For Texas and Notre Dame, the 2022 College World Series begins Friday evening.
Texas is making its 38th College World Series appearance. Three of those trips to Omaha have come under the direction of David Pierce.
Notre Dame reached the College World Series in 1957, 2002, and 2022. In its 1957 appearance on college baseball’s biggest stage, Notre Dame recorded a 9-0 victory over UT. It was the first of six all-time meetings between Texas and Notre Dame. Each team has won three times in this series.
After:In Omaha for the 38th time, Texas prepare for the opener against Notre Dame
Bohl:I’m in love with Omaha and its baseball, its charm and, oh yeah, Oscar’s wings
Texas and Notre Dame’s first pitch at Charles Schwab Field is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. Follow live updates:
Texas finished by Notre Dame as Aggies wait in elimination game
For the second year in a row, Texas dropped its College World Series opener. Last year, Texas was beaten 2-1 by Mississippi State in the first game of a trip to Omaha in which the Longhorns ended up playing five times. Friday night, UT lost a game 7-3 to Notre Dame.
Solo home runs by Jared Miller and Carter Putz accounted for Notre Dame’s first and last runs on Friday. The Irish also scored on two singles, a groundout, a bunt and a disallow.
Notre Dame left-hander John Michael Bertrand was credited with the win. Pete Hansen was marked by the loss.
Notre Dame (41-15) advances to meet Oklahoma in the winners’ group Sunday night. Texas (47-21) must try to avoid elimination against Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon. Oklahoma (43-22) opened their stay in Omaha with a 13-8 win over Texas A&M (42-19).
Notre Dame moves within three outs of a big win in Omaha
With Notre Dame leading 6-3, reliever Jack Findlay went through the eighth inning. Southpaw Findlay hit Ivan Melendez, sent Murphy Stehly flying and forced Austin Todd out. Melendez, Stehly and Todd all have right-handed bats and batting averages above .320.
Texas reliever Tristan Stevens kept that deficit manageable for the Longhorns. Thanks to a double play in the sixth session, Stevens faced the minimum number of batters in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Texas running out of outs in College World Series opener
At the end of the seventh inning, UT still faced a 6-3 deficit in its College World Series opener. Texas had scored in each of its last two innings, but was held scoreless in the seventh session.
Notre Dame third baseman Jack Brannigan landed two hard-hit line drives as the Longhorns tried to shake things up after the seventh inning. Texas eventually walked two out, which caused a change in pitch. Notre Dame freshman Jack Findlay then retired Eric Kennedy to end the inning.
After John Michael Bertrand leaves the game, Texas scores on wild pitch
Notre Dame made a pitching change in the sixth inning. Starter John Michael Bertrand gave Notre Dame 5 1/3 baseball innings on six hits. Bertrand hit four Longhorns and just walked.
Reliever Alex Rao retired both batters he faced after getting the call from the bullpen. The runner he inherited from Bertrand, however, scored when he threw a wild pitch.
Notre Dame now leads 6-3.
After falling five points behind, Texas narrows Notre Dame’s lead slightly
Down 6-1 after Notre Dame struck in its half of the fifth inning, Texas mustered its own small offense in the bottom half. The Longhorns still trail by a score of 6-2.
Douglas Hodo III, whose father won a national championship in Texas in 1983, picked Dylan Campbell with one out. Before stealing second base, Campbell had reached base on a first single.
After:Texas wins fifth Dick Howser Trophy as Ivan Melendez honored as college baseball’s best
To end the inning, Notre Dame pitcher John Michael Bertrand pushed Ivan Melendez to the ground in a defensive pick. Named the winner of the Dick Howser Trophy this morning, Melendez is 1 for 3 tonight.
Notre Dame adds lead as Texas stumbles in forgettable fifth frame
Texas fell into a deeper hole in the fifth inning as Notre Dame scored on two singles. While building their 6-1 lead, the Irish also jogged home on a called denial before UT reliever Tristan Stevens even threw out his first pitch of the night.
Stevens entered the game one out in the fifth inning. The start of his shift meant the end of Pete Hansen’s night. Hansen was coming off what was arguably his worst start to the season. But a week after going seven hits and five earned runs in four innings at East Carolina, Hansen allowed nine hits and six earned runs.
Canceled call hurts Texas as Notre Dame regains two-point lead
After Texas used a bunt to cut its deficit, Notre Dame countered that move with a bunt of its own. With runners in the corners with one out, Spencer Myers laid down a bunt that scored Jack Brannigan from third base.
Due to a fine flip to catcher Silas Ardoin by UT pitcher Pete Hansen, Brannigan was initially called on the play. This decision was overturned after lengthy review.
Texas enters the scoreboard but misses a chance to tie Notre Dame
After John Michael Bertrand opened the game with two shutout innings, Texas found an attack in the third frame. The Longhorns scored their first run of the day when Dylan Campbell came home from third base on a bunt from Eric Kennedy.
On the scoring play, Bertrand lined up Kennedy’s bunt cleanly. Instead of just pulling Kennedy out, Bertrand tried to cut Faltine down at second base. He managed to do just that and that play quickly counted when Ivan Melendez picked the next single at bat.
If Faltine had been at second base, Texas would have tied the game on Melendez’s single. Instead, Texas had Kennedy at third base and Melendez at first base. Notre Dame then escaped that jam with a strikeout from Murphy Stehly.
Notre Dame builds 2-0 lead as Ryan Cole finds his way around bases
Notre Dame added to their lead early in the third inning when they scored on a groundout. That play scored Ryan Cole, Notre Dame’s leadoff hitter who was hit by a pitch, stole second base, then moved to third base on a Jared Miller single.
Texas ace Pete Hansen threw 49 pitches in three innings. He allowed four hits.
Texas and Notre Dame both strand runners in heat two
Texas won a challenge in the second inning when what appeared to be a late-inning groundout by Skyler Messinger was called off by a critic. The Longhorns, however, couldn’t take advantage of the extended inning and quickly recorded their third out on real ground.
In the top of the second inning, Notre Dame singled twice and had two runners on board with one out. Pete Hansen got out of trouble by knocking out Brooks Coetzee and forcing Spencer Myers out. Notre Dame’s No. 8 and No. 9 hitters Coetzee and Myers combined for an RBI in the NCAA Tournament.
Notre Dame strikes first as Jared Miller goes deep
Returning to Omaha for the first time in 20 years, Notre Dame quickly reintroduced itself to the College World Series scoreboard. With one out in the top of the first inning, a solo home run to right field by Jared Miller gave Notre Dame a 1-0 lead.
The winds are blowing at Charles Schwab Field. However, Oklahoma and Notre Dame combined for four home runs in the first game of the day.
As first pitches approach in Omaha, Texas and Notre Dame turn to left-handed aces
Texas and Notre Dame will both start left-handed veterans on Friday night. Pete Hansen (11-2, 3.40 ERA) is in the middle of his third season at Texas, and he pitched twice at Omaha last year. John Michael Bertrand (9-3, 2.69) has never competed in the College World Series, but the sixth-year southpaw is no novice.
Texas is the designated home team in this game.