May 22, 1999
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL GAMEDAY NOTES
vs. PROVIDENCE – BIG EAST Championship – May 21, 1999
FAMILIAR SITUATION: Notre Dame and Rutgers find themselves in the position that the other team faced during last years BIG EAST Championship … the Irish opened 2-0 in 98 while Rutgers had to win a morning game before beating the Irish in the night game of the third day … the Irish then came back on the final day to beat PC but lost to RU in the title game.
TODAY’S STARTER – CHRIS McKEOWN: McKeown’s nine-inning averages in 1999: 9.8 hits, 2.2 walks, 8.9 Ks, 38.5 batters faced, 8.9 flyouts, 7.4 groundouts … McKeown has allowed just two earned runs in his last six outings (17.2 innings), for a 1.02 ERA during that span … McKeowns other stats during the past six games: 16 Ks, 4 walks, 12 hits … McKeown was one of three pitchers who nearly no-hit Miami on May 12, tossing a shutout third and fourth inning while facing six batters (BB, 4 Ks, pickoff).
FLASHBACK – McKEOWN TOSSES CG TO ELIMINATE WVU IN 1997: Chris McKeown will be looking to reprise his only previous start in the BIG EAST Championship, when he pitched a complete game four-hitter to eliminate West Virginia in 1997 (8-1) … McKeown game up one run in the game on an RBI single by WVU shortstop Matt Rubino in the third inning … he notched six strikeouts while facing just seven batters over the minimum (with one walk).
IRISH QUICK NOTES: Notre Dame went 7-1 during the past three seasons when facing elimination in the BIG EAST Championship (not including losses in the 1996 and 98 title games) … the Irish have totaled just 28 runs and 52 hits during the past seven games (4.0 runs, 7.4 hits per game) while totaling 18 errors in those games (2.6/gm) … due to injuries to Jeff Wagner (foot), Jeff Perconte (shoulder) and Brant Ust (knee), Notre Dame has just four players at their normal position for todays game (C Paul OToole, 1B Jeff Felker, 3B Andrew Bushey and CF Steve Stanley).
NOTRE DAME CAREER STATS VS. PROVIDENCE
(see 1999 series stats for other players)
Player G/GS AVG H-AB R 2B 3B HR BB/K RBI SBCooke 2/2 .167 1-8 1 0 0 0 0/1 2 0-0Ust 5/5 .611 11-18 7 0 0 1 2/2 3 2-2Felker 5/5 .278 5-18 4 1 0 1 1/1 8 0-1 Porzel 3/3 .667 6-9 3 0 0 1 2/1 5 0-2
Pitcher G/GS ERA W-L SV IP H R ER K/BB WP/HBShilliday 1/1 15.00 0-1 0 3.0 5 9 5 3/3 0/0Heilman 2/1 3.12 1-0 1 8.2 4 4 3 6/2 2/1Kalita 1/1 6.00 0-0 0 6.0 6 4 4 6/5 0/0McKeown 2/1 12.60 0-0 0 5.0 12 9 7 3/2 0/0
NOTRE DAME CAREER STATS IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
(prior to 5/22/99 PC game)
Player G/GS AVG H-AB R 2B 3B HR BB/K RBI SBPorzel 7/7 .318 8-26 1 0 0 3 4/2 9 0-2Ust 11/11 .237 10-42 6 2 0 2 3/6 7 1-1Felker 10/10 .250 11-40 3 2 0 0 4/14 4 1-2
Pitcher G/GS ERA W-L SV IP H R ER K/BB WP/HBHeilman 5/0 1.93 1-1 3 9.1 5 2 2 9/1 1/2Kalita 3/3 3.60 1-0 0 20.0 13 9 8 20/9 1/2McKeown 2/1 3.75 1-0 0 12.0 11 5 5 7/2 0/0Shilliday 6/5 5.06 1-3 0 31.1 40 25 22 22/9 4/7
SLOW STARTERS: Notre Dame owns an even first-inning run margin this season (45-45) and actually has been outscored by the opponents through the first three innings during 1999 (131 opponents runs, to 124 for the Irish) … the fifth inning has been a key part of the game for the Irish in 1999, as Notre Dame has scored 51 fifth-inning runs while yielding just 19 (but four by SHU last night) … aside from the fifth and third innings (53-39 edge for the opponents), the combined total runs by Notre Dame and its opponents are separated by seven or fewer runs in every other inning of 1999.
ND-PC DOUBLEHEADER RECAP (APRIL 1, 1999): Freshman catcher Paul O’Toole and junior third baseman Jeff Perconte both delivered game-winning hits in Notre Dame’s last at-bat as the Irish came away with a sweep of visiting Providence, 5-4 and 6-5 … PC rallied to tie each game in its last at-bat … Aaron Heilman tossed his fourth complete game of the season in the opener, highlighted by a dominating first six innings in which he allowed only one hit and two walks while tossing just 50 pitches … Heilman suffered a 33-pitch seventh inning, with his final totals including four runs (three earned) on three hits and two walks, with four strikeouts and 11 groundouts (including a first-inning double play ball) … eight of the Irish starters recorded at least one hit in the doubleheader, with seven connecting for multiple hits and six combining on the 10 RBI … Ed Golom sparked the Irish in just his third start of the season, with his double igniting a three-run inning in the opener … he went on to collect three hits in the nightcap, culminated by a leadoff double and the game-winning run in the ninth … Brant Ust collected four hits in the doubleheader, including a 3-for-4 effort in the nightcap … Josh Burnham dropped the opener (6 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks ) … Rob Corraro lost the nightcap (8.1 IP, 6 R, 4 ER, 12 H, 2 Ks) … Drew Duff tossed the final three innings of the nightcap, allowing one run on four hits with two Ks after Tim Kalita couldn’t get past the sixth inning … PC scored four runs to tie the opener in the seventh but the Irish cashed in an error by 2B Paul Costello, who let Perconte’s routine grounder scoot between his legs … Steve Stanley then dropped a first-pitch bunt to the left side and Burnham threw to third base, but Perconte was moving on the play and slid in to beat the throw … O’Toole worked to a 1-2 count before winning the game on a single to center field that cleared the drawn-in outfield … in the nightcap, the Irish led 5-2 after five innings but PC scored twice in the sixth and tied the game in the ninth … Golom then sent a 1-1 pitch into the left-center gap and slid into second for the clutch leadoff double … Ben Cooke’s sacrifice bunt moved Golom to third and Perconte won the game by sending a 1-0 pitch through the left side of the infield.