April 3, 2008

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio - After a month-and-a-half of traveling and repeated postponements of home dates, Notre Dame got to at least play a road game without a three-hour bus ride Thursday. NDC merely made their way across Cedar Road, to University Heights for a single game against John Carroll. And, with the way the game turned out, the Falcons made the trip worthwhile.

Notre Dame earned a 4-3 come-from-behind victory at JCU's Schweikert Field. The game was a pitcher's duel, scoreless through four-and-a-half innings before the Blue Streaks plated three in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run home run and an RBI single.

The Falcons answered, though, in the next frame. They scored a pair on an RBI double by senior Mike Wilsey (Vermilion, OH) and a JCU error. That made the score 3-2 in favor of John Carroll. The runs came against the Blue Streaks' third pitcher of the day, freshman Connor Connell (Erie, PA). Junior starter Paul O'Donnell (Mantua, OH) and freshman reliever Michael Eden (Aurora, OH) each tossed a pair of scoreless frames in the first four innings.

NDC starter Jack Sito (Jr/Elyria, OH) returned for the sixth inning after giving up the three-spot in the fifth. He retired the side in order to close out his day with six innings pitched, six hits allowed, and three runs yielded. Sito, making his third start of the season, walked two and struck out three.

Down 3-2, Notre Dame (12-12, 4-6) scored the game-tying run in the top of the seventh. After getting aboard with a leadoff single, junior right fielder Eric Pelot (Lakewood, OH) came around to score on an RBI ground out by senior Cory O'Keefe (Sheffield Lake, OH).

Sophomore Lafe Burnette (Romulus, MI) came on to pitch in the bottom of the seventh. He retired the Blue Streaks in order to preserve the tie.

Then, in the top of the eighth, a fielder's choice grounder plated Mike Wilsey, who had led off the inning with his second double of the afternoon (seventh of the season).

Burnette then closed out his own win by hurling two more scoreless frames. The sophomore righthander pitched another perfect frame in the eighth. In the ninth, he allowed a single, and then after the runner (Mike Carbo-So/Coral Springs, FL) reached second on a ground out, Burnette struck out John Hastings (Fr/Pittsburgh, PA) to end the game.

"That was a great outing by Lafe," said NDC skipper Craig Moro. "Our pitching continues to be solid, and today, we got timely hits and leadoff men aboard when it counted."

Notre Dame outhit John Carroll, 11-7, and the NDC defense played an errorless game.

Four players- Josh Bieneman (Sr/Baltimore, MD), Pelot, Ryan Weaver (Fr/Baltimore, OH), and Wilsey - each collected two hits in the game. The Falcons faced six JCU (12-5, 3-1 Ohio Athletic) pitchers in the nine-inning affair.

With the win, the Falcons are now 5-0 all-time against JCU. The two teams are scheduled to face each other again on Apr. 17, at Paul Serra Field in Euclid.

NDC's next games are slated for this weekend. The Falcons will travel to Cedarville for a four-game series (Friday and Saturday doubleheaders) against the Yellow Jackets. Saturday's games are American Mideast Conference tilts.