April 10, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior lefthander Mike Naumann (Tucson, Ariz.) registered the first complete game of his career while allowing just one earned run as the fourth-ranked Notre Dame baseball team posted a 5-2 victory over Chicago State in non-conference action Tuesday night at Eck Stadium.
Notre Dame (26-5-1) crept closer to the national earned-run-average lead, with the Irish now owning a 2.423 season ERA to narrowly trail national leader Rice-which posted a 5-1 win at Baylor on Tuesday, yielding a 2.416 ERA for the Owls. Irish pitchers have posted 114 shutout innings in the last 16 games, spanning 136 total innings.
Naumann pushed his career record to 10-1, after scattering nine hits and one walk over his 112-pitch outing, with four strikeouts and 11 groundball outs. The Academic All-American-who is bound for Baylor Medical School next fall-has won all three of his decisions in 2001, with a 2.36 season ERA.
Junior righthander Nick Troy (1-5) was the hard-luck loser, allowing just one earned run (three unearned) over the first five innings, on five hits and three walks (with three Ks). Chicago State (4-22) stranded six baserunners while hitting into a pair of double plays.
A leadoff throwing error on first baseman Derrick Bass set up Notre Dame’s three-run third inning, with Joe Thaman then delivering a first-pitch RBI single to right field followed by Soran Leahy’s sacrifice bunt. Troy next issued Steve Sollmann a one-out intentional walk but Brian Stavisky drilled a two-run single off the first baseman Bass to provide the 3-1 lead.
The Irish added a run in the fifth, thanks to Steve Stanley’s leadoff bunt single and pair of stolen bases and Alec Porzel’s groundout RBI. The game’s final run came in the bottom of the sixth versus senior righthander Nick Gaitano, with Matt Bok’s triple to right-center following Andrew Bushey’s double down the leftfield line.
Stanley had three stolen bases to move past Dan Bautch (68, 1990-92) into fourth place on the Irish career list (69), behind Scott Sollmann (101, ’94-’96), Pat Pesavento (94, ’86-’89) and Greg Layson (80, ’91-’94).
CHICAGO STATE (4-22) 0-1-0 0-0-1 0-0-0 – 2 8 1
#4 NOTRE DAME (26-5-1) 0-0-3 0-1-1 0-0-X – 5 9 1
Nick Troy (L, 1-5), Nicholas Gaitano (6), Jason Lambert (8) and John Szykowny.
Mike Naumann (W, 3-0) and Soran Leahy.
Triple: Matt Bok (ND).
Doubles: Jerrold Brock (CS), Andrew Bushey (ND), Szykowny (CS).