Notre Dame Finds Another Way to Win

The Notre Dame High baseball team is losing its intrigue.

People are no longer wondering how and why the Knights are winning games. In fact, many are coming to expect victories, a far cry from the time Coach Bob Mandeville filled out his first lineup card this season.

It was a card without the names of Matt McElreath and Jeff Antoon, last season’s standouts who have graduated. It was also a list without a proven pitching staff.

But now Mandeville can list his team’s victories--there are 12, including Tuesday’s 9-8 nonleague decision over visiting Loyola--and a lineup that is producing big things.

“Twelve and one,” Mandeville mused. “I can’t believe it. We’re winning the close games.”

Notre Dame fields a lineup with six players batting at least .300, including four who are hitting better than .400. In addition, the Knights have been able to win games even when their bats fall silent.

Against Loyola, Notre Dame needed only four hits to manufacture nine runs. It also received four walks in the bottom of the seventh to push across the winning run.

Loyola had tied the score, 8-8, in its half of the seventh by scoring twice off relief ace Bobby Hughes. Loyola’s Pat Gilhooly singled home two runs before Chris Lohman relieved Hughes and induced Kevin Roach to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Vinnie Orlando led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk, stole second and continued to third when catcher Matt Lobner’s throw rolled into center field.

Loyola Coach Kelly Nicholson then ordered intentional walks to Steve Martinez and Louis Tapia, the Knights’ Nos. 7 and 8 batters, to load the bases and set up a double play.

Reliever Corby Smith, who had pitched a scoreless sixth inning, then walked Chris Prince on five pitches to hand the Knights the victory.

Nicholson defended the move.

“I thought that’s what we had to do,” he said. “If it works we look great, if not we look bad. We’re out here to make those decisions.”

Notre Dame built its lead with a run in the first and two in the second, when Hughes stroked a low fastball over the 375-foot mark in left-center field. The Knights scored five more times in the fifth, when Loyola committed three errors. Orlando’s two-run single was the key blow.

Loyola scored once each in the first and second innings, three times in the fifth--on four errors--and once in the sixth.