Irish Fall to No. 13 Cavaliers in Rubber Match

Notre Dame baseball team loses 20-5 in series finale against Virginia

Apr. 12, 2026 at 9:35pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting the dynamic movements and competing forces of a college baseball game, rendered in bold, contrasting colors.A cubist interpretation of the intense back-and-forth action between Notre Dame and Virginia on the baseball diamond.South Bend Today

The Notre Dame baseball team fell to No. 13 Virginia 20-5 in the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium. The Cavaliers jumped out to an early lead and added runs in each of the final four innings to secure the victory.

Why it matters

The loss drops Notre Dame to 16-15 overall and 7-11 in ACC play, making it an uphill battle to qualify for the conference tournament. The Fighting Irish had hoped to take the series against the highly ranked Cavaliers, but were unable to overcome Virginia's offensive onslaught.

The details

The Cavaliers scored a run in the top of the first, but Notre Dame responded with two runs in the bottom half to take a 2-1 lead. Virginia then scored three runs in the second and one in the third to go up 5-2. The Irish cut the deficit to 5-4 in the third on a two-run homer by Jayce Lee, but the Cavaliers pulled away with four runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to make it 10-4. Notre Dame got one back in the fifth, but Virginia added runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to win 20-5.

  • The game was played on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
  • Notre Dame and Virginia had split the first two games of the three-game series.

The players

Jayce Lee

Notre Dame outfielder who hit a two-run home run in the third inning.

Bino Watters

Notre Dame outfielder who went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Mason Barth

Notre Dame infielder who had an RBI single and drew a walk.

Brandon Logan

Notre Dame outfielder who scored a run after a misplayed ball in the outfield.

Dylan Singleton

Notre Dame pitcher who suffered the loss after 2.1 innings of work.

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What they’re saying

“We just couldn't overcome their offensive onslaught today. We'll need to regroup and get ready for our next game against Valparaiso.”

— Jayce Lee, Notre Dame Outfielder

What’s next

Notre Dame will host in-state rival Valparaiso on Tuesday, April 14th at 5:30 PM ET as they look to bounce back from the series loss against Virginia.

The takeaway

This series defeat against a highly ranked ACC opponent puts Notre Dame in a difficult position to qualify for the conference tournament, underscoring the need for the team to regroup and finish the season strong if they hope to earn a postseason berth.