Fighting Irish Top No. 24 Tigers 2-1 Friday

SOUTH BEND, IND. – Junior righthander Pat Connaughton pitched 8.0 effective innings to lead Notre Dame to a 2-1 win over No. 24 Clemson at Frank Eck Stadium on Friday night. The Fighting Irish (18-30, 5-20 ACC) took a 1-0 lead in the series and snapped the five game-winning streak by the Tigers (30-20, 12-12 ACC).

Connaughton (2-5) earned the win by allowing just three hits, one run and eight walks with no strikeouts in 8.0 innings pitched. Donnie Hissa recorded three outs in the ninth inning to register his third save of the season. Tiger starter Matthew Crownover (6-5) suffered the loss despite yielding just six hits, two runs and one walk with four strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched.

After Clemson grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded in the top of the third, Kevin DeFilippis drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the third inning and scored on Kyle Richardson’s triple to left-center just out of the reach of Garrett Boulware. Cavan Biggio brought home Richardson on a sacrifice fly. Clemson’s lone run came on Boulware’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.

The series continues Saturday at 2:05 p.m.

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