May 28, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame’s record-setting 2001 baseball season came to an end on Monday in the championship game of the NCAA South Bend Regional, as Florida International held on for the 5-4 win after Peter Ogilvie’s impressive complete game had forced a winner-take-all game in a 5-2 victory earlier in the day.
Notre Dame (49-13-1)-which became the first Irish baseball team ever to post more than 48 wins-jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the title game but Florida International (43-19) put four runs on the board in the bottom of the third and added what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the 6th, when Hector Nunez sent a ball into the gusting wind and over the rightfield fence.
The Irish stranded 12 of 17 baserunners (one other was thrown out at the plate) but the hosts still nearly rallied to tie the game in the top of the 9th, after scoring once in the 8th for a 5-3 game. Sophomore DH Kris Billmaier battled to a two-out, 2-2 count before sending a double to the left-center gap and junior catcher Paul O’Toole likewise faced a 2-2 count before driving a triple to the warning track in center field. But lefthanded reliever Willie Collazo struck out Andrew Bushey to hand Notre Dame its ninth one-run loss of the season.
Collazo-who pitched a complete game in Friday’s win over UC Santa Barbara-was named the regional MVP, with his six-inning stint on Sunday including two runs allowed on eight hits and one walk, with five strikeouts and 100 pitches.
Notre Dame jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the fourth home run of the regional from sophomore rightfielder Brian Stavisky, who plated junior centerfielder Stanley in the top of the 1st by launching a full-count pitch over the rightfield fence.
FIU seized the lead in the 3rd, with RBI singles from Barry Paulk, Daniel Bustamonte and Nunez. Senior lefthander Mike Naumann then relieved sophomore J.P. Gagne, with Naumann turning in a solid four-inning stint that included just three hits and one walk.
Nunez pushed FIU’s lead to 5-2 with his leadoff home run in the 6th, sending a 1-2 pitch over the rightfield fence for his 10th homer of the season.
The Irish opened the 8th with singles from O’Toole and Bushey before Stanley plated the third Irish run on a two-out, full-count swinging bunt to the left side. But Colazzo induced Steve Sollmann into a flyout to end the threat.
ND stranded six runners in scoring position, including four runners left on third base and bases-loaded chances in the 3rd and 7th.
Ogilvie (5-1)-making his first appearance since May 6 and first start since tossing a five-hit complete game to beat Michigan on May 1-scattered nine hits and two walks over the nine innings in the first game while posting five strikeouts in his 136-pitch outings (90 of which went for strikes).
FIU had eight hits and 11 total baserunners in the loss but left six on base while seeing two attempted basestealers thrown out by the catcher O’Toole (who threw out 5-of-6 in the regional).
Notre Dame surged ahead by scoring three runs in the third. Ben Cooke reached when the first baseman Nunez bobbled his groundball while Joe Thaman’s bunt and Stanley’s single to center put runners at the corners.
Sollmann-who had discarded a protective pad from his left forearm, after hitting into a 1st-inning double play-then surprised FIU by driving the ball past centerfielder Matt Huntingford, with Sollmann motoring all the way to third and scoring on the errant relay throw.
FIU sliced the lead to 3-2 in the 5th but the Irish restored the two-run cushion in the 6th, sparked by Alec Porzel’s double into the leftfield corner (his 28th of the season and 78th of his career). A fielding/throwing double error on Nunez then allowed Porzel to score for a 4-2 game.
NOTES: Ogilvie was joined on the 11-player all-regional team by four ND position players: Stanley(14-for-23, 8 R, 4 RBI, 2B, 2 BB, plus several dazzling catches in CF), Stavisky (10-for-21, 11 RBI, 8 R, 4 HR, 3 2B, 4 BB), Bushey (6-for-23, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Porzel (10-for-25, 6 RBI, 5 R, HR, 2 2B) … Stanley (102) became the 2nd ND player ever to reach 100 hits in a season (Dan Peltier had 115 in 1989) while becoming the first ND player since Scott Sollmann (.406 in `95) to hit .400-plus (Stanley finished right at .400, 102-for-225) … Stanley also now ranks 7th at ND in career batting avg. (.364), 6th in hits (266) and 7th in ABs (732) … Porzel passed former teammate J.J. Brock (238, `94-’98) atop the ND list for career games started, with 239 … O’Toole’s 20 career home runs include 10 during the month of May, seven in the postseason and five in the NCAAs … Stanley (255) and Porzel (254) totaled the 2nd and 3rd-most ABs in the ND single-season record book … Stanley’s 76 runs scored in 2001 rank 4th in ND history … ND posted a 59-11 season edge in 1st-inning scoring (36-5 at Eck Stadium) … ND’s 141 doubles broke the team record of 131 set last season … the ND pitching staff set team record for K-to-walk ratio (2.90, 2.50 in 2000) and fewest walks per nine innings (2.41, 2.82 in `94).
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 – 2 9 4
#8 NOTRE DAME 0-0-3 0-0-1 0-1-X – 5 8 1
Michael Baluja (L, 3-2) and Michael New.
Peter Ogilvie (W, 5-1) and Paul O’Toole.
Home Run: Paul O’Toole, ND (solo in 8th, 4th of season).
Triple: Steve Sollmann (ND).
Doubles: Mickey Totello (FIU), Michael New (FIU), Alec Porzel (ND).
#8 NOTRE DAME (49-13-1) 2-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-1 – 4 11 2
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (43-19) 0-0-4 0-0-1 0-0-0 – 5 7 0
Justin Courtney, Willie Collazo (4, W, 13-0) and Michael New.
J.P. Gagne (L, 5-5), Mike Naumann (3), Matt Laird (7) and Paul O’Toole.
Home Runs: Brian Stavisky, ND (one on in 1st, 10th of season), Hector aNunez (solo in 6th, 11th of season).
Triple: Paul O’Toole (ND).
Doubles: Tino Burgos (FIU), Barry Paulk (FIU), Kris Billmaier (ND).