University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Defeats No. 1 Notre Dame, 19-12
5/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NOTRE DAME, IN (May 6) - On Sunday, the University of Connecticut baseball team did something it had never done in the history of the program as it beat the nation's top-ranked team. After a near miss in the second half of yesterday's doubleheader (13-12), UConn responded with a season high 21 hits and took advantage of seven ND errors to make certain Irish had slim chances of coming back as the Huskies came away with a 19-12 victory at Frank E. Eck Stadium.
With the events of the end of Saturday's doubleheader still lingering, in which UConn gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Huskies now own a 25-25 overall record and a 13- 13 BIG EAST mark. The Irish are 43-8-1 and have a 20-3 league record, which is already good enough for the number one seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Mike Scott (Jr., Darien, CT) and Dan Trubia (So., Tolland, CT) combined for eight of the 21 hits as they both went 4-for-6 with Scott bringing his season total in the department to 83. This now stands as the all-time single season best of any Connecticut athlete.
After Notre Dame manufactured one in the first, Russ D'Argento (Fr., Ashland, CT) tied the game on the first pitch of the second inning as he led the frame off with a solo shot. The homer was the first of his career.
Just as easily as it was tied the first time, it was evened again an inning later when Brian Tisbert (Sr., Andover, MA) sent one over the left center wall. Later in the inning, Gary Dunn (So., Wilton, CT) came to the plate and gave the Huskies a 4-2 lead with a two RBI double that hugged the right field line.
The lead would build after Tisbert doubled, which put Scott on third before Notre Dame's J.P. Gagne walked two straight and Dan Trubia (So., Tolland, CT) pushed a two RBI single through the left side to bring it to 7-2. Following that, ND made a switch on the mound from Gagne to Drew Duff who gave up a sac fly to Dunn and an RBI single to Joe Kagerer (Sr., Lebanon, CT) that saw Trubia cross and D'Argento get thrown out to cap a five-run fourth.
Notre Dame struck back with two in its portion of the fourth, before Mike Mocerino (Fr., Northboro, MA) came on in relief of Carlson with the bases loaded and got Alec Porzel to fly out to center for the third out.
UConn tacked one more on in the fifth on a play that had Irish third baseman Andrew Bushey get credited with two errors.
Connecticut got two more in a sixth inning which saw Notre Dame ignite for four of its own before the two exchanged a pair of runs in the seventh to bring it to 14-10. Then in the eighth, two of Notre Dame's seven errors made it 15-10, before UConn ended its scoring with four more in the ninth meaning that the Huskies scored in every inning but the first to bring it to 19-10. Joe Thamann sent a solo shot to left and Steve Stanley scored on a wild pitch to bring it to 19-12
The 21 hits that UConn combined for is the second highest total any opponent has ever produced inside Eck stadium, while Notre Dame's seven botched plays ties for the most they've ever committed at home as they also did so against Chicago State.
Connecticut returns home for its season finale on Tuesday, May 8, against Hartford. The game, which starts at 3:30 p.m., will be the second between the two this season with UConn taking the first, 11-6, on April 25.
