CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – After living up to its billing as the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship’s top-seeded team on Wednesday, Notre Dame turned its attention to Friday and its quest to reach the semifinals.
Starter Will Mercer and two relievers combined on a four-hitter, and Jared Miller drove in two runs with a pair of extra-base hits as the Fighting Irish blanked 12th-seeded Virginia Tech 8-0 in Wednesday afternoon’s Pool A game at Truist Field.
Next up for Notre Dame (30-10) is Friday’s 11 a.m. game against No. 8 Virginia (28-22), with the winner advancing to Saturday’s 1 p.m. semifinal versus the Pool D winner (Duke or Miami).
The Fighting Irish hit the 30-win mark for the first time since the 2015 squad finished 37-23 en route to an NCAA regional bid. Notre Dame also claimed its first victory in the ACC Baseball Championship since that 2015 season.
Mercer (3-2) yielded all three Virginia Tech base hits but walked no batters and struck out three before giving way to right-hander Alex Rao after five innings. Rao worked three innings of hitless relief before Liam Simon finished up in the ninth.
