April 6, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Sophomore righthander Drew Duff tied a Notre Dame record for strikeouts in a game at Eck Stadium and the Irish offense again received balanced contributions, as Notre Dame posted a 7-3 victory over visiting Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.
Notre Dame (20-6) has equaled the quickest season to 20 wins by an Irish team since the 1959 team opened 20-5 (the 1989 and ’90 teams also started 20-6). Eight Notre Dame batters combined for 10 hits while five registered RBI and four scored runs.
Duff (1-1) posted his first victory in four career starts (all this season, he had four relief wins in ’99), allowing three runs on five hits and two walks over six innings while tying the Irish record with 10 strikeouts at Eck Stadium, set five times previously in the seven-year history of the facility. Duff struck out seven of the first eight batters he faced, including the first three batters of the game.
IUPUI (5-16) hurt itself with three errors that led to three of Notre Dame’s final four runs coming unearned. Freshman righthander Heath Lowry (2-1) took the loss, allowing the seven runs on nine hits and three hits over seven innings (with two Ks).
Irish senior catcher Matt Nussbaum continued his recent surge with two hits and two RBI while senior first baseman Jeff Felker added two hits and an RBI. Junior shortstop Alec Porzel pushed his career-best hitting streak to 12 games, batting 1-for-2 while scoring three runs. Freshman rightfielder Brian Stavisky stroked his team-leading seventh home run of the season, a solo shot in the first inning that sailed high over the rightfield fence.
The Jaguars forged a 3-3 tie in the top of the fifth but the Irish answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and two more in the sixth.
Irish junior righthander Mike Carlin tossed two innings-facing seven batters with one walk-while senior righthander John Corbin retired the side in order to end the game.
SCORING RECAP
* The lefthanded-hitting Stavisky went with an 0-1 and sent it over the rightfield fence, leaving him four shy of Brant Ust’s record for home runs by an Irish freshman (11, in 1997) … Porzel then walked on a full count and Felker brought him home with two outs, sending a 2-1 pitch up the middle.
* The Irish added a run in the third, with Porzel hitting a leadoff double and moving up on a groundout from sophomore DH Paul O’Toole before scoring on Nussbaum’s 2-1 single up the middle, past a drawn-in infield.
* IUPUI plated two runs in the fourth, sparked by Joseph Longenecker’s leadoff single up the middle … after a stolen base, junior 2B Mike Kalsek registered one of his three hits in the game, stroking an RBI double to right-center … the Jaguars added another run after Brandon Fey’s single, John Salisbury’s one-out walk and Nathan Robertson’s sacrifice fly to left.
* The visitors tied the game in the fifth, thanks to Matt Brown’s full-count walk to open the inning, a pair of stolen bases and Kalsek’s two-out, 2-2 double to left.
* ND responded moments later, with the SS Brown dropping a one-out popup off the bat of Stavisky-leading to a pair of unearned runs … Porzel again walked on a full count and Lowry balked before throwing another pitch … O’Toole’s flyout to left plated the fourth Irish run and Nussbaum followed with an RBI double down the rightfield line.
* The Irish added some cushion in the sixth, with sophomore 3B Andrew Bushey drilling a leadoff double into the leftfield corner … 3B Mike Mitchell then threw errantly on a sacrifice bunt attempt by senior 2B Jeff Perconte, with Bushey coming around to score while Perconte scooted to second … sophomore LF Matt Bok followed with an RBI single up the middle, capping the scoring.
NOTES
* Previous Irish players to post 10 Ks in a game at Eck Stadium include current junior RHP Aaron Heilman (vs. Oakland, ’99), Brad Lidge (vs. Northeastern Illinois, ’97), Dan Stavisky (vs. Pittsburgh, ’96) and lefty Tom Price (vs. Indiana State and Illinois-Chicago, both in ’94).
* The overall Eck Stadium record for most strikeouts by one player is 13, set by Alabama’s Will Schleuss on April 25, 1995.
* The record for most Ks by one team in a game at Eck Stadium is 15, set by the Irish in a 1998 game vs. Bowling Green.
IUPUI 0-0-0 2-1-0 0-0-0 - 3 5 3Notre Dame 2-0-1 0-2-2 0-0-X - 7 10 0
Lowry, Dudley (8) and Salisbury, Paul (8). Duff, Carlin (7), Corbin (9) and Nussbaum, Bok (9).