Notre Dame Beats Crespi at Last

It was the type of game that could change with the delivery of each pitch, so it was only fitting that it was decided on the last one.

Jon Horwitz hit a fastball from Crespi High’s Tim Leveque into the right-center field gap to drive home Brendan Ryan in the seventh inning and give Notre Dame a 3-2 Mission League baseball victory Friday at Notre Dame.

The Knights had lost seven consecutive games to Crespi dating to 1994.

The high-anxiety victory ended a five-game losing streak for Notre Dame (12-9-1, 4-3-1 in league play) and prevented Crespi (18-5-1, 9-1) from clinching the Mission League title outright. The Celts clinched a tie for the title by beating Notre Dame on Tuesday.

“I was just looking for the fastball,” said Horwitz, who was three for three with two doubles, a run batted in and a run scored. “I just got up there and swung.”

Ryan walked to lead off the inning and pinch-hitter Ricky Macias sacrificed him to second before Horwitz hit Leveque’s first pitch.

“We made the clutch plays,” Notre Dame Coach Tom Dill said. “I’m just glad it was the bottom of the seventh and they didn’t have another chance at us.”

Crespi loaded the bases with one out in the first inning but Brian Horwitz, cousin of Jon, grounded into a 1-2-3 double play.

The Knights turned a second double play in the second inning and ended a Crespi rally with runners at first and second with a double play in the fourth.

“Those were big plays,” said Notre Dame pitcher Kevin Jerkens (4-2), who relieved starter Phil Polanco in the fifth inning and allowed just three hits. “They could have gotten some serious rallies.”

Crespi also made some big plays. Ryan Stonerock of Notre Dame drove a fly ball to the left-center gap to lead off the second inning, but center fielder Andy Campanella robbed him of an extra-base hit when he went crashing into the fence and made the catch.

But it was Jerkens who came up the biggest.

Crespi loaded the bases with one out in the fifth when Jerkens struck out Brian Horwitz and got Leveque to ground out to first base.

In the seventh, Jerkens struck out Campanella, Crespi’s leading hitter and the leading RBI producer in the region, with one out.

Luke Worgan followed with a triple before Horwitz flied out to left.

“That strikeout was big for the team,” Jerkens said. “It gave us momentum heading into the bottom of the seventh.”