May 1, 2001
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – Sophomore Peter Ogilvie (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson HS) added another chapter to the dominant outings by Notre Dame starting pitchers during the 2001 season, as the 6-4, 210-pound righthander registered his first complete game while allowing just five hits in Tuesday night’s 9-1 win over Michigan, in the sixth annual Baseball Bash at Old Kent Park.
Top-ranked Notre Dame (41-6-1)-which has won 20 of its last 21 games-matched the team record for most games over .500 (+35), with the 1990 squad reaching records of 45-10 and 46-11. The Irish will look to go +36 on Wednesday night at Eck Stadium, in a 5:05 makeup game versus Western Michigan.
Notre Dame’s starting pitchers have combined for an eye-popping 1.88 ERA during the first 48 games, leading the way for a pitching staff that is running away with the nation’s best overall ERA (now at 2.48, with Rice entering the week second at 2.80).
Ogilvie (4-1)-who prior to this season had not pitched full-time since his sophomore year of high school, due to a series of injuries-opened the game by allowing two hits and a run before scattering three more hits over the next eight scoreless innings. He also walked one batter while striking out six, including four of the final six he faced.
Ogilvie’s 1.15 season ERA would rank among the top five in the nation but he currently does not meet the minimum of one inning pitched per team game (he has logged 39 IP, with the Irish playing 48 games). The surging No. 4 starter likely would have reached the minimum innings if not for missing two mid-April starts due to a sore shoulder.
Seven Irish batters combined on an efficient offensive attack that converted nine hits into nine runs. Junior centerfielder Steve Stanley (2-for-5, 2 R) and senior shortstop Alec Porzel (2-for-4, RBI, 2 R) continued their career success vs. Michigan at Old Kent Park, with Stanley now owning a .600 batting avg. at the facility (9-for-15, 6 R) while Porzel has batted 9-for-17 on his way to helping the Irish post four wins over UM at Old Kent Park (which is located just north of Grand Rapids).
Michigan (22-19) still holds a sizable 74-40 lead in a series that dates back to Notre Dame’s first season of varsity baseball (1892) but the Irish have won four of the last five meetings-including a pair of 9-1 wins and a 14-4 victory in the 1999 Baseball Bash.
Notre Dame’s Ken Meyer made a rare start versus a righthanded pitcher but the hunch paid off in the bottom of the second, as the junior DH singled up the middle on a 2-2 pitch from Jim Brauer to plate Paul O’Toole and Kris Billmaier for a 2-1 lead.
The Irish broke open the game by scoring four runs in the seventh inning, with Porzel delivering a classic hit-and-run single through the right side of the infield (scoring Stanley). The next two runs scored on Billmaier’s bases-loaded groundout and a wild pitch before junior third baseman Andrew Bushey singled up the middle for the final 9-1 margin.
NOTES: ND now holds a 4-2 edge in the Baseball Bash meetings with Michigan, after losing the first two … the presence of ND freshman 2B Steve Sollmann brought out fond memories from the Old Kent Park faithful, as Steve’s brother and former Irish CF Scott Sollmann was a big fan favorite during his playing career with the West Michigan Whitecaps (the Detroit Tigers single-A affiliate which plays in OKP) … Stanley’s stolen base leaves him alone in 3rd place on the ND career charts (with 81) … ND registered its 12th error-free game of the season (the Irish have totaled just 63 errors in 48 games, including a total of just 50 Es from the eight regular position starters).
Michigan (22-19) 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 – 1 5 4
#1 Notre Dame (41-6-1) 0-2-1 2-0-0 4-0-X – 9 9 0
Jim Brauer (L, 3-2), Kirk Taylor (6), Bryce Ralston (7), Phil Lobert (8) and Jake Fox, Alex Coleman (8).
Peter Ogilvie (W, 4-1) and Paul O’Toole.
Doubles: Alec Porzel (ND), Brock Koman (MICH).