Notre Dame baseball escapes Clemson comeback, advances in ACC Tourney

It wasn’t easy for Notre Dame baseball during the first-round of the ACC Tournament against Clemson, but it escaped with a 5-4 victory on Tuesday evening.

The Irish took an early lead, leading 1-0 after the first inning, but the Tigers scored two in the top of the third to take the lead. Notre Dame quickly answered back with two of their own, and added another run in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead heading into the seventh.

Clemson wouldn’t back down, as they’d score a run in the seventh, but the Irish got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, one that they’d need. The Tigers threatened in the ninth, plating one but Notre Dame held strong and got the victory.

Every outfielder, Drew Berkland, Bino Watters and Jayce Lee hit a homer, with Lee adding two other hits. Catcher Mark Quantrani also had two knocks. Starting pitcher Jack Radel was fantastic, going 6.1 innings allowing just two runs while striking out eight.

Notre Dame will now face off against Virginia Tech later today, with the first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT.

IRISH WIN!

Notre Dame takes the 5-4 ACC Tournament DUB over Clemson!#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/qqJ1KqqfTS— Notre Dame Baseball (@NDBaseball) May 20, 2026

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame narrowly defeats Clemson, moves on in ACC Tournament