanks to a solo home run from shortstop Zack Prajzner.

From there, it was all Irish offensively. They took the lead in the bottom of the fourth and never gave it back, winning by a final score of 8-4.

The Irish improved to 10-8 on the season. They resume conference play on Friday for the start of a three-game series at home against Louisville. Notre Dame won’t hit the road again until April 6. For a look at their upcoming schedule, click here.

Meanwhile, the softball team welcomed the Miami (OH) RedHawks to Melissa Cook Stadium, where the Irish had no issues getting their offense going.

After putting up three runs in the bottom of the first and going scoreless in the second, the Irish added two runs in the third, three in the fourth, and three in the fifth as they cruised to an 11-3 win in just five innings thanks to the college softball mercy rule.

Notre Dame is now 17-7 on the season. The Irish will host Western Michigan at Melissa Cook Stadium on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. The team will then host Syracuse this upcoming weekend for a three-game conference series. For a full look at the rest of their upcoming homestand, click here.

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