NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The California baseball team dropped a 10-0 decision in seven innings to Notre Dame at Frank Eck Stadium on Saturday as the Fighting Irish secured a series victory in the first games between the teams since 1961 and the first hosted by Notre Dame since 1941.

Alex Birge (1-3) broke up winning pitcher Rory Fox's no-hit bid with a two-out single in the top of the fifth and Dominic Smaldino followed with a double but both runners were left stranded after collecting the Bears' lone hits. Cal was shutout for the third time in 2025.

Fox (2-3) struck out six and allowed just two hits in 6.0 innings of work, while also walking one and hitting one.  

Notre Dame scored a single run in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single from Parker Brzustewicz before exploding for a seven-run second frame with the final six runs scoring after two were out with no runners on. Jayce Lee's one-out solo homer made it 2-0 Notre Dame before DM Jefferson started the two-out rally by beating out an infield single to shortstop. Two batters later Carson Tinney connected on a three-run homer to put the Irish ahead 5-0 before a two-run single by Connor Hincks and an RBI single by Estevan Moreno chased Cal starter and losing pitcher Oliver de la Torre (2-4). De la Torre allowed eight runs (eight earned), nine hits, one wild pitch and one hit batsmen in a short 1.2 inning start.

Cal reliever David Shaw (3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO, 1 HBP) retired the only batter he faced to get the Bears out of the Fighting Irish second and then kept the Notre Dame lead at 8-0 by blanking the Irish in the third and fourth innings. Shaw would allow his lone run in the fifth when he walked a pair of batters and hit another to load the bases with no outs before Bino Watters' RBI ground out plated a run. Shaw was able to escape further damage by retiring each of the next two batters he faced.

Notre Dame added the run that turned the game into a run-rule shortened seven innings on Johnson's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth off Cal reliever Jordy Lopez (0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 SO).

Notre Dame reliever Keenan Mork (1.0 IP, 1 SO) sent the Bears down in order in the top of the seventh and the final game time of 2:14 was the second-shortest Cal game of the season.

Brzustewicz (2-3, R, 2B, RBI, BB), Hincks (2-4, R, 2 RBI), Lee (2-4, 2 R, HR, RBI) and Watters (2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) each had a pair of hits to lead Notre Dame's 12-hit performance.

Cal (18-24, 6-17 ACC) and Notre Dame (23-17, 9-14 ACC) conclude their three-game ACC series Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. PT. A live steam of the game will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+.

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