Notre Dame’s Pitching Still Sparkling

As encores go, this wasn’t bad. One day after Notre Dame High’s Chris Garza pitched a no-hitter, teammate Rich Igou scattered five hits over six innings to lead the Knights past visiting Montclair Prep, 4-2, Tuesday in a nonleague baseball game.

Igou struggled through the first inning, giving up two hits and two unearned runs. But he settled down and the Mounties put only two more runners in scoring position. Igou struck out seven and walked two.

Dave Supple’s two-run single off Steve Cain broke a 2-2 tie in the third and provided the decisive run for Notre Dame (7-1-1). Cesar Martinez and Glen Carson, both of whom had walked, carried across the runs.

Chris Leveque retired the Mounties in order in the seventh for his first save.

“I felt good, although I started out slow,” Igou said. “It was just a matter of keeping my poise.”

Igou, a sophomore, was called up from the junior varsity to help with pitching demands during a tournament-filled nonleague season. He has given Coach Bob Mandeville no reason to send him back.

In 17 innings, Igou (2-0) has allowed one earned run, struck out 17 and walked six.

“Rich is going to throw the ball over the plate,” Mandeville said. “He puts it over the plate and says, ‘Hit it.’ ”

That was a problem for Montclair Prep (4-2-1), which has played two games in the past two weeks. Coach Walt Steele described his team as “rusty.”

The Mounties were rusty at the plate, on the field and on the basepaths. Two runners were picked off first, another was caught at third trying to tag from second on a short fly to right field.

Notre Dame scored two in the first on an error by second baseman Brad Fullmer. With two on and two out, Ryan Stromsborg blooped a ball into shallow right field. Fullmer and right fielder Russell Ortiz collided, Fullmer dropped the ball, and Martinez and Carson scored.

Montclair Prep took a short-lived lead with a two-out rally in the first. Fullmer doubled, Ortiz reached on an error and Chris Portugal hit a two-run single.