April 27, 1999
Box Score
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Senior lefthander Chris McKeown tossed five
solid inning while little-used freshman designated hitter Ken Meyer
delivered the decisive hit, as Notre Dame downed visiting
Illinois-Chicago, 3-1, in rain-shortened baseball action Tuesday night
at Eck Stadium.
The game was halted in the bottom of the fifth inning (at 8:27)
due to a steady downpour and was ruled at 9:10 to be an official game,
after the rain failed to subside.
Notre Dame (33-10) improved to 18-2 at home while continuing to
win the close games. The Irish are 15-3 in games decided by 1-2 runs
this season, including wins in each of their last 14 close decisions
(dating back to March 11). The Irish have won eight one-run games this
season, in addition to seven by two runs, nine by three runs, five by
four runs and just four by five-plus runs.
McKeown (3-1) lowered his season ERA to 3.93, allowing one run
on three hits and one walk over the five innings, with three strikeouts
and six groundouts. The veteran lefty has allowed just two earned runs
in his last four outings, spanning 14 and two-thirds innings.
Illinois Chicago (10-24) surrendered an unearned run in the
first inning and then tried to rally in the fifth, plating one run
before the game was suspended prior to the bottom of the inning. Junior
righthander Brad Goebbert (0-3) took the loss, allowing three runs (two
earned) on seven hits and one walk over four innings (with one K).
The Irish opened the scoring with a run in the first. Freshman
centerfielder Steve Stanley reached after his leadoff groundball scooted
under the glove of first baseman Jason Hughes. Freshman catcher Paul
O'Toole then sent a single to center field, with Stanley scooting to
third base, before junior second baseman Alec Porzel delivered a
first-pitch single up the middle.
Notre Dame added two runs in the fourth, sparked by consecutive
infield singles to the second baseman by junior leftfielder Matt
Nussbaum and junior first baseman Jeff Felker. The runners then moved up
on Goebbert's one-out wild pitch before Meyer delivered a full-count,
two-run single up the middle. Meyer-who also doubled earlier in the
game-was making just his second start of the season (and first since
Feb. 21), with one hit in nine previous at-bats.
The Flames averted the shutout in the fifth. Sean McNichols drew
a leadoff walk and beat an attempted pickoff play by sliding safely into
second base. Pete Lotus followed with a single to left field and Eric
Duke plated the run with a groundout to third base.
NOTES: Stanley extended his season-best hitting streak to 13 games while
Felker pushed his career-best hitting streak to 18 games (longest by a
Notre Dame player since Mike Amrhein's 21-game streak ended on April 3,
1997) S Notre Dame is scheduled to face Chicago State on Wednesday at
3:45, in a seven-inning game S the Irish then will play host to Oakland
University on Friday (4:05 start) and Saturday (12:05 doubleheader) S
the Irish are 36-6 in non-conference home games during the past three
seasons (29-5 in BIG EAST play) S Notre Dame's current .767 season
winning percentage ranks third-best by an Irish baseball team in the
last 63 seasons (the 1990 team won 79.3 percent of its games, at 46-12,
while the 1980 team went 29-8/.784) S the Irish are 115-22 (.839) at Eck
Stadium in the five-year tenure of head coach Paul Mainieri, with wins
in 71 of the last 82 home games (.866) S Tuesday's game represented
Mainieri's 199th win at Notre Dame (with just 85 losses) and his 895th
overall game as a college head coach.
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 0-0-0 0-1 1 3 1
NOTRE DAME 1-0-0 2-X 3 7 2
Goebbert and Rosinski. McKeown and O'Toole.
