April 19, 1997

Solid All-Around Effort Tops Villanova (4-3, 14-3), Extends Irish Hot Streak

Ust, Amrhein and Wagner All Homer; Schmalz and Shilliday Tough on the Mound

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame received home runs from each of its top three power hitters–including a game-winner from freshman Brant Ust and a grand slam by senior Mike Amrhein–while right-handers Darin Schmalz and Alex Shilliday extended a weeklong string of quality Irish pitching, as Notre Dame took a doubleheader from visiting Villanova, 4-3 and 14-3, in Big East Conference action Saturday at Eck Stadium.

Notre Dame (28-13, 9-4 Big East)—winners of 13 of its last 14 and 19 of 21–extended its lead on idle Rutgers (10-4) atop the league’s National Division standings, which are based on winning percentage (the Irish have had three games canceled). Notre Dame leads Rutgers (.692-.625) and can clinch the division title by winning (at most) seven of its final eight games.

Georgetown and Pittsburgh joined Villanova as doubleheader losers on Saturday and, like the Wildcats, saw their postseason chances fade. The top two teams in each division, plus two wild card teams, will advance to the Big East Tournament (May 13-16 in Norwich, Conn.). West Virginia (13-3) and St. John’s (10-4)–which beat Pitt 4-3 and 19-14 on Saturday– currently lead the American Division while the wild card spots are being held down by Connecticut (8-6, American) and Seton Hall (10-8, National), which posted wins of 14-1 and 16-6 at Georgetown on Saturday.

Should Notre Dame defeat Villanova in Sunday’s series finale, the Irish would need to go just 3-4 in their final seven games to clinch a spot in the Big East Tournament. The Irish next weekend play twice at both WVU and Pitt before the next week hosting Georgetown in a three-game series.

Villanova (18-21, 6-9) saw its postseason chances lessen, after allowing the Irish three unearned runs in the close opening game before giving away a pivotal string of eight unearned runs in the fourth inning of the nightcap.

Irish freshman second baseman Brant Ust won the opening seven-inning game, sending a solo third-inning shot over the rightfield fence to provide the final 4-3 margin. The home run was the eighth of the season for the righthanded-hitting Ust and his third to the opposite field. It marked the eighth time this season that Ust has scored or driven in Notre Dame’s game-winning run.

Schmalz (6-2) went the full seven innings to pick up his fifth complete game of the season, allowing three unearned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five Villanova batters. The victory was the 27th of Schmalz’ career, moving him into a tie with Brian Piotrowicz (1987-90) for fifth all-time at Notre Dame.

The Irish scored three unearned runs in the second, after catcher Mike Toth threw wide of first on Todd Frye’s sacrifice bunt and third baseman Rick Welsh similarly mishandled Dan Leatherman’s sacrifice. Irish senior third baseman J.J. Brock took advantage of the first miscue, sending a two-run single up the middle, before ultimately scoring on Welsh’s error.

The visitors came back with three unearned runs of their own in the top of the third, after Schmalz dropped a potential third-out throw from Ust while covering first base.

In the nightcap, Shilliday allowed three runs (all earned) on eight hits over seven innings. The sophomore racked up eight strikeouts while allowing just one walk, giving him 15 strikeouts and just one walk during his last two outings. Junior left-hander Pat Davis closed out the day with two shutout innings, allowing two hits and a walk.

The injury-riddled Irish pitching staff has allowed just eight earned runs in the last 44 innings, for a 1.64 team ERA over the past five games.

In the nightcap, the Irish scored once in the second and twice more in third before putting eight runs on the board in the fourth. The visitors could have been out of the inning with just a three-run deficit, but first baseman Dan Boublis misplayed Jeff Felker’s grounder, on what would have been the third out of the inning. The Irish took full advantage, ultimately sending 12 batters to the plate in a classic two-out performance. Frye singled and Brock hit a two-run double to right-center before Leatherman and Randall Brooks walked to load the bases.

Amrhein–who had missed home runs on balls hit off the fence throughout the past two weeks–then stroked a bases-clearing shot over the fence in right-center, for the third grand slam of his career (he also did the deed vs. Illinois as a sophomore and vs. St. Louis as a freshman). It was the 10th home run of the season for Amrhein and the 33rd of his career, tying him with Joe Binkiewicz (1989-92) for third in Irish history (four behind all-time leader Frank Jacobs).

The rally continued with a single from sophomore DH Jeff Wagner and a single by Ust before sophomore leftfielder Allen Greene stroked a two-run single to center field.

Villanova struck for three runs in the top of the sixth but Wagner led off the bottom of the inning with a towering shot over the leftfield fence for his team-leading 12th homer of the season and 22nd of his young career.

NOTES: Amrhein’s 0-for-3 effort in the opener dropped his season batting average to .435, the lowest it had been since he opened the season 2-for-5 at Long Beach State … Saturday’s home run was Amrhein’s first in 10 games … after going 2-for-6 in the nightcap, Amrhein’s season average now stands at .431 … Wagner (.399) crept closer to .400, after going 4-for-7 in the two games … Brooks (5-for-9, .377) and Brock (3-for-6, .366) also boosted their season averages while the team batting average jumped to .336, ahead of the team record (.334) set in 1989 and ’93 … Frye’s 3-for-5 afternoon nudged his average to .304, giving the Irish eight starters above .300 (the ninth, Pat O’Keefe, is at .291).

• Game Two Box Score
• Game One Play-by-Play
• Game Two Play-by Play

Game One

Villanova University 3 (18-20)                          Univ. of Notre Dame 4 (27-13)Name (Pos)                 AB  R  H RBI  BB SO PO  A    Name (Pos)                 AB  R  H RBI  BB SO PO  A------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brian Fili cf.............  4  1  1  0    0  1  2  0    Dan Leatherman rf.........  2  0  1  0    0  0  1  0Mike Perate lf............  4  1  0  0    0  0  0  1    Randall Brooks cf.........  3  0  2  0    0  0  3  0Matt Neyland rf...........  1  0  0  0    2  0  1  0    Mike Amrhein c............  3  0  0  0    0  0  5  0Rick Welsh 3b.............  3  0  1  2    0  0  1  3    Jeff Wagner dh............  2  0  1  0    1  1  0  0Dan Bouslis 1b............  3  0  0  0    0  1  8  0    Brant Ust 2b..............  3  1  1  1    0  0  3  3Tom Shank dh..............  2  0  0  0    0  1  0  0    Allen Greene lf...........  3  1  1  0    0  0  1  0 Bill Brehm ph............. 1  0  0  0    0  0  0  0    Jeff Felker 1b............  3  0  0  0    0  0  6  0Mike Toth c...............  3  0  1  0    0  1  3  1    Todd Frye ss..............  2  1  1  0    0  1  2  6Martin Stetina 2b.........  3  0  0  0    0  1  2  1    J.J. Brock 3b.............  3  1  1  2    0  0  0  0Pat Kane ss...............  3  1  2  0    0  0  1  4    Darin Schmalz p...........  0  0  0  0    0  0  0  0Craig Culhane p...........  0  0  0  0    0  0  0  0------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Totals.................... 27  3  5  2    2  5 18 10    Totals.................... 24  4  8  3    1  2 21  9Score by innings:                   R  H  E-------------------------------------------Villanova University  003 000 0  -  3  5  2Univ. of Notre Dame   031 000    -  4  8  1-------------------------------------------E - Rick Welsh (7), Mike Toth (2), D. Schmalz (3).LOB - Wildcats 5, Irish 5.2B - Rick Welsh (9).HR - Brant Ust (8).CS - Leatherman (1).SH - Leatherman (1), Todd Frye (6).Villanova University   IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  AB  BF      Univ. of Notre Dame    IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  AB  BF----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Craig Culhane.......  6.0   8   4   1   1   2  24  27      Darin Schmalz.......  7.0   5   3   0   2   5  27  29Winner - D. Schmalz 6-2.  Loser - Craig Culhan 2-4.  Save - None.Start: Noon   Time: 1:43   Attendance: 317

Game Notes
BIG EAST records: Notre Dame 8-4, Villanova 6-8
Irish have won 18 of last 20.

Game One Play-by-play

Villanova University inning 1
Brian Fili struck out looking. Mike Perate flied out to cf. M. Neyland grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 1
Leatherman grounded out to 1b unassisted. Rand. Brooks singled down the lf line. Mike Amrhein grounded out to 2b; Rand. Brooks advanced to second. Jeff Wagner intentionally walked. Brant Ust flied out to rf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Villanova University inning 2
Rick Welsh grounded out to ss. Dan Boublis grounded out to 2b. Tom Shank struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 2
Allen Greene singled down the rf line. Jeff Felker popped up to 3b. Todd Frye reached on an error by c, SAC, bunt, advanced to second on an error by c; Allen Greene advanced to second, advanced to third on an error by c, unearned. J.J. Brock singled to center field, 2 RBI; Todd Frye scored, unearned; Allen Greene scored, unearned. Leatherman reached on an error by 3b, SAC, bunt, advanced to second on an error by 3b; J.J. Brock advanced to second, advanced to third on an error by 3b, scored on an error by 3b, unearned. Rand. Brooks singled to left field, advanced to second on the throw; Leatherman advanced to third, out at home lf to c. Mike Amrhein grounded out to ss. 3 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.

Villanova University inning 3
Mike Toth lined out to ss. M. Stetina flied out to cf. Pat Kane singled to pitcher. Brian Fili singled to third base, bunt; Pat Kane advanced to second. Mike Perate reached on a fielding error by p, advanced to second on an error by p; Brian Fili advanced to second, advanced to third on a fielding error by p; Pat Kane advanced to third, scored on a fielding error by p, unearned. M. Neyland walked. Rick Welsh doubled down the lf line, 2 RBI; M. Neyland advanced to third; Mike Perate scored, unearned; Brian Fili scored, unearned. Dan Boublis struck out. 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 3
Jeff Wagner struck out looking. Brant Ust homered to right field, RBI. Allen Greene grounded out to ss. Jeff Felker popped up to ss. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Villanova University inning 4
Tom Shank grounded out to 2b. Mike Toth singled to center field. M. Stetina flied out to cf. Pat Kane singled to left field; Mike Toth advanced to second. Brian Fili reached on a fielder’s choice; Pat Kane out at second ss to 2b. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 4
Todd Frye struck out looking. J.J. Brock grounded out to ss. Leatherman singled to right center. Leatherman out at second c to 2b, caught stealing. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Villanova University inning 5
Mike Perate grounded out to 2b. M. Neyland walked. Rick Welsh reached on a fielder’s choice; M. Neyland out at second ss to 2b. Dan Boublis reached on a fielder’s choice; Rick Welsh out at second ss to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 5
Rand. Brooks grounded out to 3b. Mike Amrhein grounded out to 3b. Jeff Wagner singled to left field. Brant Ust reached on a fielder’s choice; Jeff Wagner out at second ss to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Villanova University inning 6
Bill Brehm pinch hit for Tom Shank. Bill Brehm lined out to ss. Mike Toth struck out. M. Stetina struck out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 6
Allen Greene flied out to cf. Jeff Felker flied out to cf. Todd Frye singled to center field. J.J. Brock grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Villanova University inning 7
Pat Kane flied out to lf. Brian Fili flied out to rf. Mike Perate grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

• Game Two Play-by-Play

Game Two Box Score

Villanova University 3 (18-21)                          Univ. of Notre Dame 14 (28-13)Name (Pos)                 AB  R  H RBI  BB SO PO  A    Name (Pos)                 AB  R  H RBI  BB SO PO  A--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brian Fili cf.............  5  0  0  0    0  1  2  0    Dan Leatherman rf.........  3  1  1  0    1  1  0  0Mike Perate lf............  3  0  2  0    0  1  0  0     Pat O'Keefe rf/cf......... 2  0  1  0    0  0  1  0 Bill Brehm lf............. 2  0  1  0    0  0  1  0    Randall Brooks cf.........  4  2  3  1    1  0  1  0Matt Neyland rf...........  4  1  2  0    0  1  2  0     Mark Lapinskas pr......... 0  0  0  0    0  0  0  0 Trevor Pepkowski ph....... 1  0  0  0    0  1  0  0     Pat Davis p............... 1  0  0  0    0  0  0  0Rick Welsh 3b.............  3  0  0  0    1  1  0  2    Mike Amrhein c/1b.........  6  1  2  5    0  0  8  1 Todd Shumucker ph......... 1  0  0  0    0  0  0  0    Jeff Wagner dh/c..........  5  3  3  1    0  0  2  0Dan Bouslis 1b............  2  0  0  0    0  1  9  1    Brant Ust 2b..............  4  1  1  0    0  1  2  1 John Biggie ph/1b......... 1  0  0  0    0  1  2  0     Jeff Perconte ph/2b....... 1  0  0  0    0  0  0  1 Joe DelVecchio ph......... 1  0  0  0    0  0  0  0    Allen Greene lf...........  3  1  1  3    1  0  3  0Martin Stetina 2b.........  3  1  1  0    1  0  2  4    Jeff Felker 1b/rf.........  5  1  2  0    0  0  7  0Mike Toth c...............  2  0  0  0    0  2  1  0    Todd Frye ss..............  3  2  2  0    0  1  2  2 Bryan McCormick c......... 2  1  2  1    0  0  2  0    Paul Turco ss.............  2  0  1  0    0  0  0  2Tom Shank dh..............  2  0  0  0    0  0  0  0    J.J. Brock 3b.............  3  2  2  3    0  0  1  0 Andrew Schwarz ph/dh...... 2  0  1  1    0  0  0  0    Alex Shilliday p..........  0  0  0  0    0  0  0  1Pat Kane ss...............  2  0  0  0    0  0  0  2  Kevin Olender ph.......... 1  0  1  1    0  0  0  0 Eric Kropf ss............. 1  0  0  0    0  1  2  3Sean Dunne p..............  0  0  0  0    0  0  1  1 Doug Thompson p........... 0  0  0  0    0  0  0  0 Brian Buckingham p........ 0  0  0  0    0  0  0  0--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Totals.................... 38  3 10  3    2 10 24 13     Totals.................... 42 14 19 13    3  3 27  8Score by innings:                      R  H  E----------------------------------------------Villanova University  000 003 000   -  3 10  4Univ. of Notre Dame   012 802 01    - 14 19  1----------------------------------------------E - Bill Brehm(1), M. Neyland(4), Dan Boublis(3), M. Stetina(3), Todd Frye(16).DP - Wildcats 1. LOB - Wildcats 11, Irish 10.2B - Mike Perate(2), Bill Brehm(1), Rand. Brooks(10), Mike Amrhein(7), J.J. Brock(11).HR - Mike Amrhein(10), Jeff Wagner(12).SB - Mike Perate(10), Jeff Felker(4).SH - J.J. Brock(2). SF - Allen Greene(2), J.J. Brock(3).Villanova University   IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  AB  BF    Univ. of Notre Dame    IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  AB  BF--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sean Dunne..........  3.2   9  11   2   2   1  19  23    Alex Shilliday......  7.0   8   3   3   1   8  30  32Doug Thompson.......  2.1   6   2   2   1   2  12  14    Pat Davis...........  2.0   2   0   0   1   2   8   9Brian Buckingham....  1.0   1   0   0   0   0   5   5Andrew Schwarz......  1.0   3   1   0   0   0   6   6Winner - A. Shilliday 4-2.  Loser - Sean Dunne 2-5.  Save - None.HBP - by A. Shilliday (John Biggie).Start: 1:45   Time: 3:10   Attendance: 1370

Game Notes
Irish have won 19 of their last 21 and 13 of last 14.
Irish pitching staff has allowed just 8 earned runs in last 44 IP (1.64).
BIG EAST records: Notre Dame 9-4, Villanova 6-9

Game Two Play-by-play

Villanova University inning 1
Brian Fili popped up to ss. Mike Perate singled to left center. Mike Perate stole second. M. Neyland singled to right field; Mike Perate advanced to third. Rick Welsh grounded out to p; M. Neyland advanced to second. Dan Boublis grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 1
Leatherman struck out looking. Rand. Brooks grounded out to ss. Mike Amrhein out at first 1b to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Villanova University inning 2
M. Stetina singled to left field. Mike Toth struck out. Tom Shank reached on an error by ss; M. Stetina advanced to second. Pat Kane popped up to ss. Brian Fili struck out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 2
Jeff Wagner singled to right field, advanced to second on an error by rf. Brant Ust grounded out to 2b; Jeff Wagner advanced to third. Allen Greene flied out to cf, SF, RBI; Jeff Wagner scored, unearned. Jeff Felker grounded out to p. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 LOB.

Villanova University inning 3
Mike Perate doubled down the lf line. M. Neyland grounded out to 2b; Mike Perate advanced to third. Rick Welsh struck out. Dan Boublis struck out, out at first c to 1b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 3
Todd Frye singled to center field. J.J. Brock grounded out to 3b, SAC, bunt; Todd Frye advanced to second. Leatherman grounded out to ss; Todd Frye advanced to third. Rand. Brooks doubled down the lf line, RBI; Todd Frye scored. Mike Amrhein doubled, RBI; Rand. Brooks scored. Jeff Wagner flied out to rf. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Villanova University inning 4
M. Stetina flied out to lf. Mike Toth struck out. Tom Shank popped up to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 4
Brant Ust flied out to cf. Allen Greene grounded out to 1b unassisted. Jeff Felker reached on an error by 1b. Jeff Felker stole second. Todd Frye singled to left field, advanced to second on the throw; Jeff Felker advanced to third. J.J. Brock doubled to right center, 2 RBI; Todd Frye scored, unearned; Jeff Felker scored, unearned. Leatherman walked. Rand. Brooks walked; Leatherman advanced to second; J.J. Brock advanced to third. Mike Amrhein homered to right center, 4 RBI, unearned; Rand. Brooks scored, unearned; Leatherman scored, unearned; J.J. Brock scored, unearned. Jeff Wagner singled to center field. Brant Ust singled to center field, advanced to second on the throw; Jeff Wagner advanced to third. D. Thompson to p for Sean Dunne. Allen Greene singled to center field, 2 RBI; Brant Ust scored, unearned; Jeff Wagner scored, unearned. Jeff Felker grounded out to 3b. 8 runs, 6 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.

Villanova University inning 5
Pat Kane flied out to cf. Brian Fili grounded out to ss. Mike Perate struck out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 5
B. McCormick to c for Mike Toth. Todd Frye struck out. J.J. Brock grounded out to 1b unassisted. Leatherman singled to right center. Rand. Brooks singled to left center; Leatherman advanced to second. Mike Amrhein grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Villanova University inning 6
Pat O’Keefe to rf for Leatherman. Paul Turco to ss for Todd Frye. M. Neyland singled to center field. Rick Welsh flied out to lf. John Biggie pinch hit for Dan Boublis. John Biggie hit by pitch; M. Neyland advanced to second. M. Stetina reached on a fielder’s choice; John Biggie out at second ss to 2b; M. Neyland advanced to third. B. McCormick singled to left field, RBI; M. Stetina advanced to second; M. Neyland scored. A. Schwarz pinch hit for Tom Shank. A. Schwarz singled to center field, RBI; B. McCormick advanced to second; M. Stetina scored. K. Oldender pinch hit for Pat Kane. K. Oldender singled, RBI; A. Schwarz advanced to third; B. McCormick scored. Brian Fili flied out to lf. 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 6
Bill Brehm to lf for Mike Perate. Eric Kropf to ss for K. Oldender. John Biggie to 1b. Jeff Wagner homered to left field, RBI. Brant Ust struck out. Allen Greene walked. Jeff Felker singled to center field; Allen Greene advanced to second. Paul Turco singled; Jeff Felker advanced to second; Allen Greene advanced to third. J.J. Brock flied out to rf, SF, RBI; Allen Greene scored. Pat O’Keefe grounded out to 2b. 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Villanova University inning 7
Bill Brehm grounded out to ss. M. Neyland struck out. Rick Welsh walked. John Biggie struck out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 7
Bill Brehm to lf. Buckingham to p for D. Thompson. Rand. Brooks singled to first base. M. Lapinskas pinch ran for Rand. Brooks. Mike Amrhein reached on a fielder’s choice; M. Lapinskas out at second ss to 2b. Jeff Wagner flied out to lf. J. Perconte pinch hit for Brant Ust. J. Perconte reached on a fielding error by 2b; Mike Amrhein advanced to second on a fielding error by 2b, advanced to third on a fielding error by 2b. Allen Greene reached on a fielder’s choice; J. Perconte out at second ss unassisted. 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB.

Villanova University inning 8
Pat O’Keefe to cf. Pat Davis to p for M. Lapinskas. Mike Amrhein to 1b. Jeff Wagner to c. J. Perconte to 2b. Jeff Felker to rf. / for A. Shilliday. M. Stetina walked. B. McCormick singled to center field; M. Stetina advanced to second. A. Schwarz to dh. A. Schwarz flied out to rf. Eric Kropf struck out. Brian Fili reached on a fielder’s choice; B. McCormick advanced to second; M. Stetina out at third 3b unassisted. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Univ. of Notre Dame inning 8
A. Schwarz to p. / for Buckingham. Jeff Felker singled to right field. Paul Turco grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b; Jeff Felker out on the play. J.J. Brock singled to right field. Pat O’Keefe singled to center field; J.J. Brock advanced to second. Pat Davis reached on an error by lf; Pat O’Keefe advanced to second on an error by lf, advanced to third on an error by lf; J.J. Brock advanced to third on an error by lf, scored on an error by lf, unearned. Mike Amrhein reached on a fielder’s choice; Pat Davis out at second ss to 2b. 1 run, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.

Villanova University inning 9
Bill Brehm doubled to right field. T. Pepkowski pinch hit for M. Neyland. T. Pepkowski struck out looking. T. Shumucker pinch hit for Rick Welsh. T. Shumucker flied out to cf. DelVecchio pinch hit for John Biggie. DelVecchio grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.