Oct. 5, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Tony Langford’s two-out single plated the eventual winning run in the bottom of the sixth and Kyle Weiland struck out the side to save the win, as the Gold team defeated the Blue, 2-1, in a pitchers battle that opened the Notre Dame baseball team’s annual fall Blue-Gold Series. The three-game intrasquad series continues at Eck Stadium on Saturday morning (9:30 a.m., prior to the ND-Stanford football game), with the final game set for Sunday at noon. All games are seven innings and are open to the public, free-of-charge.
(Note: check back later today/Friday morning for full stats and photos from the game, time permitting.)
Sophomore David Phelps and junior Joey Williamson each logged five strong innings and totaled similar statistics in their respective no-decisions. Phelps – who also started game-1 for the Blue in the 2005 fall intrasquad series – allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five of his 20 batters faced and locating 47 of his 81 pitches for strikes. Williamson opened the game by yielding a run to the Blue and ultimately allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out six of his 19 batters faced (47 of his 61 pitches were strikes).
Freshman righthander Steven Mazur was the pitcher of record for the Gold, after retiring all three batters he faced in the sixth and needing just eight pitches (six of the strikes) to set down the side.
The Blue cashed in a two-out hit batter and failed rundown play to claim a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Williamson hit sophomore shortstop Jeremy Barnes with a 1-0 pitch to start the sequence and senior first baseman Mike Dury then executed the hit-and-run by pulling an 0-1 pitch through the right side of the infield. Junior shortstop Brett Lilley received the throw from the outfield and had Dury hung up between second and first. Lilley raced across the diamond as Dury retreated to first, with the Blue team’s manager (and Irish pitching coach) Sherard Clinkscales sending Barnes home during the rundown.
Lilley eventually threw home, as Dury was sliding back to first, but Barnes had hustled around and beat the throw to freshman catcher Ryan Smith for the 1-0 lead.
The Gold – led by manager John Fitzgerald (who is in his first season as the ND baseball program’s volunteer assistant coach) – tied the game in the third, sparked by sophomore leftfielder Ryan Connolly’s five-pitch walk with no outs. Phelps then overthrew Dury on a failed pickoff attempt and Connolly scooted to third base to set up the no-outs scoring chance. Phelps hit the next batter, freshman third baseman Dylan Blake, after working to a full-count pitch and freshman centerfielder Michael Wright tied the game on the next pitch, as his single dropped into shallow right-center.
Mazur’s 1-2-3 inning in the sixth included facing three veteran batters, as junior second baseman Ross Brezovsky grounded out to second (1-2 count), Barnes lined out to right (first pitch) and Dury pulled a groundout to second (1-0).
The decisive top of the sixth saw freshman righthander Beck Roan give up a leadoff single to senior rightfielder Danny Dressman, who went the other way on a 3-1 pitch as the shortstop Barnes was unable to make the play ranging deep and to his left. Freshman first baseman A.J. Pollock’s bunt moved the runner into scoring position and Smith nearly picked up the RBI on the next pitch, with a sharply-hit ball to the left side – but Barnes made the stop to hold the runner at third and threw out Smith for the second out.
Langford – who delivered several clutch hits as a freshman before missing his sophomore season (’06) due to injury – produced the game’s biggest hit moments later. Roan’s first pitch sailed out of the strike zone and Langford jumped on the next offering, ripping a single over Roan’s glove and into shallow center field for the 2-1 lead.
Weiland then flashed the form that earned him 2006 Freshman All-America honors and an invitation to Team USA tryouts. The sophomore righthander worked ahead of senior catcher Sean Gaston (0-2) before inducing a foul popout to the first baseman. Freshman rightfielder Brian Boockford next went down swinging at a 1-2 pitch and freshman third baseman Will Harford was called out looking at a 2-2 pitch to end the game.
WSBT television sports reporter Pete Byrne was part of the Gold’s victorious coaching staff while serving as a guest media coach. Colin Burns of IrishEyes.com served as the guest media coach for the Blue team.
Saturday’s game will feature a matchup of top lefthanders, as junior Wade Korpi takes the mound for the Blue and sophomore Sam Elam for the Gold. Sunday’s series finale then will feature two starting pitchers who will be making their Blue-Gold Series debut: sophomore Brett Graffy (Gold) and freshman Eric Maust (Blue).
The guest media coaches for Saturday’s game will include Irish Illustrated’s Tim Prister (Blue) and Blue and Gold Illustrated’s Ryan O’Leary (Gold). Sunday’s guest coaching lineup will feature WNDU sports director Jeff Jeffers (Blue) and ESPN Radio’s Sean Stires (Gold), the play-by-play voice of Notre Dame baseball.
ND Blue 1-0-0 0-0-0 0 – 1 2 1
ND Gold 0-0-1 0-0-1 X – 2 5 1
David Phelps, Beck Roan (L) and Ryan Smith.
Joey Williamson, Steven Mazur (W), Kyle Weiland (SV) and Sean Gaston
Double: Gaston (G)