Baseball Swept by Notre Dame, 4-1, 3-2
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 10, 1999
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Sophomore righthander Aaron Heilman turned in another impressive performance while freshman leftfielder Matt Strickroth became the latest Notre Dame, as the Irish baseball team downed visiting Pittsburgh, 4-1 and 3-2, in a Saturday afternoon battle for first place atop the BIG EAST Conference.
Notre Dame (24-8, 11-1 BIG EAST), which has won nine of its last 10 games and 20 of the last 22, rode Heilman's complete game in the opener before playing a tense second game, when the Irish scored single runs in the sixth and eighth only to see Pittsburgh score twice in the ninth. Strickroth, a late defensive substitution who was hitting just .159 in 63 at-bats, then delivered a two-out, first-pitch single through the right side for just his fourth RBI of the season.
Pittsburgh (18-13, 7-4) continued to show why it is the surprise of the BIG EAST this season, battling the Irish for the full 16 innings. The losses dropped the Panthers a game behind Rutgers into third in the BIG EAST standings.
Heilman (7-1) faced just 25 batters (four over the minimum) while posting his fifth complete game of the season and seventh straight victory. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk while posting eight strikeouts and nine groundouts in the efficient 86-pitch outing.
Irish senior Alex Shilliday had no decision in the nightcap despite six shutout innings, allowing three hits and one walk while posting six Ks and seven groundouts. Freshman Drew Duff set down Pitt in the seventh before junior John Corbin (4-1) picked up the blown-save victory. Corbin worked out of a bases-loaded, no-outs situation in the eighth but served up a two-run, game-tying home run to senior first baseman Steve Dickinson in the ninth.
Pittsburgh senior John Schultz (2-4) dropped the opener, allowing four runs on 11 hits and no walks, with six strikeouts. Junior Jory Coughenour (2-4) was the hard-luck loser in the nightcap, going the distance while allowing the three runs on nine hits and three walks (with two Ks).
Sophomore second baseman Alec Porzel opened the bottom of the ninth with a first-pitch single to left before junior shortstop Brant Ust battled back to earn a full-count walk. Jeff Wagner then hit a groundball to the third baseman but Porzel alertly backed away from the tag, eliminating any chance at a double play. Junior first baseman Jeff Felker moved Ust to third on a groundball to the shortstop, with Wagner forced out, before Strickroth's game-winning hit.
Notre Dame continued its amazing streak of winning close games. In addition to posting 10 come-from-behind victories this season, the Irish have scored the winning run in the final inning five times this season (while also scoring the game-winner three times in the second-to-last inning). The 24 Irish victories have included six by one run, five by two runs and six by three runs. In its last 10 games alone, the Irish have posted four comeback victories and three others where the winning run was scored in the final inning.
Every Irish starter collected a hit in the opener, with Felker going 3-for-3 with an RBI double. Seven Irish starters then collected hits in the nightcap.
PITTSBURGH 0-0-0 0-1-0 0 1 2 3 NOTRE DAME 0-0-1 1-2-0 X 4 11 1 J. Schultz and Caraway. Heilman and O'Toole. PITTSBURGH 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 2 7 0 NOTRE DAME 0-0-0 0-0-1 0-1-1 3 9 2 Coughenour and Hoopes. Shilliday, Duff (7), Corbin (8) and O'Toole.