Ross Brezovsky's  leadoff double sparked the Blue's rally that forced extra innings (photos by Pete LaFleur).

Lopez Hits Another Early Home Run But Blue Comes Back Again, 6-4 In Extra Innings

Blue-Gold Game-2 Stats

Oct. 5, 2005

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Greg Lopez’s second home run of the series gave the Gold another early lead but the Blue rallied once again, scoring twice in the 5th to force extra innings en route to a 6-4 win on Wednesday at Eck Stadium. The Gold still can win the three-game Blue-Gold intrasquad series but they must outscore the Blue by four or more runs in Thursday’s seven-inning game (4:00), based on the total-run differential (a three-run win by the Gold would result in an even run differential but the Blue would be declared champion because of their pair of wins).

Third-year Notre Dame pitching coach Terry Rooney is on the verge of coaching his team to the Blue-Gold title for the third straight year (his teams now are 5-1 in Blue-Gold games). Rooney has announced that senior Tom Thornton will make a controlled start in game-3, with two other lefthanders (junior Mike Dury and freshman Sam Elam) also are likely to see action in the final game.

First-year assistant coach (and Gold team skipper) Cliff Godwin is expected to counter with junior righthander Jess Stewart. Other Gold pitchers who are able to pitch in game-3 (per the series rules) include freshman RHP Jeremy Barnes, sophomore RHP Tony Langford and junior RHP John Seabaugh.

Junior catcher and cleanup batter Sean Gaston (2-for-4, 2 RBI) led a Blue lineup that overcame its 5-8 hitters batting a combined 0-for-9 (the team totaled six hits). Senior rightfielder Cody Rizzo (2-for-3, RBI, R) paced a five-hit Gold offense from his spot in the 2-hole (the Gold’s 4-8 hitters were just 1-for-13).

Infield errors hurt the Gold in game-1 (a 7-6 loss, with four of the Blue’s runs coming unearned) and unearned runs again played a role in Wednesday’s action, as both Blue runs in the decisive top of the 6th came with 2-outs after an earlier error in the inning.

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Joey Williamson’s 2.1 innings of shutout relief helped set the stage for the Blue’s extra-inning victory.

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Wednesday’s four pitchers included three – sophomores Joey Williamson and Tony Langford and freshman Kyle Weiland (all righthanders) – who are among the top candidates to serve in a closer role for the Irish during the 2006 spring season.

Williamson picked up the win after setting down seven of the nine batters he faced over the final 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and one walk with one strikeout and four outs via the groundball (including a game-ending double play) while locating 16 of his 26 pitches for strikes. The strong closing effort helped offset a rough first inning by Williamson’s former high school teammate Wade Korpi. The lefthander served up Lopez’s three-run shot in the bottom of the 1st and ultimately allowed four runs on three hits and three walks in 3.2 innings, with three strikeouts in a 71-pitch outing that included 38 strikes.

Weiland also was touched for four runs (5 H, BB, 4 Ks, 2 HB) in five full innings but he kept the ball low in the zone when needed, forcing eight groundball outs. The lanky newcomer located 44 of his 71 pitches for strikes and allowed 2-of-5 leadoff batters to reach, including Ross Brezovsky’s double that sparked the game-tying rally in the 5th.

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Freshman Kyle Weiland logged five full innings but had no-decision as the Gold team’s game-2 starter.

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Langford (2 BB, H) was tagged for the loss after watching the pair of unearned runs score in the 6th.

The Gold has shown great ability to score early runs – totaling seven 1st-inning runs in the pair of games – but they have managed just three other runs in the series, with Lopez’s pair of home runs accounting for half of the Gold’s 10 runs in series.

Freshman rightfielder Ryan Connolly started the final go-ahead sequence by leading off versus Langford with a five-pitch walk. A groundout, infield error and Brezovsky’s full-count walk then loaded the bases with one out and senior Matt Bransfield (who again filled in at second base) delivered the eventual gamewinning RBI, lifting an 0-2 pitch to center field for a sacrifice fly. Gaston then padded the lead with a single up the middle, bringing home another unearned run.

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Sean Gaston – shown above during game-1 action – led the Blue with two hits in game-2, including the final RBI single.

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A one-out walk by freshman third baseman Eddy Mendiola brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the 6th – but Williamson rolled up the 6-4-3 double play (Brezovsky to Bransfield to Dury), ending the game.

The Blue opened the game with two runners on base – after Matt Bransfield’s two-out single and Sean Gaston’s double down the leftfield line – but Weiland settled down and served up a flyout to end the threat.

The Gold then reprised their big game-1 start (4-0 in the 1st) by claiming an early 3-0 lead. Starting second baseman Barnes drilled a 2-0 pitch into the left-center gap for a leadoff double and Rizzo followed with a single through the left side. Lopez was looking for a fastball and Korpi delivered it, with the senior shortstop driving his shot over the fence in left-center for the three-run cushion.

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Greg Lopez – who was able to hit in just one of the seven Blue-Gold games during his first three seasons – has launched a pair of impressive home runs to spark the Gold in the 1st inning of the first two 2005 intrasquad games.

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Lopez had been limited to batting in just one of seven games during the previous three Blue-Gold Series (the teams played only one game in ’04) but he quickly has made up for those injury absences, with 1st-inning home runs in game-1 and game-2.

The Blue answered with a pair of runs in the 2nd, starting when Weiland plunked senior leftfield Steve Andres with a 1-1 pitch. Senior third baseman Eddie Smith later added a one-out single to left-center, moving Andres to third, and senior centerfielder Alex Nettey followed with an opposite-field, RBI single into right. Brezovsky’s rightside groundout then chased home Smith for a 3-2 game.

The Gold tacked on a run in the 4th, sparked by freshman catcher David Hum working a full-count walk with one out. Korpi then was called for a balk and lost Barnes on a two-out walk (again on a full count), bringing Williamson out of the bullpen. Rizzo wasted little time in plating the runner, driving a 1-1 pitch up the middle for the 4-2 lead.

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Wade Korpi recovered from a rough opening inning to keep the Blue close in game-2.

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The game-saving rally in the top of the 5th saw Brezovsky pull a 1-2 pitch down the rightfield line for the leadoff double. Weiland then hit Bransfield with the next pitch and Rooney duplicated Godwin’s game-1 move by calling for the double-steal. Gaston’s rightside groundout plated the first run before Weiland squared off with junior first baseman Mike Dury in possibly the biggest at-bat of the game. Dury fell behind in the count (0-2), later fouled off a 2-2 pitch and forced a full count before sending the game-tying sacrifice fly to deep-center field.

Williamson helped force extra innings by striking out Lopez and inducing a flyout from Craig Cooper before forcing Langford into a groundout, after junior centerfielder Danny Dressman had sent a two-out single up the middle.

ND Blue 0-2-0 0-2-2 – 6 6 0
ND Gold 3-0-0 1-0-0 – 4 5 2

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Gold team coach Cliff Godwin and freshman catcher David Hum look homeward, just moments before Greg Lopez’s home run produced an early 3-0 lead.

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Wade Korpi, Joey Williamson (4; W) and Sean Gaston.
Kyle Weiland, Tony Langford (6; L) and David Hum.

Home Run: Greg Lopez (G), 2 on in 1st (2nd of series).
Doubles: Ross Brezovsky (B), Gaston (B), Jeremy Barnes (G).