ND vs. Pitt , yesterday 4/2. Weather was cold, windy and just plain raw, with rain toward the end of the game. Was there with my wife and my daughter's family, including her 4 boys, ages 9, 7, 5, and 7 months. Don't worry. The baby was well bundled up. It was the boys' first visit to ND. Nice game. Seesaw. Pitt jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. ND came back to tie it at 3-3, including a solo shot by Cooper, the 1b, who was batting leadoff. Don't recall when I've seen a 1b bat leadoff. Later, ND built the lead to 5-3, Pitt tied at 5-5, and ND went back ahead at 7-5. Pitt went ahead 8-7 in the top of the 9th on a 2-out, 2-strike double. But ND came back in the bottom of the 9th to score the winning runs on a hit by Barnes. When the starter, lefty Thornton (#3 starter?), came out to pitch in the 8th, I was surprised. I thought he looked a bit tired in the 7th. He put the tying runs on base with no outs. I found out later why the coach tried to push him through 8 innings. Our relief pitching yesterday was not very strong, IMO. The three relievers who followed Thornton could not shut down Pitt. I hope that what I saw pitching depth-wise was an anomaly. Otherwise, we won't get very far in the post-season......if we get there. My grandsons were thrilled to get Jeff Samardzija's autograph. He is their hero. After the game, we took them to the stadium, where we peaked through the north gate and saw the field, then to the Grotto, then to the Bookstore. Despite the weather, it was a great day for this grandpa.
Thanks for the report. This is not likely to be a CWS team, hopefully we can win the Big East and get into the NCAA's to get the youngsters some experience. How did your grandson get JeffS's autograph? Terry
After the game, my son-in-law, Brett, and the three older boys waited at the fence closest to the dugout, as did several other kids and their dads. Brett also got coach Manieri's autograph. He's a very nice guy. Quick story. My daughter wanted to make signs for the boys. She asked the 5 yr. old, Ryan, what he wanted his sign to say. He declared, "Jeff Samardzija rocks!" That's what she painted on the 24" x 24" cardboard. We sat on the visitor's side of the stands. The ND players always stand in front of the dugout when the team is at bat. When Ryan held up the sign, you could see several ND players looking at it and laughing. Jeff autographed the sign, all the caps, and a foul ball Brett had caught and given to his #2 son, Logan. He was very accommodating to everyone who had waited for him.