April 20, 1997
Brooks, Balicki Highlight 10-8 Comeback Win Over Villanova
NOTRE DAME – Senior centerfielder Randall Brooks continuedhis hot hitting, going 4-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, whilesenior righthander Mike Balicki bailed out an injury-riddled Irishpitching staff, as Notre Dame came back from an early 4-0 deficit tobeat visiting Villanova, 10-8, in Big East Conference action Sundayat Eck Stadium.
The win is the seventh straight for surging Notre Dame (29-13, 10-4Big East), which also has won 14 of its last 15 and 20 of its last22. The Irish increased their lead on idle Rutgers (10-4) atop theconference’s National Division standings (which are based on winningpercentage), with the Irish now owning a .714 mark while the ScarletKnights are at .625. Notre Dame has won 10 of its last 11 conferencegames, since opening 0-3 at Seton Hall, and is now 17-1 at home thisseason.
Villanova (18-22, 6-10) saw its slim postseason hopes fade evenfurther, as the Wildcats trail Connecticut (8-8) by two games in therace for the final spot in the six-team Big East Tournament, whichwill include the top two teams in each division pus two wild cardteams. The Irish need to win (at best) six of their final sevenconference games to clinch the division title while (as of now) a3-4 mark down the stretch will likely assure the Irish of at least a spotin the Big East Tournament.
Balicki (4-0) pitched the final two and two-thirds innings in reliefof senior lefthanded starter Wally Widelski and freshman lefthanderTim Kalita. While the Irish offense was rallying, Balicki allowedjust two hits and no walks, striking out four of the 10 batters hefaced.
Widelski was pressed into starting duty after sophomore righthanderBrad Lidge was unable to pitch due to an elbow problem, becoming thefifth Irish pitcher currently sidelined due to injury. Widelski wastouched for four runs (three earned) over two a third innings,allowing seven hits while picking up one strikeout. Kalita also letin four runs (three earned) over the next four innings, allowingjust two hits but five walks (with no K’s).
Villanova scored twice in the top of the seventh for an 8-4 lead butNotre Dame then sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of theinning, pushing across five runs to take a 9-8 lead. Brooks led offwith his fifth triple of the season, to the gap in right-centerfield, and senior DH Mike Amrhein then went to the opposite fieldoff senior righthander Trevor Pepkowski (3-1), dropping the firstpitch he saw squarely on the rightfield line for a double. Sophomorecatcher Jeff Wagner extended the extra-base flurry, golfing a doubledown the leftfield line.
The rally continued for the Irish, with three of the next fourbatters drawing walks. Freshman second baseman Brant Ust earned his18th base on balls of the season before switch-hitting sophomoreleftfielder Allen Greene slapped a first-pitch single to theopposite left field, loading the bases and chasing Pepkowski.
Sophomore lefthander Mike Perate then took the mound but uncorked awild pitch, allowing Wagner to score and cut the lead to 8-7. JeffFelker’s groundout to a drawn-in infield held the runners at secondand third before junior shortstop Todd Frye worked his way to awalk, again loading the bases.
Senior third baseman J.J. Brock then took three straight balls and astrike and fouled off a pitch before earning the full-count base onballs, pushing home Ust as the tying run. Perate was able to strikeout pinch-hitter Pat O’Keefe but Brooks delivered the game-winninghit in his second at-bat of the inning, sending a hard-hit ball tothe left side that tipped off the glove of third baseman Rick Welshbefore glancing off the mitt of diving second baseman MartinStetina.
Villanova jumped on Widelski and the Irish early, scoring twice inthe first after three hits and a pair of Irish errors (both of whichallowed runners to move up). The Wildcats tacked on two more runs inthe third but the Irish answered with a pair of runs in the bottomof the inning, thanks to a one-out single from junior rightfielderDan Leatherman, a bunt single by Brooks (accompanied by a one-basethrowing error), an RBI single from Amrhein and a run-scoringfielder’s choice off the bat of Wagner.
The visitors stretched to a 6-2 lead with single runs in the fifthand sixth before the Irish cut the lead back to two, with a pair ofruns in the bottom of the sixth. Wagner led off with a single toleft and moved to second on a one-out passed ball. Greene thenstruck out but Felker and Frye drew two-out walks before Brockslapped a two-run, opposite-field single over the head of secondbaseman Stetina.
NOTES: Brooks went 9-for-12 in the Villanova series and hasfive straight multiple-hit games … in his last eight games, Brooksis hitting .556 (20-for-36) and now has hits in 17 of his last 18games and 29 of his last 32 … Notre Dame’s 14-for-36 day boostedthe team’s season batting average to .337, a full five points aheadof the Notre Dame record (.332, set in 1989 and ’93) … Brooksboosted his season average to .389 while Amrhein (.430), Wagner(.401) and Ust (.384) each collected two hits in Sunday’s game, withall but Amrhein (2-for-5) raising their season averages … in otherBig East action Sunday, Providence kept its postseason hopes alivewith two wins at UConn (4-0, 6-5), St. John’s completed a home sweepof Pitt (14-5), Seton Hall finished off a sweep at Georgetown (14-3)and American Division leader West Virginia split at Boston College(5-1, 9-12), with WVU and BC set to play once more on Monday.
NATIONAL DIVISION Notre Dame 10-4 .714 Rutgers 10-6 .625 AMERICAN DIVISIONWest Virginia 14-4 .778St. John's 11-4 .733WILDCARD CONTENDERS1. Seton Hall 11-8 .5792. UConn 8-8 .500 Villanova 6-10 .375 Providence 6-11 .352 Georgetown 5-10 .333 Pittsburgh 6-14 .300 Boston Coll. 4-12 .250 Villanova University 8 (18-22) Univ. of Notre Dame 10 (29-13)Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A---------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------Brian Fili cf............. 5 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 Dan Leatherman rf......... 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 0Martin Stetina 2b......... 4 2 2 2 1 0 2 2 Pat O'Keefe ph/rf......... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0Matt Neyland rf........... 4 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 Randall Brooks cf......... 5 2 4 1 0 0 4 0Rick Welsh 3b............. 5 0 0 1 0 1 0 4 Mike Amrhein dh........... 5 1 2 2 0 0 0 0Dan Bouslis 1b............ 4 2 1 0 1 1 8 0 Jeff Wagner c............. 4 3 2 2 1 1 6 1Mike Toth c............... 4 0 1 1 0 2 5 1 Brant Ust 2b.............. 4 1 2 0 1 0 2 2Bill Brehm lf............. 2 1 1 0 3 0 5 0 Allen Greene lf........... 4 1 1 0 1 2 4 0Tom Shank dh.............. 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Jeff Felker 1b............ 3 1 0 1 1 1 7 1Mike Perate ph/p.......... 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 Todd Frye ss.............. 2 0 1 0 2 1 1 5Pat Kane ss............... 2 0 0 1 0 0 3 2 J.J. Brock 3b............. 4 0 1 3 1 0 0 2Chris Pilato p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Wally Widelski p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1Trevor Pepkowski p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tim Kalita p.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Drew Baylor p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Mike Balicki p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Totals.................... 35 8 11 8 5 5 24 11 Totals.................... 36 10 14 9 7 6 27 12Score by innings: R H E----------------------------------------------Villanova University 202 011 200 - 8 11 2Univ. of Notre Dame 002 002 51 - 10 14 3----------------------------------------------E - M. Stetina(3), Chris Pilato(1), Rand. Brooks(7), J.J. Brock 2(18).DP - Irish 1. LOB - Wildcats 9, Irish 11.2B - Brian Fili 2(9), Rand. Brooks(11), Mike Amrhein(8), Jeff Wagner(17),Brant Ust(9). 3B - M. Stetina(1), Rand. Brooks(5).SB - Mike Perate(11).SH - Mike Toth(2), Todd Frye(7). SF - M. Neyland(3), Pat Kane(2), JeffFelker(2).Villanova University IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Univ. of Notre Dame IP H R ER BB SO AB BF----------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------Chris Pilato........ 5.2 8 4 4 2 5 25 27 Wally Widelski...... 2.1 7 4 3 0 1 13 13Trevor Pepkowski.... 0.1 4 5 5 1 0 5 6 Tim Kalita.......... 4.0 2 4 3 5 0 13 21Mike Perate......... 1.0 2 1 1 3 1 5 8 Mike Balicki........ 2.2 2 0 0 0 4 9 10Drew Baylor......... 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4Winner - M. Balicki 4-0. Loser - T. Pepkowski 3-1. Save - None.WP - Mike Perate(1), Chris Pilato(4), Tim Kalita(2). PB - Mike Toth(1),Jeff Wagner(3).HBP - by Tim Kalita (Pat Kane).Start: 12:00 Time: 3:06 Attendance: 275T. Pepkowski faced 5 batters in the 7th.Mike Perate faced 2 batters in the 8th.
Play-by-play
Villanova University inning 1
Brian Fili doubled to left center. M. Stetina singled down the lf line, RBI; Brian Fili scored. M. Neyland singled, advanced to second on an error by cf; M. Stetina advanced to second, advanced to third on the error. Rick Welsh grounded out to ss, RBI; M. Stetina scored, unearned. Dan Boublis reached on an error by 3b; M. Neyland advanced to third on the error. Dan Boublis advanced to second; M. Neyland out at home p to 1b to ss to c. Mike Toth struck out. 2 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 1
Leatherman grounded out to 3b. Rand. Brooks doubled to right center. Mike Amrhein popped up to ss. Rand. Brooks advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jeff Wagner struck out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Villanova University inning 2
Bill Brehm grounded out to ss. Tom Shank singled to left field. Pat Kane grounded into double play 3b to 2b to 1b; Tom Shank out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 2
Brant Ust singled to shortstop. Allen Greene reached on a fielder’s choice; Brant Ust out at second 2b to ss. Jeff Felker struck out. Todd Frye struck out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Villanova University inning 3
Brian Fili doubled down the lf line. M. Stetina tripled to right field, RBI; Brian Fili scored. M. Neyland singled to left field, RBI; M. Stetina scored. Rick Welsh flied out to lf. Tim Kalita to p for W. Widelski. Dan Boublis reached on a fielder’s choice; M. Neyland advanced to second on an error by 3b. Mike Toth flied out to cf. Bill Brehm walked; Dan Boublis advanced to second; M. Neyland advanced to third. Tom Shank reached on a fielder’s choice; Bill Brehm out at second ss to 2b. 2 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 3
J.J. Brock grounded out to 3b. Leatherman singled to left field. Rand. Brooks singled to pitcher, bunt, advanced to second on an error by p; Leatherman advanced to second, advanced to third on an error by p. Mike Amrhein singled to left field, RBI; Rand. Brooks advanced to third; Leatherman scored. Jeff Wagner reached on a fielder’s choice, advanced to second on an error by 2b, RBI; Mike Amrhein out at second ss to 2b; Rand. Brooks scored. Brant Ust grounded out to p. 2 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors, 1 LOB.
Villanova University inning 4
Pat Kane fouled out to 1b. Brian Fili flied out to rf. M. Stetina grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 4
Allen Greene struck out, out at first c to 1b. 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 5
M. Neyland flied out to lf. Rick Welsh flied out to rf. Dan Boublis singled to center field. Dan Boublis advanced to second on a passed ball. Mike Toth singled to center field, RBI; Dan Boublis scored, unearned. Bill Brehm walked; Mike Toth advanced to second. Tom Shank flied out to cf. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 5
Leatherman popped up to ss. Rand. Brooks grounded out to 3b. Mike Amrhein flied out to lf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Villanova University inning 6
Pat Kane hit by pitch. Brian Fili reached on a fielder’s choice; Pat Kane out at second 2b to ss. M. Stetina walked; Brian Fili advanced to second. M. Stetina advanced to second on a wild pitch; Brian Fili advanced to third on a wild pitch. M. Neyland flied out to cf, SF, RBI; M. Stetina advanced to third; Brian Fili scored. Rick Welsh flied out to rf. 1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 6
Jeff Wagner singled to left field. Brant Ust lined out to lf. Jeff Wagner advanced to second on a passed ball. Allen Greene struck out. Jeff Felker walked. Todd Frye walked; Jeff Felker advanced to second; Jeff Wagner advanced to third. J.J. Brock singled, advanced to second on the throw, 2 RBI; Todd Frye advanced to third; Jeff Felker scored; Jeff Wagner scored. T. Pepkowski to p for Chris Pilato. Leatherman flied out to lf. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Villanova University inning 7
Dan Boublis walked. Mike Toth grounded out to c, SAC, bunt; Dan Boublis advanced to second. Bill Brehm walked. M. Balicki to p for Tim Kalita. Mike Perate pinch hit for Tom Shank. Mike Perate singled to right field, RBI; Bill Brehm advanced to third; Dan Boublis scored. Mike Perate stole second. Pat Kane flied out to cf, SF, RBI; Mike Perate advanced to third; Bill Brehm scored. Brian Fili flied out to lf. 2 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 7
Rand. Brooks tripled to right center. Mike Amrhein doubled to right field, RBI; Rand. Brooks scored. Jeff Wagner doubled down the lf line, RBI; Mike Amrhein scored. Brant Ust walked. Allen Greene singled to left field; Brant Ust advanced to second; Jeff Wagner advanced to third. Mike Perate to p. / for T. Pepkowski. Allen Greene advanced to second on a wild pitch; Brant Ust advanced to third on a wild pitch; Jeff Wagner scored on a wild pitch. Jeff Felker grounded out to 2b. Todd Frye walked. J.J. Brock walked, RBI; Todd Frye advanced to second; Allen Greene advanced to third; Brant Ust scored. Pat O’Keefe pinch hit for Leatherman. Pat O’Keefe struck out. Rand. Brooks singled to shortstop, RBI; J.J. Brock advanced to second; Todd Frye advanced to third; Allen Greene scored. Mike Amrhein reached on a fielder’s choice; Rand. Brooks out at second ss to 2b. 5 runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
Villanova University inning 8
Pat O’Keefe to rf. M. Stetina grounded out to 3b. M. Neyland flied out to lf. Rick Welsh struck out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Univ. of Notre Dame inning 8
Jeff Wagner walked. Brant Ust doubled to right field; Jeff Wagner advanced to third. Mike Perate to dh. Drew Baylor to p. Allen Greene walked. Jeff Felker flied out to lf, SF, RBI; Jeff Wagner scored. Todd Frye grounded out to p, SAC, bunt; Allen Greene advanced to second; Brant Ust advanced to third. J.J. Brock flied out to lf. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
Villanova University inning 9
Dan Boublis struck out. Mike Toth struck out. Bill Brehm singled to right field. Mike Perate struck out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.