March 21, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Sophomore Peter Ogilvie tossed seven strong innings while the Notre Dame offense capitalized on five Cleveland State errors, as the eighth-ranked Irish defeated the visiting Vikings, 3-0, in the home opener at Eck Stadium.
Notre Dame (14-2-1) is off to the program’s best 17-game start in 91 years, dating back to the 16-1 start by the 1908 team (22 years before the school’s athletic teams first became known as the Fighting Irish).
Ogilvie (1-0)-who missed all of the 2000 season due to injury-scattered three hits and two walks over his 91-pitch outing while retiring the final 11 batters he faced. The 6-4, 210-pound righthander struck out three CSU batters and has not allowed an earned run in 12 innings pitched this season.
Sophomore righthander Matt Laird closed out the game for his third save of the season, facing seven batters with one hit allowed and four strikeouts.
The Irish pitching staff now owns a 2.66 team ERA, highlighted by there shutouts (senior righthanders Aaron Heilman and Danny Tamayo each have posted solo shutouts in 2001).
Junior righthander Jerry Long (1-3) was the hard-luck loser for Cleveland State (6-9), surrendering three unearned runs on three hits and three walks over six innings (with five Ks).
Notre Dame plated the game’s first run in the fourth, with Brian Stavisky reaching on an error by the shortstop Mike Lehman before moving up on a stolen base and passed ball (both with one out). Lehman then made his second of three errors in the game, pulling the first baseman off the bag on Kris Billmaier’s one-out grounder (with Stavisky scoring on the play).
The Irish scored twice more in the sixth, with a leadoff error again opening the door as leftfielder Geremy Hoover dropped a routine flyball off the bat of Alec Porzel (who took second on the play). Long then retired the next two batters before Billmaier collected his second RBI of the day with a 1-2 single to right-center field.
Billmaier then stole second and scored when Andrew Bushey went the other way on a full-count pitch, dropping the ball into left field for the 3-0 lead.
CSU sophomore rightfielder Beau Beaumier extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning single to left field.
The Vikings put just three baserunners in scoring position, with one reaching third base.
Beaumier’s first-inning single moved Lehman to second with two outs but Ogilvie struck out Adam Miller on a 1-2 pitch.
Doug Besozzi then doubled down the rightfield line to open the second inning and moved up on Geremy Hoover’s bunt but Ogilvie worked out of the jam-as Aaron Crock grounded out to third base while Matt Smith ended the threat with a lineout to right field (Ogilvie had put runners on the corners one batter earlier, after hitting Jamie Murphy with a 1-2 pitch).
CSU’s final scoring chance came in the fourth, after Besozzi’s leadoff walk and Hoover’s first-pitch single to left. Ogilvie then rolled up a 6-4-3 double play from Crock and induced a comebacker to the mound from Murphy, ending the inning.
Cleveland State (6-9) 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 – 0 4 5
#8 Notre Dame (14-2-1) 0-0-0 1-0-1 0-0-0 – 3 4 1
Jerry Long (L, 1-3), David Boyza (7) and Dou Besozzi.
Peter Ogilvie (W, 1-0), Matt Laird and Andrew Bushey.
Double: Besozzi (CSU).