May 12, 2001
BOSTON, Mass. – As the second-ranked Notre Dame baseball team was departing Friday for its three-game series at Boston College, head coach Paul Mainieri addressed his team by stressing that the absence of injured starter Kris Billmaier would present opportunities for several other veterans to make contributions versus the Eagles. Those words proved prophetic, as Ken Meyer, Ben Cooke and Matt Strickroth each seized on their opportunities to help the Irish sweep Saturday’s doubleheader from BC, 8-2 and 8-4.
Notre Dame (45-8-1, 22-3 BIG EAST) set the team record for regular-season victories while becoming the first BIG EAST team ever to win more than 20 conference games in a season-besting marks set by the 1990 (44-10 overall) and 1999 (20-5 BIG EAST) Irish teams.
The second win also marked the 300th victory at Notre Dame for seventh-year Irish head coach Paul Mainieri, whose memorable 2001 season also has included his 600th overall victory and the 1,000th game of his college coaching career.
Meyer started both games in the No. 5 spot usually occupied by Billmaier (who is out indefinitely with a back injury), with the junior DH batting 4-for-7 in the doubleheader with six RBI-highlighted by a grand slam to open the day’s scoring.
Lost amidst the milestones and clutch offensive play was business as usual from senior righthanders Aaron Heilman (13-0) and Danny Tamayo (8-1). The dynamic duo limited the Eagles to six runs, 14 hits and three walks in 15 innings of work, with 13 strikeouts, 15 groundouts and 141 of 208 pitches going for strikes.
Heilman-whose ND record-setting 41-7 career mark includes wins in 23 of his last 24 decisions-scattered seven hits and two walks in the seven-inning opener, with five strikeouts and nine groundouts in his 100-pitch outing (69 went for Ks). Tamayo bounced back from his only subpar start of the season by holding BC to four runs on seven hits and one walk over eight innings, with eight Ks, six groundouts and 72 of 108 pitches going for strikes.
Saturday’s action halted a three-game winning streak in the series-including two BIG EAST Tournament wins-for Boston College (28-22, 10-13 BIG EAST), which was eliminated from the race for the four-team BIG EAST Tournament.
Notre Dame opened the day with more first-inning domination, as the Irish now own a 53-8 season scoring edge in the first inning (including 37-1 in BIG EAST games). Steve Stanley and Steve Sollmann got things going with a walk, single up the middle and a double steal before Brian Stavisky loaded the bases on a one-out, full-count walk.
Meyer then worked ahead in the count versus senior lefthander Chris Gannon (5-3) before parking a 2-1 pitch over the leftfield fence for his third home run of the season and second grand slam (he won the April 19, 6-4 Central Michigan game with a bases-loaded homer).
Sollmann’s single and Stavisky’s walk helped push across two more run in the third, with Meyer nearly leaving the yard again on a flyout to deep center (Sollmann tagged and scored all the way from second) before Paul O’Toole pushed the lead to 6-0 with a single through the right side.
Stanley walked on a full count in the seventh before senior shortstop Alec Porzel drilled a shot that narrowly cleared the fence and squeezed inside the leftfield foul pole for his team-leading sixth home run of the season (all in the last 22 games) and the 35th in his career, good for fifth in the Irish record book.
Notre Dame opened the scoring in the third inning of the nightcap, via Sollmann’s infield single, Stavisky’s hit through the right side, Meyer’s RBI hit to the third baseman and Andrew Bushey’s two-out, 2-2 double down the leftfield line.
Meyer pushed his hitting streak to nine games by sparking a two-out rally in the fifth, singling through the left side before righthanded starter Jed Rogers (3-5) walked O’Toole on four pitches to end his outing. Bushey then singled through the
right side versus Erik Olson for a 3-0 lead.
Stanley tripled and scored on a passed ball in the sixth and-after BC had scored twice-Strickroth singled and scored in the eighth for a 5-2 lead-but BC’s Brian Macchi’s then hit his 16th home run of the season to forge a tense 5-4 game.
Meyer again delivered in the ninth, singling through the right side, and O’Toole bunted him to second before Bushey singled to left. Cooke then came through with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly and Strickroth-who earlier had entered the game at first base when Joe Thaman was hit in the face by a bad-hopper-jumped all over a 3-1 pitch from Mark Sullivan for his third home run of the season.
AROUND THE BIG EAST: Rutgers (17-8 clinched a spot in the four-team BIG EAST Tournament with a pair of wins over St. John’s (RU will be the No. 2 seed) … two teams remain in the battle for the final two spots: Seton Hall (13-11-1), Virginia Tech (13-11-1) and St. John’s (13-12), with SHU owning the head-to-head tiebreaker vs. VT (SHU split with West Virginia on Saturday while VT was swept by last-place Pittsburgh).
HEILMAN AND TAMAYO NOTES: Their seven BIG EAST DHs this season have produced a 13-0 combined record, a 95-27 scoring edge for ND, a 1.81 combined ERA and nine-inning combined averages of 9.0 Ks, 1.8 BB and 5.9 hits allowed … updated season stats: Heilman (13-0, 1.50, 96 IP, 91 Ks/26 BB, .168 opp. batting avg.) and Tamayo (8-1, 2.36, 95.1, 91/14, .209) … Heilman is 10-1 when facing a team that beat him earlier in his career (BC beat him in `99) … Heilman now ranks 2nd at ND in career IP (375.2) while his 24 career complete games are tied with Tom Price (`94) for most by an ND pitcher in 101 years (Norwood Gibson had 28 from 1896-1900) … Heilman now owns the ND record for career wins by himself (Price was 40-10) … he owns a 24-3 career record outside of Eck Stadium (16 straight wins) and owns a 13-1 career mark when pitching on the opponent’s field … Heilman added to his place in the BIG EAST record book, now owning the record for complete games in a BIG EAST season (8) while tying the mark for best BIG EAST record in a season (8-0) … he pushed his BIG EAST career records to 24 victories (vs. 3 losses), 199 Ks (in 188 IP) and 18 complete games.
NOTES: Stanley tied former teammate Brant Ust (`97-’99) by starting his 179th consecutive games (Pat Pesavento holds the record of 204, from `86-’89) … Stanley has played all but 14 of 1,535 innings for ND during his career (all in CF) … the Irish improved to 19-2 this season when facing a team that beat ND in 2000 … ND’s surging power display includes HRs in each of the last five games … the Irish are 24-4-1 away from home this season (14-2 on the opponent’s field) … ND clinched winning its 18th BIG EAST series in the last 19 … the Irish have swept 31 of 52 all-time BIG EAST DHs, with 18 splits … Mainieri’s 300th win came two years and 12 days after his 200th … Meyer’s career stats vs. BC: 10-for-19, 7 RBI, 8 R) … the Irish also moved 37 games over .500 for the first time in the program’s history (ND went +36 for the first time last week).
#2 Notre Dame 4-0-2 0-0-0 2 – 8 5 2
Boston College 0-0-0 0-2-0 0 – 2 7 0
Aaron Heilman (W, 13-0) and Paul O’Toole.
Chris Gannon (L, 5-3) and Jeff Mackor.
Home Runs: Ken Meyer, ND (grand slam in 1st: 3rd of season), Alec Porzel (1 on in 7th, 6th of season).
#2 Notre Dame (45-8-1, 22-3 BIG EAST) 0-0-2 0-1-1 0-1-3 – 8 10 2
Boston College (28-22, 10-13 BIG EAST) 0-0-0 0-2-0 2-2-0 – 4 7 0
Danny Tamayo (W, 7-1) and Paul O’Toole.
Jed Rogers (L, 3-5), Erik Olson (5), Mike Elfeldt (8), Mike Sullivan (9) and Jeff Mackor.
Home Runs: Brian Macchi, BC (1 on in 8th, 16th of season), Matt Strickroth, ND (1 on in 9th: 3rd of season).
Triple: Steve Stanley (ND).
Doubles: Andrew Bushey (ND), Chris Rosado (BC)