March 11, 2008

RIO GRANDE, Ohio - Notre Dame split with the University of Rio Grande Tuesday in the opener of American Mideast Conference (AMC) competition for the Falcons. NDC (4-5) had a 7-4 win in game one; they lost a tightly-played pitching duel, 2-0, in the nightcap to begin their conference campaign 1-1.

"We got off to a good start in the league," said NDC Head Coach Craig Moro, whose Falcons went 3-13 (fifth place) in the AMC North Division a year ago. "We pitched well enough to win a pair. That was good to see; you have to pitch well to be competitive in the league over the course of two months."

The now-10-team conference will play a 24-game conference schedule in 2008, up from 16 in 2007 when the league was split into two divisions.

Junior right fielder Eric Pelot (Lakewood, OH) reached base five times in the doubleheader to lead the Falcon offense.

Game one
Notre Dame scored five unearned runs in the sixth inning of the opener to pull out a 7-4 win. Four NDC pitchers combined to yield four runs (two earned), and junior left fielder Jack Sito (Elyria, OH) hit the Falcons' first home run of the season. Pelot went 3-for-3 with a double and was hit by a pitch to reach base a fourth time.

Notre Dame out-hit Rio Grande, 9-7, and the Falcons batted around in their five-run sixth inning outburst, after trailing 4-1 heading into the inning.

Game two
In the second game of the twin bill, NDC got a solid pitching performance from junior Mick Robinson (Canal Winchester, OH), who started and went the distance, yielding two runs (one earned).

The NDC offrense was stifled in game two - the Falcons managed just four hits and a walk against Redman pitching. The NDC nine went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-10 with runners on base.

URG plated both their runs with two out in the third, after Robinson had issued a pair of walks. The junior righthander walked five in the game.

The Falcons are slated to travel to Miami University-Hamilton for a doubleheader on Thursday. Their AMC schedule resumes Mar. 22, with a trip to Urbana University.

NOTES FROM THE NEST...

SEEING RED: Tuesday's twin bill marked the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Rio Grande. The Redmen went 24-27-1 a year ago and finished third in the AMC South with a league mark of 13-11.

HARD-LUCK HURLER: Starter Mick Robinson has an 0-3 collar to start the season and his NDC career. But the College Road newcomer, who transfered in from Rio, has pitched well. Robinson has a 4.15 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his 17-1/3 innings of work. The Falcon offense has scored a combined five runs over his three starts.