May 22, 2007
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Rutgers broke open a 2-2 game by scoring seven times with 2-outs on the board in the bottom of the 6th, en route to a 13-2 win over Notre Dame in opening-day action at the BIG EAST Baseball Championship. The Irish now face a tall order in their quest to win a sixth straight BIG EAST tournament title, needing to battle back through the loser’s bracket and ultimately win five straight games. Notre Dame returns to KeySpan Ballpark on Wednesday morning for a 10:00 a.m. game versus Villanova, which lost a classic 3-1 pitchers duel to Louisville on a game-ending home run.
Notre Dame (28-27) – which owned an early 2-0 lead in Tuesday’s game – will look to first team all-BIG EAST performer David Phelps to help the Irish stay alive with a win over Villanova. The sophomore righthander will be opposed by VU junior RHP Jordan Ellis, who has yet to face the Notre Dame during his career (Phelps also has yet to pitch versus the Wildcats). Notre Dame and Villanova did not play each other during 2007 regular season.
Phelps entered the week as one of six pitchers in the nation with an ERA under 2.00 (1.87), eight or more wins (8-4) and 90-plus strikeouts (93), with his other season stats including 27 walks and 91 hits allowed in 101.1 innings (with a .242 opponent batting average). Ellis carries a 3.88 ERA and 5-1 record in 14 appearances (9 starts), with 34 Ks but 32 walks in 62.2 innings (54 H/.243).
Sophomore righthander Kyle Weiland (5-3) tossed five solid innings but suffered the loss, after failing to close out the bottom of the 6th. Weiland ultimately was charged with seven runs on nine hits and four walks, with three strikeouts in the 101-pitch outing from the converted closer. Rutgers senior righthander Steve Healing (9-3) beat the Irish for the second time this season, after allowing the two run on seven hits and a pair of walks while striking out five.
Notre Dame had 11 total baserunners but stranded five while seeing two others erased on double plays. The Irish saw just two of their leadoff batters reach base while hitting just 2-for-11 with runners on base and 2-for-9 with 2-outs. Rutgers (37-18) held the clear edge in clutch hitting, batting 9-for-18 with runners in scoring position while collecting five 2-out hits – plus a pair of key back-to-back, 2-out walks with the bases full. The Irish bullpen allowed 5-of-5 inherited baserunners to score in the pivotal 6th inning, pushing the staff’s season mark to nearly 50% of inherited runners that have scored (38 of 84).
Junior shortstop Brett Lilley – who now has reached base in 18 straight games and in all but three games this season (52 of 55) – batted 3-for-4 from his customary leadoff spot, with an RBI double and run scored. His classmate Ross Brezovsky (2-for-2, BB) also reached base three times but Notre Dame’s other seven starters combined to hit just 2-for-23 with one walk.
Notre Dame still holds a 25-16 edge in its spirited 12-year series with Rutgers, a collection of games that has included plenty of extremes in the results – with 11 of the games decided by 7-plus runs while 18 other games in the series (nearly half) have been decided by 1-2 runs. The Irish and Scarlet Knights now have split 10 all-time games at the BIG EAST tournament.
The 3rd inning easily has produced Notre Dame’s most effecive offense this season, with a .361 team batting avg. and now 61 runs in the inning. Freshman rightfielder Brayden Ashdown started the Irish scoring sequence on a single to the right side of the infield before Lilley placed a 1-2 pitch down the leftfield line for an opposite-field RBI double. Freshman third baseman A.J. Pollock then walked on five pitched and senior centerfielder Danny Dressman singled to center (1-0 pitch) for the 2-0 lead.
The Irish still had runners on the corner and only one out, but Healing rolled up a 4-6-3 double play to avoid the big inning. Rutgers then cme right back to tie the game, with the runs scoring on a Todd Frazier single and Mike Bionde’s double.
Heavy-hitting David Williams – who entered the day with the best overall batting average among BIG EAST players – surprised the Irish with a bunt single to the left side, in the bottom of the 6th. Tom Edwards then reached on his sac.-bunt attempt (the Irish failed to force the runner at second) and Weiland lost Jon Gossard on a five-pitch walk, loading the bases with the ball having never left the infield.
Weiland then showed his ability to quickly dominate, as Tim Querns (0-2) and Frank Meade (1-2) both went down swinging to leave Notre Dame on the edge of escaping with the score still tied at 2-2. Nine-hole hitter Donny Callahan then stepped to the plate and never took the bat off his shoulder, falling into an 0-2 hole but ending up with the RBI walk. BIG EAST player of the year Todd Frazier followed with his own full-count walk and the Knights added three RBI hits versus relievers Jess Stewart (a two-run single by Stewart and run-scoring hit by Ryan Hill) and Eric Maust (a two-run single from Edwards).
Rutgers capped the scoring with a run in the 7th and three more in the 8th, with the game officially ending on a two-run single that enacted the 10-run rule (which is making its debut at the BIG EAST tournament this season).
Notre Dame 0-0-2 0-0-0 0-0 – 2 7 1
Rutgers 0-0-2 0-0-7 1-3 – 13 19 0
Kyle Weiland (L, 5-3), Jess Stewart (6), Eric Maust (6) and Matt Weglarz, Ryan Smith (8).
Steve Healing (W, 9-3) and Frank Meade.
Doubles: Brett Lilley (ND), Todd Frazier (RU), Mike Bionde (RU) and Tim Querns (RU).