Blue-Gold Game-1 Stats

Blue-Gold Game-2 Stats

Oct. 7, 2006

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Wade Korpi rebounded from a three-run top of the first to be the winning pitcher of record in Saturday’s game-2 of the Notre Dame baseball team’s Blue-Gold Series, with Korpi logging four shutout innings while his Blue teammates came back to post the 4-3 win. With the Gold having won Game-1 (2-1) on Thursday night, the teams now will return to Eck Stadium on Sunday (Oct. 8) at noon for the decisive third game. Blue coach Sherard Clinkscale will send freshman righthander Eric Maust to the mound while John Fitzgerald and the Gold will counter with sophomore RHP Brett Graffy in the series finale.

Korpi retired the first two batters of the game but the Gold then pushed across three runs, thanks to four hits, a pair of stolen bases and a costly error that made the third run unearned. The junior lefthander settled down to allow a total of seven hits in his five-inning outing, striking out three and walking none while locating two-thirds of his pitches (49 of 73) for strikes.

The Blue also sent a lefthander to the mound, with Sam Elam suffering the loss after the eventual gamewinning run came across via a throwing error. Elam was touched for the four runs (three earned) on three hits and four walks, with a pair of strikeouts while totaling 58 pitches in his three innings.

Freshman righthander Steven Mazur – who picked up the save in game-1 – had another impressive outing in relief of Elam, retiring nine of the 11 batters he faced. Mazur did not walk a batter and struck out five while allowing three hits in a three-inning relief stint that saw him locate 29 of his 44 pitches for strikes.

Senior lefthander Mike Dury saved the game for the Blue, after also serving as the team’s first baseman. Dury allowed a one-out hit to put the tying run on base in the seventh and final inning, but the Blue team’s captain ultimately served up three groundouts to end the game.

Freshman leftfielder David Mills accounted for one-third of the Blue team’s hits, batting 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Freshman third baseman A.J. Pollock (RBI, R, 2B) and junior DH Tony Langford both batted 2-for-3 to lead the Gold’s eight-hit day.

The Gold’s early scoring sequence included two-out singles by senior rightfielder Danny Dressman (up the middle) and Pollock (to the left side of the infield, RBI), with both runners moving up on stolen bases. Pollock’s hit came on a full count and first baseman Matt Weglarz – a former player and 2006 graduate of Missouri State who now is enrolled in the Notre Dame MBA School – then delivered on a 1-2 count by sending an RBI single through the left side.

A wild pitch proved costly, moving Weglarz to second, and sophomore leftfield Ryan Connolly followed with a single up the middle. Freshman shortstop Harold Petzold made a strong play to keep the ball in the infield but his throwing error allowed Waglarz to score the unearned run.

The Blue was in position to answer with multiple runs of its own, instead settling for a single score in the bottom of the first. Mills walked on four pitches from his leadoff spot and sophomore shortstop Jeremy Barnes then coaxed a full-count walk. Sean Gaston’s rightside groundout put two runners in scoring position and Elam hit Dury with the next pitch, loading the bases. The third walk of the inning – by junior second baseman Ross Brezovsky (3-1 count) – forced home a run but Elam rolled up a 4-6-3 double play to escape any more trouble.

The decisive inning came early, as the Blue brought home three runs in the bottom of the second. Sophomore third baseman Eddy Mendiola pulled a full-count pitch that sent the shortstop deep in the hole, producing the leadoff single. Petzold slapped the next pitch through the right side and both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt from freshman centerfielder Branden Ashdown. Mills followed by pulling an RBI single to right (2-1 pitch) and switch-hitting freshman Austin Pearce tied the game on the next pitch, as his pinch-hit scorcher glanced off Elam for a run-scoring groundout (1-3).

Elam then lost Gaston to a four-pitch walk and Mills broke for third base moments later, sliding in safely and coming home with the eventual game-winning run when the throw from home was wide of the bag.

Langford gave the Gold a chance in the top of the seventh, going opposite-field a one-out single into right, but Dury rolled up a pair of groundouts to end the game.

Senior righthander Dan Kapala – who has two years of eligibility remaining after missing all of the 2005 season following shoulder surgery – retired the Gold in order to start the sixth inning. Kapala needed just nine pitches (seven of them strikes), setting down two Gold batters via strikeouts.

Longtime South Bend media member – and former Irish baseball player – Tim Prister served as the Blue team’s guest media coach (Prister now writes for IrishIllustated.com). The Gold team’s guest media coach was Ryan O’Leary of Blue & Gold Illustrated.

Sunday’s guest coaches will include WNDU sports director Jeff Jeffers (blue) and ESPN Radio’s Sean Stires (gold).

ND Gold 3-0-0 0-0-0 0 – 3 8 1
ND Blue 1-3-0 0-0-0 X – 4 6 1

Sam Elam (L), Steven Mazur (4) and Ryan Smith.
Wade Korpi (W), Dan Kapala (6), Mike Dury (7; SV) and Sean Gaston.

Doubles: A.J. Pollock (G), Billy Boockford (B)