July 27, 1999
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Notre Dame junior-to-be righthander Aaron Heilman (Logansport, Ind.) picked up the win as the USA national baseball team continued to dominate its summer series with Mexico, with a 15-5 victory Monday at Veterans Stadium.
California third baseman Xavier Nady extended his hitting tear versus Mexico, smacking his ninth and 10th home runs of the season in Monday’s game (all but three of his home runs have came against Mexico). Arizona shortstop Keoni DeRenne and California catcher Mike Tonis also homered for Team USA, which improved to 15-13.
Heilman pitched into the seventh inning to join UCLA righthander Josh Karp as the USA’s winningest pitchers during the 1999 summer season (both are 3-2). Heilman’s outing included eight strikeouts in six and two-thirds innings, plus five runs on eight hits and two walks. Arturo Rey and Rene Solis became the first players to hit home runs versus Heilman during his time with Team USA.
Heilman’s solid summer includes a 2.67 ERA, fourth-best on the staff and second-best among pitchers with 17-plus innings. He has made a team-high 11 appearances (four starts), while sharing the team lead in strikeouts (31) and innings pitched (30.1). His other stats included just nine walks, 28 hits allowed and a .241 opponent batting average (third-best on the staff).
Nady smacked a two-run shot to left field in the first inning, after DeRenne had drawn a one-out walk. The USA added three unearned runs in the second inning, after a two-out error by the shortstop Solis. The inning included a two-out walk by Arizona DH Ben Diggins and a two-base error on a failed pickoff by pitcher Alejandro Ruiz. North Carolina centerfielder Tyrell Godwin then legged out a double to right-center off reliever Hector Perez. A walk and Solis’ error loaded the bases and Perez issued run-scoring walks to Stanford leftfielder John Gall and San Francisco first baseman Tagg Bozied.
The USA secured the win by scoring six runs in the sixth inning.
Heilman ran into some trouble in the fourth, with Fernando Albanil hitting a leadoff single and scoring on a Pablo Gonzalez double to right-center. Gonzalez came all the way around to score after Godwin bobbled the ball and Wichita State second baseman Koyie Hill sailed the relay throw into the stands behind third base.
The USA’s current five-game winning streak (all versus Mexico) has included a dominating 62-16 edge in runs.
USA 6 , MEXICO 2 (July 21, Fargo, N.D.): Godwin stole home to cap a three-run seventh inning, before 1,156 fans at Newman Outdoor Field S Texas A&M rightfielder Daylan Holt cracked a two-run homer in the seventh while DeRenne also homered S Hill singled with one out in the seventh and Holt followed with his second home run of the season … Godwin then walked, stole second base, took third on a flyout and pulled off the steal of home plate S Oklahoma State lefty Matt Smith picked up his first save by retiring 11 of the 13 batters he faced S Karp picked up the win (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB 4 Ks) S DeRenne hit his first home run of the summer in the first inning, to right field S Nady added a one-one single and scored on a double to left-center by UCLA leftielder Bill Scott S Holt doubled to left-center with one out in the third and scored on DeRenne’s two-out single to right S Mexico inched back into the game, scoring single runs in the fourth and sixth.
USA 13, MEXICO 3 (July 22, Sioux Falls, S.D.): Stetson lefty Len Dinardo racked up 10 Ks at Sioux Falls Stadium while Bozied had two hits and two RBI S Dinardo pitched the first six innings while the USA scored seven runs in the fourth, sparked by Holt’s bases-loaded triple S Bozied, who lived for 12 years in Sioux Falls, had singles in the fourth and seventh S Texas lefty Paul Seibel pitched the final three innings for the save … the big fourth inning also included Scott’s RBI double and three Mexico errors S Nady led off the fourth inning with a single to left and Bozied bounced a single into left S Gall later walked to load the bases and Holt tripled, scoring on an ensuing errant relay throw S Miami second baseman Manny Crespo added a single, two stolen bases and a run to the big inning S the USA added single runs in the fifth (Crespo RBI triple) and sixth (Gall RBI).
USA 17, MEXICO 0 (July 23, Des Moines, Iowa): The USA scored early and often before 5,249 fans at Sec Taylor Stadium S the game was shortened to five innings because of the lopsided score … Gall’s big night included two home runs, a single, a doubled and seven RBI, equaling a USA Baseball record (last accomplished by Robin Ventura in 1988) … Scott smacked a three-run homer to left in the first and Tonis clubbed a two-run homer to cap the five-run first S Gall added a grand slam in the third and Crespo hit a leadoff shot in the fourth S Hill added a solo homer in the sixth S Scott’s seventh homer of the season came after DeRenne walked and Gall was hit by a pitch S Kentucky DH John Wilson added a two-out double before Tonis tagged his fifth homer of the summer, a 400-foot-plus shot to left-center S Team USA tacked on three runs in the second, on Gall’s RBI single and Holt’s two-run single S Houston’s Kyle Crowell (6 H) and Arizona’s Ben Diggins combined for the shutout.
USA 11, MEXICO 6 (July 25, St. Paul, Minn.): The USA showed its power and speed at Midway Stadium, with Nady, Holt and Crespo all smacking home runs while the USA totaled eight stolen bases S Nady went 4-for-4 and walked to lead the 15-hit assault S Stanford’s Justin Wayne, USC’s Mark Prior and UCLA’s Jon Brandt combined to hold Mexico to nine hits S the USA led 8-6 after six innings but ended up scoring in every inning except the fourth and ninth S the USA manufactured single runs in the first and second S DeRenne reached base with one out in the first by getting hit by a pitch, Nady added a single to right and Scott plated DeRenne home with an infield out S Bozied opened the second with a single to left field, moved up on Crespo’s sacrifice bunt, stole third and scored on Holt’s sacrifice fly.