Stevens, Central get better of Bulldogs

Central's Garrett Stevens and Notre Dame's Mark Himmelberg played baseball together growing up, so they knew what to expect with the other one on the mound.

Himmelberg collected a pair of hits in three trips to the plate, but Stevens got the better of him with a 3-for-3 performance Tuesday. Stevens also outpitched his buddy, as the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 6-1 in a game played at Notre Dame because Central's field was too wet.

"Mark blew it by me the first pitch of my at-bat," Stevens said. "I wasn't ready. But then I settled down and got to him."

Stevens ripped a laser off the right-center field wall to drive in a pair in the first inning. He came around to score on Hide Tanaka's single to right. Stevens loved the early run support.

"It helped me out a lot because then I can go to the mound and be comfortable," he said. "I'm not worrying about if this guy gets on, we're going to be down if he scores. Going in up 3-0, I felt real comfortable. It set the tone real early."

Tuesday's performance at the plate was rare for Stevens this season. It was the first time that he's collected a hit while pitching.

"This year, this is the first game I've hit where I've pitched," Stevens said. "Today, I don't know. I knew the pitcher. Mark and I play baseball all the time. I knew what he was going to do, but I didn't know how he was going to adjust with me."

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com Central shortstop Blake Smith put the tag on Notre Dame baserunner Dylan Drury as he slid into second for the third out in the top of the fourth inning Tuesday at Notre Dame.

Stevens took care of business on the mound, too. He finished with five strikeouts and three walks. He struck out two in the seventh inning, including Logan Glueck to end the game.

"He's not dominant," Notre Dame coach Jeff Graviett said of Stevens. "He's going to come at you. That's what he did today with a lot of strikes."

Stevens admitted he stuck with his four-seam fastball for most of the game. It was his ability to move it around that handcuffed the Notre Dame (1-2) hitters.

"I really didn't throw many pitches, except for a straight four-seam fastball," Stevens said. "My curveball started happening about the fourth or fifth inning. I finally started throwing it and got comfortable. I kept moving it around, up and down, in and out. It just kept them off balance. They didn't know what was going on."

Notre Dame left fielder Austin Greer caught a fly ball during the first inning Tuesday.

The Central (3-5) defense helped the cause too, as it turned two double plays.

"A double play is very important," Stevens said. "It sets the tone for the rest of the game, usually. ... I enjoy watching it. It's nice to turn around and watch a double play happen because you know it's two outs for free."

The one time where Notre Dame sustained its threat came in the fifth inning when Stevens gave up a pair of hits and walked two. The second walk, to Ryan Bass, forced in the Bulldogs' lone run. That's when Central coach Steve Williams went out to visit his senior pitcher on the mound.

"I just told him to calm down and relax," Williams said. "He wasn't coming out of the game. He had a lead, so all he needed to do was refocus a little bit and get the hitter. I just wanted him to catch his breath."

AARON EISENHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com Players and coaches greeted Central pitcher Garrett Stevens as he came off the mound at the end of a win against Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.

Stevens struck out Blake Gaddis, then got Colton Young to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

When Notre Dame's Jake Pewitt coaxed a walk to lead off the sixth, Stevens got Dylan Drury to ground into a double play to quell the threat.

"He played well today," Williams said of Stevens. "He's done that all year long. He's been really good on the mound. He's not overpowering. He's not going to trick anybody. But he throws strikes. He gets ahead."

The Tigers displayed solid fundamental baseball at the plate, as they got two sacrifice bunts down during the contest. The runner scored both times.

"If we get guys on base, we have to get them in scoring position," Central first baseman Joe Uhls said. "We've got guys who can get them in, but we also have guys who can get them over. It's a whole team effort, basically."

After walking three in the first inning, Himmelberg settled down and didn't walk another batter in his first appearance this season.

"I just struggled finding the umpire's zone," Himmelberg said. "I walked three in the first inning and put my teammates to sleep. They didn't think I was going to throw a strike. Whenever you do that, when you get behind early, it's hard to get going, hard to bounce back."

Notre Dame's defense was hit-or-miss Tuesday, as it turned a pair of double plays, but committed five errors.

"It has to be eliminated," Graviett said. "We talked about it has been our downfall this year. That's what our downfall was last year. We have to find a way to shore things up defensively, and I think we're capable of doing that."

Notre Dame 000 010 0 — 1 6 5

Central 310 101 x — 6 5 1

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:WP — Garrett Stevens. LP — Mark Himmelberg. 2B — Aaron Tomaszewski (ND), Stevens (C). Multiple hits — Notre Dame: Himmelberg 2-3, Tomaszewski 2-2; Central: Stevens 3-3. Records — Notre Dame 1-2, 0-2; Central 3-5.

JV — Central won 3-1.