NOTRE DAME, Ind. (Interstat) — Drew Berkland went 3 for 3 with a home run and three RBIs and the Notre Dame pitching staff combined for a three-hit shutout as the Fighting Irish routed the Milwaukee Panthers 16-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium.

Notre Dame improved to 21-20 overall while Milwaukee dropped to 15-27. The Irish offense pounded out 22 hits, scoring in every inning from the first through the sixth, while five Notre Dame pitchers held Milwaukee to three hits and did not allow an earned run.

The game turned decisively in the bottom of the second inning. After Milwaukee had scratched out two runs in the top of the first — the only runs the Panthers would score — Notre Dame tied the game when Jamie Zee singled home Brzustewicz. Berkland then launched a three-run homer to right field, scoring Barth and Zee, to give the Irish a 5-2 lead they never relinquished.

Notre Dame added a run in the fourth on Mark Quatrani’s RBI single, then blew the game open with a four-run frame. Jayce Lee delivered a two-run single, Barth added an RBI single, and the Irish led 9-2. In the fifth, Notre Dame scored three more runs on RBIs by Watters, Quatrani and Dylan Passo, pushing the lead to 12-2. The Irish capped the scoring in the sixth with four runs, highlighted by Caleb Ricks’ two-run triple and a sacrifice fly by Reader.

Milwaukee scored its only runs in the top of the first. After two outs, a single by Dylan, a stolen base and an error on a pickoff attempt put him on third. The next batter struck out, but later in the inning another sequence allowed the Panthers to plate two runs. The Panthers managed only one more hit — a two-run double by Charlie Marion in the fifth that scored Holmes and Ross, trimming the deficit to 9-2 at that point, but Notre Dame answered immediately.

Drew Berkland was the offensive star, finishing a home run shy of the cycle with a single, a double and the three-run blast. He also walked once. Berkland came into the game with a mixed recent stretch, going 1 for 4 against Central Michigan on Tuesday, 2 for 5 with two homers and three RBIs against Boston College on Saturday, 0 for 3 in a loss to Boston College on Friday, and 2 for 4 in a win over Boston College on Thursday.

Dylan Singleton earned the win in relief, tossing two perfect innings with five strikeouts. Aiden Zerr started and worked three innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out two. Evan Clark and Klosterman also threw scoreless innings.

For Milwaukee, the loss was the second in a row after an 8-10 defeat at Northwestern on Tuesday. The Panthers continue a road trip Friday at UNLV.

Notre Dame’s offense featured multiple contributors. Quatrani went 3 for 4 with two RBIs, Lee was 3 for 5 with two RBIs, Zee went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, Passo was 2 for 3 with two RBIs, and Ricks drove in two runs with his pinch-hit triple. Barth also had three hits.

The Irish defense made two sacrifice flies. Milwaukee committed three errors that led to unearned runs.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Milwaukee 8, Notre Dame 4, while Interstat’s ELO system gave Notre Dame an 86.90 percent probability to win.