Feb. 18, 2001
STARKVILLE, Miss. (2/18/01) – Sophomore righthander Matt Laird served up a clutch double-play ball in the bottom of the 10th and freshman first baseman Joe Thaman delivered the go-ahead double in the 11th, as the 12th-ranked Notre Dame baseball team won another close game from No. 16 Mississippi State, 4-2, in final-round action Sunday at the National Bank of Commerce Classic.
Notre Dame (2-1) claimed a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning, highlighted by an RBI triple from sophomore rightfielder Brian Stavisky-whose four-hit day completed his 9-for-13 weekend (highlighted by 10 consecutive times on base, see note at end of story). Mississippi State (0-2) then plated single runs in the sixth and eighth innings, ultimately sending the game into extra innings.
Both teams stranded 12 baserunners, with the Irish holding a 15-10 edge in hits while playing error-free in the field.
MSU–off to its first 0-2 start since 1996–dropped consecutive home games for the first time since midway through the 1998 season, when Kentucky posted 3-2 and 12-9 wins over the Bulldogs.
The first of two Bulldogs errors in the final inning put the winning run on base for the Irish in the 11th (which was predetermined to be the final inning of the game, due to Notre Dames flight schedule).
Sophomore leftfielder Kris Billmaier reached to open the 11th, after lifting a short popup down the rightfield line. Three MSU players converged on the play, with the ball kicking off the glove of senior first baseman Jon Knott-just inside the foulline-for a two-base error.
Junior third baseman Andrew Bushey then took an 0-1 offering from junior righthander Adam Larson and drove the ball up the middle, moving Billmaier to third, before Thaman stroked his second double of the game-sending a 2-2 pitch down the leftfield line for the 3-2 lead. The Irish then padded their lead after an intentional walk to freshman second baseman Steve Sollmann and junior centerfielder Steve Stanleys RBI grounder to the right side.
Laird-who saved Saturdays 7-5 win over MSU when his lone pitch produced a double-play lineout to Sollmann-delivered a similar clutch pitch on Sunday, after relieving junior Drew Duff with runners on first and second. Laird fell behind pinchhitter Brad Rutto (2-0) before firing a xxxx that Rutto hit straight to the second baseman Sollmann, who relayed the ball to senior shortstop Alec Porzel for the 6-4-3 double play.
Porzel scored the games first run in the sixth, shaking off his 1-for-11 start with a leadoff double to right field. MSU then made a change on the mound, removing senior righthander Jeff Hunter in favor of freshman lefty Paul Maholm, but the lefthanded-hitting Stavisky continued his torrid start by tripling to the gap in right-center (his fourth extra-base hit and second triple of the season). Two batters later, Billmaier singled to right field for a 2-0 Irish lead.
MSU pushed across a run moments later, after Jason Burkleys leadoff double, a swinging bunt to the left side that eluded sliding sophomore righthander J.P. Gagne and Michael Browns run-scoring double-play ball.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the eighth, after one-out singles by Burkley and Lewis and Steve Gendrons two-out single to left.
Irish junior righthander Matt Buchmeier tossed four shutout innings in his fourth career start, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out one MSU batter.
Laird opened the bottom of the 11th by striking out Gendron before hustling to cover first base on Chad Henrys tricky groundball. The next pitch got away from Laird and hit Matthew Maniscalco but Laird ended the game with another tough fielding play, pouncing on a swinging bunt to the left side and throwing out Phillip Willingham for the final out.
Notre Dame has won its last six extra-inning games, since losing a 10-7 game to Boston College on April 17, 1999 (in a seven-inning game that ended in the eighth).
Stavisky’s eye-popping 10 consecutive times on base included hits in his final two at-bats versus New Orleans and a 3-for-3 effort on Saturday vs. MSU (with two walks) before collecting hits in his first three ABs on Sunday. He finished the weekend with nine hits in 13 ABs (at one point he was 8-for-10), plus three walks, three RBI, three runs scored, two triples, two doubles, 15 total bases, a stolen base and two strikeouts.
#12 NOTRE DAME (2-1) 0-0-0 0-0-2 0-0-0 0-2 – 4 15 0
#16 MISSISSIPPI STATE (0-2) 0-0-0 0-0-1 0-1-0 0-0 – 2 10 2
Matt Buchmeier, J.P. Gagne (5). Drew Duff (9), Matt Laird (10) and Paul O’Toole.
Jeff Hunter, Paul Maholm (6), Adam Larson (9) and Jason Burkley.
Win – Matt Laird (1-0). Loss – Adam Larson (0-1).
Doubles – ND: Alec Porzel, Joe Thaman 2, Steve Sollmann, MSU: Matthew Maniscalco, Jason Burkley, Brent Lewis.
Triple – Brian Stavisky (ND).