May 1, 2007
ND-Illinois-Chicago Boxscore in PDF Format
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Matt Weglarz’s recent late-game heroics continued on Tuesday night at Eck Stadium, as the veteran catcher led off the bottom of the 9th with a home run over the leftfield fence to give Notre Dame a 4-3 win over Illinois-Chicago. The Irish improved to 14-5 at home this season and have won nine of their past 11 games overall while extending its record to 25-19.
Notre Dame – which has won four one-run games in the past three weeks -owned an early 3-1 lead before Illinois-Chicago (23-16) tied the game with runs in the 5th and 6th innings. The Irish received strong pitching from junior lefthander Wade Korpi and sophomore RHP Brett Graffy, who combined to allow just two earned runs, six hits and three walks while striking out five of the UIC batters. Graffy (3-2) was the pitcher of record for the Irish, after allowing only an unearned, in the final 4.0 innings (3 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks).
The teams combined to strand 19 baserunners (including 12 for ND), with each team also hitting into a double play. Notre Dame was outhit 6-5 but now is 4-15 when totaling fewer hits than its opponent. The Irish earned their chances with strong plate discipline, totaling seven walks and a pair of hit batters while also executing three sacrifice bunts and adding a pair of stolen bases.
The Irish once again scored a 1st-inning run, as A.J. Pollock beat out an infield single to the left side, moved up on Ross Brezovsky’s bunt and scooted to third on the errant throw by righthanded starter Matt Weldon. The cleanup batter Weglarz then walked on four pitches and Jeremy Barnes delivered with 2-outs, sending a 1-1 pitch through the left side for the 1-0 lead.
Notre Dame now has won more than 80% of the time when scoring the game’s first run (21-5) and is 13-7 when scoring in the 1st inning, with 37 total runs in the opening frame.
The visitors tied the game briefly in the 3rd, as Korpi plunked Ben Trotter and then was guilty of slow play in fielding the ensuing bunt from Ty Rubio – leaving two runners on with no outs. Leadoff batter Chad Schroeder followed with another sac. bunt and Nick Rainwater’s leftside grounder brought Trotter home for a 1-1 game.
A fielding error on the third baseman Rainwater opened the door for the Irish in the bottom of the inning. Righthander Grant Kohlstaedt – the first of three UIC relievers – then hit Weglarz with a 1-2 pitch and Danny Dressman bunted the runners over before a wild pitch allowed Ross Brezovsky to score an unearned run. Barnes – who earlier extended his career-best his streak to 11 games (longest by an ND player this season) – then picked up another RBI, on a groundout to the shortstop that produced a 3-1 lead.
Jake Carr’s leadoff double down the leftfield line led to the second run for the visitors, with Carr scoring moments later on a passed ball and Weglarz’s high throw to third base (the run ended up being earned, after a sac. bunt and flyout from the next two batters).
Korpi (5 IP, 2 R, 3 H, BB, 3 Ks) pitched the first 5.0 inning before the Irish switched things up by bringing in the righthanded Graffy, who allowed cleanup batter Larry Gempp to reach on a full-count walk with one out in the 6th. Gempp moved into scoring position with a stolen base and scored two batters later, on a fielding error that should have led to the third out.
Senior lefthander Joe Skinner (2-5) – who pitched the final 2.1 innings – suffered the loss, after giving up the home run to Weglarz on a 1-1 pitch. Skinner early had forced Weglarz to fly out to the opposite field (right) but the fifth-year player pounced on a hanging slider and easily pulled the ball over the leftfield fence for his fourth home run of the season and 15th of his career.
NOTES – Junior SS Brett Lilley (1-for-4) picked up his 199th career hit, in 164 games played … sophomore 2B Barnes now has played nine straight games without an error … Weglarz is batting .308 at Eck Stadium this season, with 13 RBI and 11 runs scored (in 16 GP) … senior CF Danny Dressman (0-for-2, BB, sac. bunt) saw his hit streak end at 10 games, one shy of matching his career-high … freshman DH Ryan Smith (1-for-4) pushed his own his streak to 10 games … the game was the first between ND and UIC since 1999.
Illinois-Chicago (23-16) 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 – 0 0 0
Notre Dame (25-19) 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 – 0 0 0
Matt Weldon, Grant Kohlstaedt (3), Adam Worthington (5), Joe Skinner (7; L, 2-5) and Ben Trotter.
Wade Korpi, Brett Graffy (6; W, 3-2) and Matt Weglarz.
Home Run: Weglarz, ND (leadoff in 9th; 4th of season/15th of career)
Double: Jake Carr (UIC)