Box Score YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- In two hours and 43 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, Notre Dame managed something it hadn't accomplished in the seven-plus years of the program's existence -- a victory over an NCAA Division I squad.  (Box)

Behind a surge with bats up and down the lineup and with clutch pitching and hitting and several outstanding plays in the field, Notre Dame (8-11-1) defeated Youngstown State, 12-3, at Bob Cene Park in Youngstown.  The win marked NDC's first against an NCAA-I foe.

The Falcons scored a season-high 12 runs in the game, went 6-of-15 with runners in scoring position and got superb pitching from starter Matt Kastelic and the NDC bullpen.  Kastelic worked in and out of multiple jams against the Penguins (2-16), holding YSU to three runs over five innings.  Freshman Kevin Bedhun and senior Sean Harnish did the rest -- they combined to pitch four scoreless innings, closing out the upset victory.

“That was the best I've seen our team play in every facet of the game,” said Interim Head Coach Len Barker.  “Pitching, defense, clutch hitting -- this game pulled it all together.  It was great to see.”

The Falcon offense, which recently through an extended stretch of averaging a little over three runs per game, gave Kastelic an early cushion with two runs in the first inning and four in the second.  With a 6-2 lead heading into the fourth, NDC hung a three on the scoreboard to runs its advantage to 9-2.  In that fourth inning, freshman first baseman Taylor Neville hit a two-run double.  That two-bagger was NDC's fourth of the game; they wound up hitting a season-high five doubles on the day.

Notre Dame scored at least one run in five of the first seven innings, and NDC's clutch performances -- multiple two-out hits and six hits with runners in scoring position -- were magnified by several YSU miscues on defense.  The Penguins committed four errors in the contest.

Kastelic struck out four in his outing, a gritty and determined five-inning effort.  Bedhun followed with a scoreless sixth and a scoreless seventh.  Harnish followed that up with two perfect innings -- he set down six straight over the eighth and ninth.

Big defensive plays were turned in by the entire Falcon infield in what was Notre Dame's second errorless game in a row (both wins).

Four Falcon batters -- Jesse Bartle, Jared Clovis, Mike Ferguson, Taylor Neville -- collected multiple hits in the game.  Neville knocked in three runs.  Pat Ross scored three runs and drove in four.

The victory marked NDC's first in three tries against NCAA-I foes -- the Falcons were downed by YSU and Wright State in the 2007 season.

“This was definitely a signpost win for this program,” said Barker.  “I appreciate all the hard work that went into it -- from the players and the coaches.”