Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2017 55 ND SPORTS The Irish went 4-4 in those eight games, and Perkovic said having that close-game experience under their belts will be a big asset going forward. "We've played in a lot of close games, and in the tournament you have to play in a lot of close games," he said. "That helps a ton." Perkovic said the Irish have a strong knowledge of how to handle themselves in crunch time, thanks to those tight contests. "There's definitely a comfort level there," he said. "There's a confidence factor with winning those close games and being in them. You get used to it. "I've been here for four years, and we've been in a ton of them. The more experience you get in those games, the more confident you are, the more willing you are to make plays in those type of moments." To that same point, Wynne ex- plained he's confident that the mo- ment won't ever get too big for the Irish, despite the nerves that may come with playing in the tournament. "You're always excited," he said. "It's a big moment, and it's fun to get out there and play on national TV and play in front of a crowd that's been watching you all year. It brings the best out of us. Everybody here is very competitive. You can see it when we're practicing out on the field or playing pool in the locker room. "Everyone hates losing, and I think that's going to make us better. I think this team is very good, and I do be- lieve we have what it takes to make a run." ✦ Irish Roundup BASEBALL (25-27 OVERALL, 10-17 ACC) An up-and-down regular season for the Notre Dame baseball will come to an end May 20, when the Irish close out a road series at Boston College. Notre Dame did pick up two wins in the penultimate series of the year against visiting Austin Peay. However, a 5-3 defeat May 14 marked the first non-conference home loss for the Irish in 2017. The ACC Tournament will be take place May 23-28 in Louisville, Ky. As of May 15, Notre Dame was in position to make the tournament with Boston College and Pitt slated to be the two teams left out. SOFTBALL (33-21, 13-11 ACC) Following a 32-21 regular season, Notre Dame clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the 19th straight season. The Irish received the No. 3 seed in the Auburn Regional, and were joined by No. 7 national seed Auburn, East Tennessee State and California. During the season, Notre Dame posted a 13-11 record in ACC play to finish fifth in the regular-season standings. In the ACC Tournament, the Irish picked up a 9-5 comeback victory over Boston College May 11 before falling 6-0 to No. 4 Florida State in the semifinals May 12. WOMEN'S LACROSSE (11-8 OVERALL, 4-3 ACC) No. 15 Notre Dame's season came to an end May 12, with a 12-7 loss No. 12 Cornell in the first round the of NCAA Championship. In their sixth straight postseason appearance, the Irish took an 1-0 lead and led 5-3 at one point in the first half, but the Big Red battled back and the game was tied at the break. In the second half, Cornell rattled off three straight goals to mount a lead that would prove insurmountable for the Irish. With the loss, Notre Dame's all-time postseason record fell to 7-12. ROWING The Irish finished third at the ACC Championships after a day-long competi- tion at Lake Hartwell May 14 in Clemson, S.C. Notre Dame's first varsity eight team finished second overall, right behind No. 11 Virginia and in front of No. 13 Syracuse. The second varsity eight placed third, behind both Syracuse and Virginia. WOMEN'S TENNIS Notre Dame's time in the NCAA Championship came to end May 14, when the No. 32 Irish fell 4-0 to No. 2 Ohio State in the second round. A day earlier, Notre Dame edged Kansas 4-3 in the first round. The Irish finished the season with an 18-10 overall record and 7-7 mark in conference play. TRACK AND FIELD The awards and honors continue to stack up for sophomore Anna Rohrer. The local product from Mishawaka, Ind., captured the ACC cross country championship in the fall, won the 5,000 meters during the indoor season this winter and took home the gold in two events at the ACC Outdoor Champion- ships this spring. On May 12, Rohrer won the 10,000 meters and followed it up with a victory in the 5,000-meter race May 14. Overall, the Irish women's team finished seventh with 53 total points, while the men's team placed 12th with 23 points. Freshman Troy Pride Jr., who also plays cornerback on the football team, recorded a personal best in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.47, landing him in sixth place. Pride was earned second-team All-ACC honors. — David McKinney Heading into the Auburn Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament May 19, sophomore Ali Wester led the Irish with a .404 batting average through 54 games. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP