May 12, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Saturday’s BIG EAST baseball series opener at Patterson Field proved to be a showcase of possibly the league’s two best pitchers – Notre Dame’s David Phelps and Louisville’s Zach Pitts – with the Cardinals using a pair of late runs to win the opener (3-1) before again riding the strength of the nation’s 5th-ranked pitching staff to take the nightcap, 4-3. Louisville held a narrow 16-13 edge in total hits during the tension-packed pair of games but the home team ultimately claimed both wins due to its clutch hitting performance that saw all seven of their runs score with 2-outs on the board.
(Note: this full recap now includes additional game details, updated team notes and a complete look at the BIG EAST playoff picture.)
Notre Dame (27-22, 10-11 BIG EAST) – which held 1-0 leads in both games – missed out on a chance to clinch a spot in the eight-team BIG EAST Tournament but the Irish still can secure a postseason spot by winning (at most) two of their four remaining league games, with the regular season set to conclude next week at Eck Stadium in a three-game series versus Connecticut (April 17-19). The senior-laden Louisville squad (35-16, 16-7) stayed firmly in the mix for the BIG EAST regular-season title, one game behind St. John’s (17-6) and two back of Rutgers (18-5).
Phelps (8-4) entered the day as the frontrunner for BIG EAST pitcher-of-the-year honors and stayed on the short list for that award. Despite being serenaded off the field by a classy version of an American Idol-inspired song, Phelps did anything but “have a bad day” and repeatedly baffled the Louisville hitters while starting the game with six shutout innings – while a pair of infield singles later contributed to the winning 2-out rally. The tough-luck loss marked the third time this season that Phelps has received 0-1 runs of offensive support but the sophomore righthander kept his team in the game, matching his career high with 11 strikeouts to become just the fifth Notre Dame pitcher ever to post three or more double-digit strikeout games in the same season.
The Irish had claimed the day’s first lead when Matt Weglarz led off the 7th with a double and came around to score on a pair of groundballs. The hosts came right back to tie the game – thanks to an untimely hit batter and Derrick Alfonso’s ensuing double down the rightfield line. That proved to be one of the only hard-hit balls of the day versus Phelps, who saw the game slip away one inning later in another 2-out rally that included back-to-back infield hits and a double down the line that potentially could have been an easy forceout play for freshman third baseman A.J. Pollock.
Phelps – who allowed eight hits and three walks – saw his ERA rise from 1.58 to a still impressive 1.74 (which would rank 10th in the ND record book and 3rd-best since the early 1980s). His 89 strikeouts leave him on the verge of becoming the 11th different Notre Dame pitcher ever to reach 90 Ks in a season and he has a strong shot at becoming the fifth to reach the century mark. Phelps now owns nearly a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (89/23) and has 15 more innings pitched (93.1) than hits allowed (79; with a .230 opp. batting avg.). He is averaging 7.1 innings through his 13 starts, with 9-inning averages of 8.6 Ks, 7.6 hits, 2.2 walks, 9.6 groundouts and 36.9 batters faced.
Pitts (8-3) dropped his season ERA (1.72) slightly below that of Phelps, with the Louisville righthander allowing just four hits and one walk in 8.0 innings (5 Ks).
The Irish had their chances to win both games but ultimately were done in by batting just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position during the doubleheader and 4-for-18 (.222) with 2-outs (compared to Louisville’s 10-for-25 day when facing their final out of an inning). The visitors also were slowed by hitting into a pair of double plays in each game, with one of those key defensive plays coming just moments before Mike Dury’s solo home run that made the nightcap 4-3 in the top of the 8th. The opposite-field shot was the second righthanded home run for the switch-hitting Dury, with the senior first baseman now owning nine home runs this season after totaling just four in the 2004-06 seasons combined.
Notre Dame finished the day by scoring only four of its 21 baserunners, with 11 left on base, four others erased on double plays and two caught stealing.
Pollock (2-for-3, BB) extended his season-best hitting streak to nine games in the opener before going 0-for-2 with a pair of walks in game-2. The pair of singles in the opener produced his team-best 24th multiple-hit game of the season.
The Irish dropped behind South Florida (12-11) into a tie with Villanova (10-12) for sixth place in the standings, pending the completion of VU’s second game with Georgetown (the game was halted Saturday night, with the Wildcats leading 5-2 in the 7th). Pittsburgh (13-9) remains in fourth while the five teams below Notre Dame in the standings include Cincinnati (9-13), West Virginia (8-14), Connecticut (7-13), Seton Hall (6-14) and Georgetown (6-16).
Notre Dame’s “magic numbers” for clinching a higher finish than the teams cuurrently outside the playoff picture appear to be “1” versus both Georgetown and Seton Hall and “2” versus WVU and UConn – plus “4” vs. Cincinnati (an upset winner on Saturday at SJU) and 5 vs. Villanova. With WVU and UConn playing each other again on Sunday, a win by the Irish in their own series finale would all but clinch a postseason spot – as the winner of Sunday’s UConn-WVU game would be the only team among the current bottom-4 that still could catch Notre Dame.
The final week of the regular season will include SHU playing at Pitt, Georgetown at WVU, SJU at USF, Louisville at Cincinnati and Rutgers at Villanova. The Irish realistically now can finish no higher than 5th – but to do so they would need USF (12-11) to lose at least twice more and Villanova to drop at least one of its five remaining games (ND would have to go 4-0 and Pitt 0-4 for the Irish to pass the 4th-place Panthers).
Phelps struck out six different Louisville batters, including 3-K days versus the cleanup batter Isaiah Howes and 6-hole hitter Chris Dominguez. Three of his punchouts came on called third strikes, giving Phelps 39 Ks “looking” this season (44% of his strikeuot total). If he can reach 10 Ks one more time this season, Phelps would join former righthander Danny Tamayo (5, as a senior in ’01) as the only Notre Dame pitchers with four or more double-digit K games in a season. Three others have reached 10 strikeouts three times in the same year: LHP Tim Kalita (1999, as a junior), RHP Aaron Heilman (2000, as a junior) and current junior LHP Wade Korpi (2006, as a sophomore).
Weglarz led off the 7th inning of the opener by pulling a -0 pitch down the leftfield line, producing the 47th career double for the senior catcher. Danny Dressman advanced the runner with a groundball to the right side and Weglarz then scored on a contested play at the plate, after the third baseman Rodriguez double-pumped on a Jeremy Barnes ground ball to the left side. But Pitts kept the damage at one run, quickly rolling up a 3-6-3 double play.
Phelps nearly went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, instead losing Justin McClanahan on a five-pitch walk and allowing Alfonso’s game-tying, opposite-field double down the rightfield line (1-0 pitch). One inning later, Phelps was a strike away from retiring the first three batters, working to a full count before Howes beat out an infield single to the shortstop. Jorge Castillo then hit a groundball up the middle that was snared by the diving second baseman Barnes, who had no play – keeping the rally alive.
With speedy pinch-runner Pete Rodriguez in the game, Dominguez worked to a 1-1 count before pulling his two-run double past Pollock and down the leftfield line, suddenly giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
The Irish had one final rally versus lanky righthanded closer Trystan Magnuson, as Pollock coaxed a full-count walk leading off the 9th and Weglarz lined a 1-out single into right-center. But Magnuson induced a 5-4-3 double play, ending the exciting first game.
Senior righthander Dan Kapala (0-5) saw his own tough luck continue in game-2, allowing four runs on six hits in 4.0 innings. Kapala did not walk a batter and did not trick any out – but his four hit batters include two who scored key runs. Junior RHP Joey Williamson then continued his recent surge by facing just 13 batters over the final 4.0 innings, with three strikeouts and one hit allowed.
Despite being primarily a long reliever this season, Williamson could receive all-BIG EAST honors thanks to an imperssive stat line that includes a 2.53 ERA, a 3.2 K-to-walk ratio (48/15), 12 more innings pitched (46.1) than hits allowed (35) and a lowly .210 opponent batting average that would rank 10th-best in the ND record book (stat kept since 1991). He is averaging 9.3 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, with all but one of his 16 appearances coming in relief.
Notre Dame opened game-2 by scoring a 1st-inning run for the 41st time this season. Lilley – who now has started all 170 games of his Irish career – slid headfirst to beat out a ball hit to the first baseman. A wild pitch from lefthander Justin Marks (4 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 Ks; 2.22 season ERA) and a walk by Pollock produced the makings of a big inning, but Dury’s first-pitch, 1-out single through the right side produced the only run.
The visitors maintained the lead until the 3rd, when Daniel Burton reached on a 2-out HBP (2-2 count), took second on a balk and went to third on another infield single by Howes (again to Lilley) before scoring – along with Howes – on Castillo’s first-pitch double down the rightfield line. The Irish came right back to score another run, thanks to Dressman’s 1-out single into center field (on a 3-1 pitch) and freshman catcher Ryan Smith’s RBI double into right (1-1 count)
Louisville responded with two more 2-out runs, sparked by Justin McClanahan’s leadoff double down the leftfield line. Kapala then plunked Alfonso and Chris Cates bunted the runners over, followed by a shallow flyout and Logan Johnson’s first-pitch single into right (scoring both runners).
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The Irish again had a rally in their final at-bat but failed to keep Magnuson from his eighth save. Dressman led off by smacking a single off the third baseman Dominguez and the potential tying run moved up when Magnuson hit 9-hole batter Brayden Ashdown with a pitch. But the day ended on a groundout up the middle, giving the Cardinals the hard-fought sweep.
Notre Dame 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 – 1 5 0
Louisville 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-2-X – 3 9 0
David Phelps (8; L, 8-4), Jess Stewart (8) and Matt Weglarz.
Zack Pitts (W, 8-3), Trystan Magnuson (9) and Juston McClanahan.
Doubles: Weglarz (ND), Derrick Alfonso (LOU), Chris Dominguez (LOU).
Notre Dame 1-0-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 – 3 8 0
Louisville 0-0-2 2-0-0 0-0-0 – 4 7 0
Dan Kapala (L, 0-5), Joey Williamson and Ryan Smith.
Justin Marks, Kyle Hollander (5), Gavin Logdson (8), Trystan Magnuson (9; SV, 8) and Derrick Alfonso.
Home Run: Mike Dury, ND (solo in 8th; 9th of season/13th of career)
Triple: Isaiah Howes (LOU)
Doubles: Smith (ND), Logan Johnson (LOU), Jorge Castillo (LOU).