1996 Game-by-Game Results
February 17 #6 Georgia Tech 12, #24 Notre Dame 4
A four-run Yellow Jacket first and three-run third send the Irish and starter Craig Allen to a 12-4 defeat in Atlanta. Notre Dame uses four pitchers in the season opener, none of whom leave the game untouched. Senior catcher Bob Lisanti homers in the ninth in his first game back after missing one game of the 1995 season with a back injury.
Notre Dame 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 4 8 2Georgia Tech 4 0 3 0 0 1 4 0 X - 12 12 0Allen, Balicki (3), Parker (4), Henebry (7) and Lisanti. Wilson, Thieme (7), Cason (8) and Barr, McQueen (9).WP - Wilson (1-0). LP - Allen (0-1).ND HiLites: Brooks (2-3, 2 2B, RBI), Poppleton (2-4, run, RBI), Lisanti (1-4, HR, 2RBI)
February 18 #6 Georgia Tech 9, #24 Notre Dame 4
A three-run home run by freshman SS Jay Hood off Irish reliever Wally Widelski turns a 5-3 Georgia Tech lead into an 8-3 game as the Irish drop the second of a two-game series to the Yellow Jackets. Notre Dame takes an early 2-0 lead on a run-scoring error and a J.J. Brock ground out but Georgia Tech get three in the third off starter Darin Schmalz. The Irish bats account for five doubles with Mike Amrhein and Rowan Richards each getting a pair.
Notre Dame 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 - 4 9 2Georgia Tech 0 0 3 0 1 1 3 1 X - 9 14 1Schmalz, Shilliday (4), Stavisky (6), Widelski (7), Sauget (8) and Wagner. McGill, Elder (4), Duncan (9), Crowder (9) and Barr.WP - Elder (1-0) LP - Schmalz (0-1) ND HiLites: Restovich (2-5, 2B, RBI), Richards (2-5, 2 2B, run), Shilliday (2IP, run, 3K)
Service Academies Classic at Millington, Tenn.
February 23 Notre Dame 12, Army 3
A three-run fifth and six-run sixth inning turned a 3-3 tie into a 12-3 Irish blowout as Notre Dame earned its first victory of the 1996 season. Each Notre Dame starter had at least one hit with eight players registering two or more. Sophomore righty Christian Parker earned the win, tossing five innings of four-hit ball and allowing three unearned runs.
Notre Dame 1 0 2 0 3 6 0 - 12 20 1Army 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 5 2Parker, Balicki (6) and Wagner. Weiss, Quimby (5), DiMuzio (6) and Hicks, Saxman (7)WP - Parker (1-0) LP - Weiss (0-1)ND HiLites: Restovich (3-4, 3B, 2RBI), Sollmann (3-5, 2SB, 3B), Wagner (2-4, 3RBI, 2R)
February 23 Notre Dame 1, Navy 0
Junior righthander Darin Schmalz was masterful, tossing a complete game five-hitter beating the Naval Academy, 1-0. Schmalz struck out four and did not walk a batter while allowing just one Middie runner to third base. Mike Amrhein gave the Irish all the offense it needed in the bottom of the first, homering with two outs. Bob Lisanti added a pair of singles for the Irish who reached the .500 mark at 2-2.
Navy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 5 0Notre Dame 1 0 0 0 0 0 X - 1 4 1Schmalz and Lisanti. McLemore and Paukovits.WP - Schmalz (1-1) LP - McLemore (0-1)ND HiLites: Amrhein (1-3, GWHR), Schmalz (CG, SHO, 7.0IP, 4K)
February 24 Notre Dame 12, Air Force 8
Irish lose a 7-2 lead but a five-run fifth inning propels Notre Dame to a 12-8 win over Air Force. Five Irish hitters register two hits icluding George Restovich who homered and tripled and J.J. Brock who doubled and tripled. Each drove in four runs. Rich Sauget came out of the bullpen to tossed 2.1 innings of one-hit relief to pick up the win
Notre Dame 1 0 6 0 0 5 0 - 12 13 2Air Force 2 0 4 0 1 1 0 - 8 7 1Stavisky, McKeown (3), Sauget (5) and Wagner, Lisanti (7). Allen, Smith (3), Tarkowski (6) and Gross, Strauss (6), Rudd (7).WP - Sauget (1-0) LP - Tarkowski (0-1)ND HiLites: Restovich (2-2, 2BB, HR, 4RBI), Brock (2-3, 2B, 3B, 4RBI), Sauget (2.1IP, 1H, 2K)
February 25 Memphis 4, Notre Dame 2
Senior Craig Allen surrenders a pair of home runs in the first two innings and the Irish bats never wake up as the Memphis Tigers down Notre Dame, 4-2. Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the Irish mount a rally. With one out and the bases loaded, Mike Amrhein doubles to make in 4-3 but Tiger closer Chad Harville strikes out George Restovich and Rowan Richards to end the threat. Freshman Alex Shilliday is once again impressive allowing one hit over three innings of relief.
Memphis 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 - 4 5 2Notre Dame 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 2 3 0Glass, Harville (6) and Cutchow, Ballard (7). Allen, Shilliday (5) and Lisanti.WP - Glass (2-0) LP - Allen (0-2)ND HiLites: Amrhein (1-3, 2B, 2RBI), Shilliday (3IP, 1H, 1R, unearned)
March 1 Notre Dame 8, #22 New Orleans 3
A revampted Irish lineup along with 6.2 innings of solid starting pitching by sophomore Christian Parker led Notre Dame to a 8-3 victory over No. 22 New Orleans. With the score tied 1-1 in the fifth, the Irish explode for four runs off reigning national player of the week Steve Stanson. New leadoff man Rowan Richards drives in the first of the four with an RBI triple to rightcenter and is followed with RBI by Scott Sollmann, Mike Amrhein and Jeff Wagner. Parker works out of a number of jams and get bullpen support from Mike Balicki and freshman Alex Shilliday who picks up his first collegiate save, striking out three in two innings.
Notre Dame 1 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 2 - 8 12 2New Orleans 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 3 7 1Parker, Balicki (7), Shilliday (8) and Lisanti. Stanson, Carroll (6), Kottmeyer (9) and Washam.WP - Parker (2-0) LP - Stanson (1-1) Save - Shilliday (1)ND HiLites: Richards (2-4, 2R, RBI, 3B, SB), Parker (6.2 IP, 7H, 2ER, 5K), Shilliday (2IP, 0H, 3K), Amrhein (2-5, 2RBI).
March 2 #22 New Orleans11, Notre Dame 7
The Privateers survive a late-inning Irish rally, pounding the Notre Dame pitching staff for 11 runs in a 11-7 slugfest. Notre Dame’s defense does not help matter. commiting four errors. Trailing 7-2 in the seventh, Notre Dame gets five runs highlighted by a two-run Scott Sollmann triple off the rightcenter field fence. Sollmann would later score on a wild pitch and the Irish would tie the game at 7-7 on a Bob Lisanti run-scoring single. However, the Irish bullpen and defense could not keep UNO at bay allowing a pair of unearned runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
Notre Dame 0 1 1 0 0 0 5 0 0 - 7 11 4New Orleans 0 0 4 1 0 2 2 2 X - 11 13 2Schmalz, Henebry (4), Stavisky (6), Widelski (7), McKeown (8) and Lisanti. Faust, Benoit (7), Poche (7) and Hecard.WP - Poche (1-0) LP - Stavisky (0-1)ND HiLites: Richards (2-4, HR, 2R, RBI), Brooks (3-4, R), Henebry (2IP, 1H, 2K)
March 3 #22 New Orleans 12, Notre Dame 7
Notre Dame starter Craig Allen gets roughed up for six runs in the first two innings as the Irish drop their second straight to UNO, 12-7. The Irish took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the first on a Mike Amrhein sacrifice fly but the Privateers respond with one in the first and five in the second. Notre Dame closes the lead to 8-6 with a three-run sixth inningwhen Scott Sollmann singled in a pair and Jeff Wagner drove in another with a ground out.
Notre Dame 1 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 - 7 12 2New Orleans 1 5 0 1 1 1 1 2 X - 12 12 1Allen, Shilliday (2), Henebry (5), Balicki (6), Sauget (7) and Wagner. Rushing, Caberceiras (5), Poche (8) and Washam.WP - Caberceiras (1-1) LP - Allen (0-3)ND HiLites: Sollmann (2-4, 2R, 2RBI), Amrhein (2-4, 2RBI, 2B, 1R)
Husky Baseball Classic at Seattle, Wash.
March 8 Notre Dame 12, Lewis-Clark State 6
Notre Dame’s offense explodes for 17 hits and 12 runs as the Irish win their first game in the Husky Baseball Classic in Seattle. Senior 1B George Restovich hits for three-quarters of the cycle, doubling, tripling and homering in five runs in the rout. A see-saw early-inning slugfest turns the Notre Dame way for good in the sixth when the Irish score four times on a bevy of singles, stolen bases, wild pitches and errors. Alex Shilliday gets the win in relief, allowing just one hit and striking out eight in 5.1 innings of work. The freshman watched just two balls leave the infield, picking up his first collegiate win.
Lewis-Clark State 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 - 6 11 4Notre Dame 2 1 2 1 0 4 2 0 X - 12 17 1Wilson, Lee (3) and Schueller. Parker, Shilliday (4) and Lisanti, Wagner (9).WP - Shilliday (1-0) LP - Lee (1-1)ND HiLites: Restovich (3-4, 5RBI, 2B, 3B, HR), Sollmann (3-4, 3B, 4SB, 4R), Shilliday (5.1IP, 1H, 0R, 8K), Brooks (3-5, 2R, 31B)
March 9 Notre Dame 8, #20 Long Beach State 4 (8 inn.)
A strong effort by the Irish bullpen and a career night for Bob Lisanti at the plate leads the Irish to their second win over a nationally-ranked team in a week, 8-4 over Long Beach State. Lisanti went 4-4 including a pair of doubles and a pair of singles with three RBI as the Irish scored four times in the sixth and twice more in the seventh for the win. LF Mike Amrhein also had a perfect night at the plate, going 3-3 with a line-drive homerun to centerfield in the third. Amrhein also drove in three runs. Lefty Wally Widelski picked up the win with 1.1 innings of no-hit relief work with bullpen help from Dan Stavisky and Rich Sauget. The game was shortened to 7.5 innings due to tournament time limits.
Long Beach St. 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 - 4 8 2Notre Dame 0 0 2 0 4 2 0 X - 8 12 1Jones, Berrera (5) and Snow. Henebry, Widelski (4), Stavisky (6), Sauget (8) and Lisanti.WP - Widelski (1-0) LP - Jones (3-1)ND HiLites: Lisanti (4-4, 22B, 3RBI), Amrhein (3-3, 2B, HR, 2RBI, 2R), Brooks (2-3, 2RBI), Widelski (1.1IP, 0H, 1K)
March 10 Washington 2, Notre Dame 1 (5 inn.)
In a game shortened to 1:30 due to a contractual obligation to vacate the Kingdome at 10:10 PST, Notre Dame drops a 2-1 decision to Washington. Notre Dame takes an early 1-0 lead in the second on an Allen Greene sacrifice fly but a two-run third inning gets the Huskies the win. Darin Schmalz took the loss in a game that saw the Irish get four hits.
Notre Dame 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 4 1Washington 0 0 2 0 0 - 2 8 0Schmalz, Widelski (5), Balicki (5) and Wagner. Myette and Bundy.WP - Myette (1-0) LP - Schmalz (1-2)ND HiLites: Brock (1-1, SB), Restovich (1-3, 2B, R)
Irish Baseball Classic at San Antonio, Texas
March 13 Notre Dame 6, Oral Roberts 2
In his first collegiate start, Alex Shilliday allows just three hits over seven innings to get his second win of the season, 6-2, over Oral Roberts. A three-run fourth turns around a 1-0 deficit with J.J. Brock singling in a run with one of his three hits and Rowan Richards doubling in two more. Richards closed out a four-RBI afternoonwith a RBI groundout in the sixth and a run-scoring double in the eighth.
Oral Roberts 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 6 3Notre Dame 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 X - 6 11 2Dooley and Marsters, Hust (8). Shilliday, Sauget (8) and Lisanti.WP - Shilliday (2-0) LP - Dooley (5-3) Save - Sauget (1)ND HiLites: Richards (2-4, 22B, 4RBI), Brock (3-4, 2B, R, RBI), Shilliday (7IP, 3H, 4K), Sauget (2IP, save, 3H, 1R)
March 14 Notre Dame 6, Southern Illinois 2
Another solid pitching performance sees Christian Parker go six innings allowing two runs and striking out six as Notre Dame drops SIU, 6-2. Notre Dame takes a 1-0 lead when Rowan Richards deposits the third pitch of the ballgame over the left field fence for his second home run of the season. SIU takes a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning but the Irish take the lead for good with three in the third and two in the fourth highlighted by a two-run George Restovich double.
Notre Dame 1 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 - 6 11 1Southern Illinois 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 9 2Parker, Widelski (7), Balicki (8) and Lisanti. Blumenstock, Schullian (5), Frasor (9) and Horace.WP - Parker (3-0). LP - Blumenstock (1-2)ND HiLites: Richards (2-5, HR, 3R, RBI), Sollmann (2-4, 2SB), Restovich (2-3, 3RBI, 22B), Parker (6IP, 8H, 6K)
March 15 Notre Dame 10, Indiana 4
The Irish assure themselves of a berth in the championship game, scoring seven times in the first three innings on their way to a 10-4 win over in-state rival Indiana. A five-run fifth inning is keyed by a two-run Justin Scholl home run and capped by a two-run triple from Rowan Richards as Notre Dame wins its third straight. Dan Stavisky settles down from an erratic first inningto go seven innings and allow just one run and four hits while striking out seven to earn his first win.
Indiana 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 - 4 7 2Notre Dame 0 5 2 0 0 0 3 0 X - 10 11 0Ferrell, Lewis (8) and Moser, Braughler (4), Anleitner (8). Stavisky, Allen (8), Davis (8) and Wagner.WP - Stavisky (1-1) LP - Ferrell (2-2)ND HiLites: Brooks (2-4, 3RBI, R), Richards (2-5, 2RBI, 2B), Stavisky (7IP, 4H, 1R, 7K), Turco (2-3, RBI, R, 2B)
March 16 Notre Dame 10, Oral Roberts 6
A six-run fifth inning featuring home runs by Mike Amrhein and Jeff Wagner propels Notre Dmae to the IBC championship,12-6, over Oral Roberts. Amrhein, who earned all-tournament honors, hit a towering three-run dinger and quieted a four-run ORU rally in the eighth with a diving catch in left while Wagner’s first collegiate home run, a two-run shot, gave the Irish a 7-2 advantage after five innings. Darin Schamlz, the first of six Irish pitchers, got the win going 6.2 innings and allowing a pair of runs. Rowan Richards earned tournament MVP honors, joining Amrhein, SS Paul Turco and the Irish starting rotation on the all-tournament team.
Oral Roberts 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 - 6 13 4Notre Dame 1 0 0 0 6 0 1 2 X - 10 14 1Eastlick, Dinsmore (5), Condon(5), Stensler (8) and Marsters. Schmalz, Widelski (7), Henebry (8), Balicki (8), Davis (8), Sauget (9) and Wagner.WP - Schmalz (2-2) LP - Eastlick (1-2)ND HiLites: Amrhein (3-4, 2B, HR, 3RBI), Wagner (2-4, HR, 3RBI), Richards (2-4, 2R, 2B).
March 23 Game One Notre Dame 9, Boston College 0
Junior Darin Schmalz tosses a complete-game, four-hitter as the Irish open the BIG EAST era in fine fashion, topping Boston College, 9-0. Schmalz struck out five on the afternoonand did not allow a ball to leave the infield until two men were out in the sixth inning. Notre Dame got three runs in the second inning when J.J. Brock drove in a pair with the first of two double and later scord on a Randall Brooks single. The Irish capped the scoring with a six-run third, highlighted by Scott Sollmann’s second career home run to lead off the inning and Brooks’ two-run shot to close the inning.
Notre Dame 0 3 6 0 0 0 0 - 9 10 0Boston College 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 4 1Schmalz and Lisanti. Bibbo, DiIorio (7) and Waldron, Nicktakis (7).WP - Schmalz (3-2) LP - Bibbo (1-2)ND HiLites: Brock (2-3, 2R, 22B, 4RBI), Brooks (3-3, 2B, HR, 3RBI), Schmalz (7IP, 4H, 5K, 0R)
March 23 Game Two Notre Dame 6, Boston College 1
The Irish offense leaves the yard three times and sophomore Dan Stavisky throws six innings of shutout ball to pick up the win as Notre Dame completes a doubleheader sweep, 6-1, over Boston College. Notre Dame uses the second and third innings to get five of its six runs on a two-run Brooks homer and a three-run shot by catcher Bob Lisanti. Mike Amrhein later added his fourth roundtripper of the season in the seventh. Stavisky allowed six hits and struck out two, improving his record to 2-1 while Mike Balicki pitched the final three innings to pick up his first save of the season.
Notre Dame 0 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 6 10 1Boston College 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 11 2Stavisky, Balicki (7) and Lisanti. Katz, Wainwright (8), Burnes (9) and Waldron.WP - Stavisky (2-1) LP - Katz (0-3)ND HiLites: Amrhein (3-5, HR, RBI), Lisanti (1-4, 3RBI, HR, 2R), Brooks (2-4, 2RBI), Stavisky (6IP, 6H, 0R, 2K)
March 24 Game One Providence 18, Notre Dame 2
Six errors, including three in a nine-run fourth inning, doom the Irish as they drop a 18-2 decision to the reigning BIG EAST regular season champion. Freshman Alex Shilliday records is first off-day as a collegiate pitcher, allowing nine runs (five earned) in three innings of work. the bullpen fares no better giving up nine runs in the blowout. Offensively, the Irish get a double and a triple from J.J. Brock in the effort.
Notre Dame 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 2 8 6Providence 0 1 3 9 1 4 X - 18 12 0Shilliday, Gleichowski (4), Widelski (4), McKeown (5) and Lisanti. Incantalupo and Friedholm, Carbone (5).WP - Incantalupo (3-1) LP - Shilliday (2-1)ND HiLites: Brock (2-3, 2B, 3B), Amrhein (1-2, 2B)
March 24 Game Two Notre Dame 10, Providence 7
Notre Dame smashed five home runs off reigning BIG EAST pitcher of the week Matt Macone as it comes back to take the second game of a doubleheader from the Friars. Home runs Rowan Richards and Jeff Wagner led off the first and second innings to give the Irish a 2-0 lead. Wagner struck again with his third homer of the season as Notre Dame put three more on the board in the third. Richards would homer later along with Mike Amrhein to up the Irish lead 10-2 before the Frairs monut a small comeback. Sophomore Christian Parker picked up his fourth win of the season, allowing six runs in six innings while Rich Sauget tossed the final two and a third innings, giving up four hits.
Notre Dame 1 1 3 0 1 4 0 0 0 - 10 16 1Providence 0 0 2 0 0 3 1 1 0 - 7 9 1Parker, Sauget (7) and Wagner. Macone, Byron (6), O'Brien (9) and Friedholm.WP - Parker (4-0) LP - Macone (3-1)ND HiLites: Wagner (4-4, 2HR, 3B, 2B, 3RBI), Richards (2-5, 2HR, 3RBI), Sollmann (3-6, 4SB), Amrhein (2-5, HR, 2RBI, 3R)
March 27 Notre Dame 5, Indiana State 4
Junior Gregg Henebry tosses six innings of one-run baseball and the Irish get a pair of runs in the first and second inning to take their home opener, 5-4, over the Sycamores of Indiana State. Freshman Jeff Wagner singles in a pair of runs in the first and the Irish get two more unearned runs an inning later to build a 4-0 lead. Both teams combined to commit eight errors on the afternoon. Rookie Alex Shilliday picks up his second save of the season, striking out four in thre innings of work
Indiana State 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 - 4 12 4Notre Dame 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 X - 5 11 4Gajewski, Newman (8) and Ullery. Henebry, Shilliday (7) and Lisanti.WP - Henebry (1-0) LP - Gajewski (4-1)ND HiLites: Wagner (2-3, 2RBI), Sollmann (2-4, 2R, RBI, 2SB), Henebry (6IP, 8H, 1R, 0BB, 3K)
March 28 Notre Dame 6, Northeastern Illinois 3
Run scoring singles by Rowan Richards and Paul Turco along with sacrafice flies from Mike Amrhein and Randall Brooks put Notre Dame over the top in a 6-3 win versus Northeastern Illinois. Craig Allen picked up his first win of the season, allowing three hits and one run over five innings. Four Irish relievers combine to close out the win. Catcher Bob Lisanti and Brooks tally a pair of hits in the victory.
Northeastern Ill. 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 3 7 1Notre Dame 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 X - 6 8 0Kirar, Reykalin (4), Haskins (7), Hallgren (8) and Brahmbhatt, Panzica (8). Allen, Davis (6), Balicki (7), Lidge (8), Sauget (9) and Lisanti.WP - Allen (1-3) LP - Kirar (0-1)ND HiLites: Allen (5IP, 3H, 1R, 3K), Restovich (1-5, 3B, 2RBI), Brooks (2-2, 2B, RBI)
March 30 Game One Notre Dame 5, Indiana Tech 0
Darin Schmalz and Wally Widelski combine on a five-hit shutout in a 5-0 game one win over Indiana Tech. Schmalz tossed the first five innings, striking out a season-high eight to pick up his fourth win of the season. Back-to-back home runs by Mike Amrhein and George Restovich in the third make the score 4-0 as the Irish win for the 10th time in 11 tries. The doubleheader was scheduled due to a weather cancellation of the Notre Dame’s BIG EAST series at Villanova.
Indiana Tech 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 5 0Notre Dame 1 1 2 0 1 0 X - 5 9 0Howell, Fischer (3) and Ramirez. Schmalz, Widelski (6) and Lisanti.WP - Schmalz (4-2) LP - HowellND HiLites: Amrhein (2-3, HR, 2R, 2RBI), Restovich (2-3, HR, R, 2RBI), Schmalz (5IP, 3H, 8K)
March 30 Game Two Notre Dame 13, Indiana Tech 4
The Irish score in all but two innings, registering six extra-base hits of the 11 they collect in a 13-4 game two win. Freshman SS Paul Turco leads the hit parade with a three-for-three afternoon and a pair of runs scored. Turco’s classmate Jeff Wagner belts his fourth home run of the season and Bret Poppleton adds his first of the year in the win. Dan Stavisky, Mike Balicki and Rich Sauget combine to hold the Warriors to four hits, striking out six.
Indiana Tech 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 4 4 3Notre Dame 3 1 0 2 0 1 3 3 X - 13 11 3Rutzel, Gonzales (5), Yobey (7) and Ramirez. Stavisky, Balicki (6), Sauget (8) and Wagner.WP - Stavisky (3-1) LP - Rutzel ND HiLites: Turco (3-3, 2R, RBI), Greene (2-4, 2R, 3B), Wagner (1-5, R, 4RBI)
April 1 Notre Dame 3, Butler 0
Sophomore Christian Parker dominates for seven innings, allowing just six hits and striking out three as the Irish defeat Butler 3-0. With the effort, Parker raises his 1996 record to 5-0. Senior Rich Sauget picks up his second save of the year, striking out five of the seven hitters he faced. George Restovich’s two-run, bases-loaded double gave the Irish all the runs they needed in third inning and Randall Brooks drove in an insurance run in the seventh, plating J.J. Brock with a two-out triple to right. The win was Notre Dame’s sixth in a row and fifth straight at home to open 1996.
Butler 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 1Notre Dame 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 X - 3 7 0Magill, Gular (6) and Beasley. Parker, Sauget (8) and Lisanti.WP - Parker (5-0) LP - Magill (2-2) Save - Sauget (2)ND HiLites: Amrhein (2-3, 21B), Parker (7IP, 6H, 0R, 3K), Sauget (2IP, 1BB, 5K)
April 2 Notre Dame 7, Bowling Green 2
Five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, keyed by RBI hits from Rowan Richards, Scott Sollmann and Bob Lisanti, breaks a 2-2 and sends the Irish to a 7-2 win over Bowling Green. Freshman Alex Shilliday gets his third win of the season, tossing 3.2 innings of two-hit relief and striking out two. Gregg Henebry starts for Notre Dame and goes 5.1 innings, allowing just four hits and a pair of runs but gets no decision.
Bowling Green 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 6 0Notre Dame 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 X - 7 8 2Holland, Kelley (7), Chaney (8), Reichow (8) and Schone. Henebry, Shilliday (6) and Lisanti.WP - Shilliday (3-1) LP - Kelley (1-1)ND HiLites: Shilliday (3.2IP, 2H, 0R, 2K), Brock (2-3, RBI), Sollmann (2-3, 3SB, 2R, RBI)
April 3 Notre Dame 5, Eastern Illinois 0
For the second night in a row the Irish get five in the eighth to grab a home victory, 5-0 , against the Panthers of Eastern Illinois. Craig Allen, Mike Balicki and Rich Sauget combine on a five-hit shutout with Allen posting his top outing of 1996 going six innings and giving up all five hits. Balicki gets the win with one inning of relief. Rowan Richards and Randall Brooks register multiple hit games for the Irish offense.
Eastern Illinois 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 5 3Notre Dame 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 X - 5 8 1Neal, Gilio (5), Murphy (8), Sommerfeld (8) and Lofgren. Allen, Balicki (7), Sauget (8) and Wagner, Lisanti (9).WP - Balicki (1-0) LP - MurphyND HiLites: Allen (6IP, 5H, 0R), Richards (2-4, 1R, 2B)
April 4 Notre Dame 7, St. John’s 3
The Irish take the first game of a BIG EAST doubleheader, 7-3, over St. John’s before old man winter freezes away game two. Rowan Richards leads off the ballgame with a home run for the second time this season but it takes a four-run fifth inning to break a 3-3 tie in the seven-inning contest. Darin Schmalz tosses his third complete game of the season, giving up eight hits and striking out six.
St. John's 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 - 3 8 1Notre Dame 2 1 0 0 4 0 X - 7 10 1Adair and Fierro. Schmalz and Lisanti.WP - Schmalz (5-2) LP - Adair (2-1)ND HiLites: Schmalz (CG, 7IP, 3R, 6K), Wagner (2-3, RBI), Brooks (2-3, 2B, RBI)
April 6 Game One Notre Dame 7, Connecticut 6
The Irish rally in the bottom of the seventh for a pair of runs to extend their winning streak to 10 as Bob Lisanti drives in the winning run with a one-out sacrafice fly. Home runs by Mike Amrhein and George Restovich give the Irish a 2-1 lead after one inning but Notre Dame is forced to rally from a 6-2 deficit for the win. Alex Shilliday gets his fourth win of the year pitching two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen.
Connecticut 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 - 6 10 1Notre Dame 2 0 0 0 3 0 2 - 7 8 1O'Connell, Velez (1), Kasper (5), Barton (7) and Uccello. Stavisky, Balicki (4), Widelski (7), Shilliday (7) and Lisanti.WP - Shilliday (4-1) LP - Kasper (2-1)ND HiLites: Restovich (2-3, 2B, HR, 2RBI), Amrhein (2-3, 3R, HR)
April 6 Game Two Connecticut 10, Notre Dame 9
Notre Dame falls behind early and can’t make the comeback complete, dropping the second game of a conference doubleheader, 10-9, to UConn. Christian Parker gets roughed up for six runs in 3.2 innings of work to drop his first decision of 1996. The Irish get three runs in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Paul Turco and a two-run double from Randall Brooks to draw within a run but cannot overtake the Huskies. Jeff Wagner leads the Irish offense with three hits and a pair of RBI.
Connecticut 3 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 0 - 10 17 2Notre Dame 2 0 2 0 0 2 3 0 0 - 9 12 1Santos, Gregorski (3), Morris (6), Barton (7), Monkiewicz (9) and Grabowski. Parker, Widelski (4), Shilliday (5), Davis (6), Sauget (7) and Wagner.WP - Gregorski (4-1) LP - Parker (5-1) Save - Monkiewicz (1)ND HiLites: Sauget (2.2IP, 5K), Wagner (3-3, 2RBI), Lisanti (2-5, 2B, 2RBI)
April 8 Notre Dame 8, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 6
The Irish battle back from a 4-2 deficit, scoring four times in the sixth inning and twice more in the seventh to take the 8-6 measure of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on a bitterly cold day in South Bend. Gregg Henebry scatters 10 hits over six innings to pick up his second win of the season and Rich Sauget works a 1-2-3 ninth for his third save as the Irish run their home record to 10-1. The Irish take the lead in the sixth, scoring four times with just one hit as Scott Sollmann, Mike Amrhein and George Restovich picked up RBI on a variety of errors, sacrafice flies and ground balls.
UW-Milwaukee 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 - 6 13 5Notre Dame 2 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 X - 8 5 2Riley, Justman (8) and Schwartz. Henebry, Widelski (7), Sauget (9) and Lisanti.WP - Henebry (2-0) LP - Riley (0-2) Save - Sauget (3)ND HiLites: Henebry (6IP, 10H, 2K), Sauget (1IP, save 0H, 2K), Sollmann (1-4, 2SB, 2R)
April 10 Notre Dame 10, Chicago State 7
Craig Allen can get just one batter out as Chicago State jumps on Notre Dame for a 6-0 lead after one-half inning but 8.2 innings of two-hit relief from Pat Davis and Brad Lidge hold the Cougars at bay as the Irish come back to take a 10-7 decision. Lidge picked up his first collegiate victory going the final four innings, allowing no hits and striking out five after Davis went 4.2 innings giving up an unearned run on two hits. Jeff Wagner and George Restovich key the offense, driving in five runs as Wagner homered and doubled and Restovich adding a two-bagger.
Chicago State 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 7 6 1Notre Dame 2 3 0 1 0 2 1 1 X - 10 12 2McDonald, Thompson (2), O'Donnell (7), Halman (8) and Majdecki, Miller (7). Allen, Davis (1), Lidge (6) and Wagner.WP - Lidge (1-0) LP - ThompsonND HiLites: Wagner (2-2, 2B, HR, 2RBI), Restovich (2-3, 2B, 3RBI), Davis (4.2IP, 2H, 0ER, 4K), Lidge (4IP, 0H, 5K)
April 11 Notre Dame 8, Toledo 6
Freshman Allen Greene drives in four runs with a pair of doubles and a single as the Irish improve to 12-1 at home with a 8-6 victory over visiting Toledo. Dan Stavisky picks up his fourth win of the season going six innings and not allowing an earned run while striking out six. Rich Sauget registers his fourth save of the year working the final two innings. Mike Amrhein turns an early 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, his eighth roundtripper of the season.
Toledo 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 - 6 10 0Notre Dame 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 X - 8 9 3Stauffer, Gluff (6), Rowland (8) and Hicks. Stavisky, Balicki (7), Widelski (7), Sauget (8) and Lisanti.WP - Stavisky (4-1) LP - Stauffer (0-1) Save - Sauget (4)ND HiLites: Greene (3-4, 2 2B, 4RBI), Stavisky (6IP, 3H, 2R, 0ER, 6K), Brock (3-4, HR, 3R, RBI)
April 13 Game One Rutgers 4, Notre Dame 2
Rutgers gets a pair of runs on a Paul Galucci double in the top of the eighth to hand Darin Schmalz his third loss of the season in the first game of a BIG EAST doubleheader. Notre Dame, which left nine runners on base for the contest, scored single runs in the first and fourth on RBI hits from George Restovich and Paul Turco but could get no more as Rutgers starter Scott Madison improved his record to 6-0.
Rutgers 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 - 4 8 2Notre Dame 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 2 8 4Madison and Dorsett. Schmalz, Balicki (8) and Wagner.WP - Madison (6-0) LP - Schmalz (5-3) ND HiLites: Brooks (3-4, 2B, R), Restovich (2-4, R, RBI), Schmalz (7.1IP, 6H, 2ER)
April 13 Game Two Notre Dame 5, Rutgers 3
Alex Shilliday and Rich Sauget combine on a six-hitter and the Irish get three runs in the bottom of the sixth to split a conference doubleheader with Rutgers, 5-3. Trailing 3-2 in the sixth, Notre Dame gets run-scoring singles from Allen Greene and Randall Brooks and a double-play ball from Mike Amrhein to take the 5-3 lead. Shililday allows three runs (one earned) in six innings of work to pick up his fifth victory of the season while Sauget work a flawless final three innings for his fifth saveof the year.
Rutgers 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 - 3 6 3Notre Dame 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 X - 5 11 3Stegen, Mundy (6), Miller (7) and Dorsett. Shilliday, Sauget (7) and Lisanti.WP - Shilliday (5-1) LP - Stegen (1-3) Save - Sauget (5)ND HiLites: Brock (3-4, 2R, 3 1B), Shilliday (6IP, 6H, 1ER, 4K) Sauget (3IP, 2K, 0H)
April 14 Rutgers 10, Notre Dame 7
Notre Dame drops the rubber match of a BIG EAST three-game series untimely defensive lapses cost the Irish three unearned runs in the top of the ninth. The Irish stake starter Christian Parker to a 5-0 lead but a four-run Knight fifth sends him to the showers in favor of Rich Sauget. A Mike Amrhein RBI single and subsequent fielding error by Rutgers gives Notre Dame a 7-5 advantage after seven innings but Sauget allows two to score in the eighth before the unlucky ninth. Allen Greene and Randall Brooks combined for six of Notre Dame 14 hits and score four of the seven Irish runs in the loss.
Rutgers 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 2 3 - 10 10 2Notre Dame 0 2 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 - 7 14 3Seel, Mundy (4), Miller (7), Malloy (9) and Waleck. Parker, Sauget (6), Davis (9) and Lisanti.WP - Sauget (1-1) LP - Miller (3-1) Save - Malloy (1)ND HiLites: Greene (3-4, 2B, 2R, RBI. SB), Brooks (3-4, 2R, 3 1B), Restovich (2-5, R, 2B, RBI)
April 16 Notre Dame 11, Northwestern 10
The Irish jump out to a 5-0 lead in the first then hang on as the Wildcats put four on the board in the bottom of the ninth as Notre Dame takes an 11-10 slugfest on the road in Evanston. George Restovich triples in three in the first as Notre Dame puts up five before an out is registered to give starter Dan Stavisky the cushion he needs to post his fifth win of the season. Bob Lisanti and J.J. Brock drive in a pair of runs with a couple of hits each and Rich Sauget continues his impressive work out of the bullpen, notching his sixth save of the season.
Notre Dame 5 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 - 11 14 3Northwestern 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 4 - 10 14 0Stavisky, Wiselski (6), Davis (9), Sauget(9) and Lisanti. Schroeder, Levey (3), Franzese (6), Seaman (9) and Murray, Piacenti (8).WP - Stavisky (5-1) LP - Schroeder (2-5) Save - Sauget (6)ND HiLites: Brooks (3-5, R, 2B, SB), Restovich (1-4, 3RBI, 3R, 3B), Lisanti (2-3, R, 2RBI)
April 17 Notre Dame 7, Purdue 4
Notre Dame knocks off its second Big Ten foe in as many days, beating Purdue, 7-4, to give Irish head coach Paul Mainieri his 400th career win. Gregg Henebry scatters 12 hits over eight innings to get is third win of the season while freshman righty Brad Lidge works a scoreless ninth for his first collegiate save. With the game tied 2-2 in the fifth, the Irish touch the plate five times on a Mike Amrhein RBI single, a two-out, two-run single from J.J. Brock and a two-run error by Boilermaker shortstop Ryan Cole.
Purdue 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 - 4 12 2Notre Dame 0 1 0 1 5 0 0 0 X - 7 11 1Bloomer, Reder (3), Buck (4), Kelly (5), Delaney (7) and Baltzell. Henebry, Lidge (9) and Lisanti.WP - Henebry (3-0) LP - Kelly (2-2) Save - Lidge (1)ND HiLites: Brooks (3-5, R, SB), Brock (2-4, 2RBI, R), Henebry (8IP, 12H, 4ER, 5K)
April 18 Notre Dame 11, Valparaiso 3
The Irish get eight runs in the first three innings and Chris McKeown earns his first collegiate win as the Irish roll, 11-3, over visiting Valparaiso. Notre Dame scores four in the first when Justin Scholl hammers his first career grand slam over the leftcenter field fence for his second homer of 1996. The Irish hit two more bombs >= Scott Sollmann’s second of the year in the sixth and Christian Parker’s first in the eighth>= to close out the blowout. McKeown tosses 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and striking out six in his first start as a college pitcher
Valparaiso 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 - 3 8 2Notre Dame 4 1 3 0 0 1 0 2 X - 11 9 4Pomeroy, Stayte (7) and Lockhart. McKeown, Davis (6), Allen (8), Lidge (9) and Wagner, Lisanti (9).WP - McKeown (1-0) LP - Pomeroy (0-4)ND HiLites: Greene (2-4, RBI), Scholl (1-5, HR, 4RBI), Davis (1.2IP, 0H, 4K)
April 20 Game One Georgetown 6, Notre Dame 3
The Irish are handcuffed by lefthander Brian O’Hare and drop the opening game of a BIG EAST three-game series, 7-1. O’Hare holds Notre Dame scoreless until the seventh when Allen Greene drives in three runs with a bases-loaded double. Alex Shilliday takes his second loss of 1996, allowing four runs in three innings of work.
Notre Dame 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 3 7 1Geogretown 1 0 3 0 2 0 X - 6 10 2Shilliday, stavisky (4) and Lisanti. O'Hare and Buckley.WP - O'Hare (7-1) LP - Shilliday (5-2)ND HiLites: Lisanti (2-3, R), Greene (2-3, 2B, 3RBI)
April 20 Notre Dame 7, Georgetown 3
Randall Brooks leads off the ballgame with a home run and the Irish never look back as they earn a split with the Hoyas, 7-3, in game two. Righthander Darin Schmalz tosses Notre Dame’s first nine-inning complete game of the season, allowing nine hits and striking out a career-high 12 to improve to 6-3 on the season. Five Irish hitters register multi-hit games as Notre Dame improves to 30-11 on the season.
Notre Dame 1 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 - 7 15 0Georgetown 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 - 3 9 1Schmalz and Wagner. Flanagan, Urban (9) and DeCaro.WP - Schmalz (6-2) LP - Flanagan (2-3)ND HiLites: Brooks (3-5, 2R, SB, HR), Brock (3-4, R), Schmalz (9IP, 9H, 3ER, 12K)
April 21 Notre Dame 7, Georgetown 0
Christian Parker dominates the scene, not allowing a hit through 5.1 innings and not allowing a base hit out of the infield until two are out in the ninth inning as Notre Dame takes the rubber game of the three-game conference series. Parker follows Schmalz’ lead of a day earlier, striking out 11 while allowing just three hits. The C/DH combo of Bob Lisnati and Jeff Wagner drive in five of Notre Dame’s seven runs with each player doubling home runs. Parker’s complete game win moves him to 6-1 on the season.
Notre Dame 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 2 - 7 12 2Georgetown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 0Parker and Lisanti. Jarman, Angonski (6), Ottavani (9) and DeCaro.WP - Parker (6-1) LP - Jarman ND HiLites: Brooks (2-4, 3R, 2B, SB), Lisanti (2-4, 2B, 2RBI), Parker (9IP, 3H, 0R, 11K)
April 23 Illinois 13, Notre Dame 3
A 3-0 Irish lead is shortlived as Illinois scores 13 unanswered runs off the pitching duo of Gregg Henebry and Brad Lidge. The Irish take the early lead on a RBI ground out by Mike Amrhein in the first and plate two in the third on a Bob Lisanti single and J.J. Brock sacrafice fly. Notre Dame’s fortunes turn sour in the fourth when the Illini score five times off Henebry and take advantage of five Irish errors over the final four innings to complete the blowout.
Notre Dame 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 9 5Illinois 0 0 0 5 2 1 3 2 X - 13 13 1Henebry, Lidge (5) and Lisanti. Tarajcak, Burlage (5), Wollard (9) and Niekula, Jackson (9)WP - Burlage (2-2) LP - Henebry (3-1)ND HiLites: Brooks (4-5, 4 1B, R), Lisanti (1-3, 2B, RBI), Sollmann (2-4, 2 1B)
April 24 Game One Notre Dame 13, St. Norbert 0
Chris McKeown tosses his first collegiate complete game and the Irish hammer out 14 hits in the lopsided 13-0 game one win over St. Norbert. Bob Lisanti tops the Irish hitter with three singles and four runs scored while George Restovich triples in a pair of runs and scores twice. Christian Parker adds a double and his second home run of the season from his designatedhitter spot.
St. Norbert 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 5 6 Notre Dame 0 3 0 4 2 4 X - 13 14 1LeMire, Hietpas (5) and Kirst, Koci (6). McKeown and Lisanti.WP - McKeown (2-0) LP - LeMire (0-1) ND HiLites: Lisanti (3-4, 3 1B, 4R) Restovich (2-3, 3B, 2RBI, 2R), McKeown (7IP, 5H, 8K)
April 24 Game Two Notre Dame 13, St. Norbert 1
The Irish put up 16 hits and 13 runs to complete the doubleheader sweep of the Green Knights, 13-1. Five Notre Dame pitchers including utility man Bret Poppleton combine on a three-hitter as Notre Dame improves it home record to 17-3. Christian Parker hits his second homer of the doubleheader as Notre Dame totals seven extra base hits. George Restovich adds to the mix with a double and his ninth triple of hte season while driving in three.
St. Norbert 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 3 1Notre Dame 3 1 3 1 1 4 X - 13 16 3Costello, Arendt (2), Kirst (5), Kramer (6) and Margelofsky. Allen, Widelski (4), Poppleton (5), Davis (6), Sauget(7) and Wagner.WP - Allen (2-3) LP - Costello (1-2) ND HiLites: Wagner (2-3, 2B, 3R, RBI), Restovich (2-2, 2B, 3B, 3RBI), Brock (2-4, 3B, 2RBI)
April 27 Game One West Virginia 6, Notre Dame 4
A double off the bat of WVU 1B Abe Barker drives in the winnings runs of starter Christian Parker as the Irish drop the first game of a BIG EAST doubleheader, 6-4. The Irish trail 3-0 before they even get to bat as Parker surrenders threee extra base hits but pull to within 3-2 in teh bottom of the first on a runs coring double from George Restovich and an RBI single from Bob Lisanti. Lisanti adds a two-run single to tie the game at 4-4 in the fifth before Barker’s key hit in the sixth.
West Virginia 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 - 6 8 2 Notre Dame 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 4 9 2Hively, Enochs (5) and Frushour. Parker, Davis (6), Shilliday (7) and LisantiWP - Enochs (4-4) LP - Parker (6-2) ND HiLites: Lisanti (3-4, 3 RBI, 4R), Sollmann (2-3, R, SAC, 3B)
April 27 Game Two West Virginia 8, Notre Dame 5
Irish get swept at home to drop to 8-7 in the conference with a 8-5 loss to the Mountaineers as five Notre Dame pitchers give up 14 hits over the course of nine innings and the Irish defense makes five costly errors. Notre Dame gets seven combined hits from spots 1-3 in the order but watch the 4-5-6 hitters go 0-14 in the loss. Justin Scholl homers and drives in three in his third start in RF while Randall Brooks adds three singles to the offensive efforts.
West Virginia 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 - 8 14 1 Notre Dame 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 - 5 10 5Riley and Frushour. Schmalz, Davis (3), Allen (4), Sauget (7), Stavisky (9) and Wagner.WP - Riley (4-3) LP - Schmalz (6-4) ND HiLites: Brooks (3-5, 3 1B, RBI), Scholl (2-4, HR, 3RBI), Amrhein (2-3, 2 2B)
April 30 Game One Notre Dame 8, Pittsburgh 3
Notre Dame jumps out to a 4-0 lead and never looks back in game one of a BIG EAST doubleheader beating Pitt, 8-3. Randall Brooks supplies the power with a pair of triples and a tape-measure home runs as the Irish offense wake up with 11 hits. Gregg Henebry goes all the way in his first BIG EAST appearance allowing six hits and striking out five over seven innings.
Pittsburgh 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 - 3 6 1Notre Dame 2 2 0 3 0 1 X - 8 11 1Rohrbach, Shaffer (5) and Derr. Henebry and Lisanti.WP - Henebry (4-1) LP - Rohrbach (5-4) ND HiLites: Brooks (4-4, 2 3B, HR, 3RBI), Scholl (2-4, HR, 2RBI), Henebry (7IP, 6H, 5K)
April 30 Game Two Notre Dame 2, Pittsburgh 0
Dan Stavisky is masterful in facing just one hitter over the minimum as Notre Dame improves to 35-14 overall and 10-7 in the BIG EAST with the doubleheader sweep. The Irish sneak out five hits and Mike Amrhein scores both runs in the win. Stavisky allows just three hits, doesn’t walk a batter and strikes out 10 to pick up his sixth win of the year. The sophomore closes the masterpiece by striking out six of the last seven hitters of the ballgame.
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 1 Notre Dame 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 X - 2 5 0Rosing, Skokowski (6) and Derr. Stavisky and Lisanti.WP - Stavisky (6-1) LP - Rosing (2-2) ND HiLites: Stavisky (9IP, 3H, 0R, 10K), Amrhein (1-3, 2R, 2B)
May 2 Notre Dame 8, Michigan 3
A three-run triple by CF Scott Sollmann and solo home runs by 1B George Restovich and 3B J.J. Brock account for three of Notre Dames’ four hits as the Irish defeat Michigan, 8-3 in front of 1,769 fans at the first “Turn Back the Clock” night. Five Irish pitchers combine to scatter nine hits with junior reliever Mike Balicki earning the win working two scoreless innings. Notre Dame pitching strikes out eight and doesn’t walk a batter in the effort.
Michigan 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 9 4 Notre Dame 0 4 0 0 1 1 0 2 X - 8 4 1Steketee, Steinbach (4), Besco (5), Herr (6), Bonner (7), Martay (8) and Kalahar, Haskell (8). Shilliday, Davis (3), Balicki (5), Allen (7), Sauget (9) and Lisanti.WP - Balicki (2-0) LP - Steketee (0-1) ND HiLites: Brock (1-3, HR, 2R, 2RBI), Sollmann (1-3, 2B, 3RBI, 2SB), Balicki (2IP, 2H, 0R)
May 4 Game One Notre Dame 7, Seton Hall 1
Home runs by Mike Amrhein and Jeff Wagner along with a complete game performance by Darin Schmalz push the Irish to a 7-1 game on win over Seton Hall. Schmalz scattered 10 hits over seven innings to pick up his seventh win of the season. He did not walk or strike out a batter in the win. Wagner’s two run homer in the second gave Notre Dame a lead it would not surrender while Amrhein became the first Irish player of 1996 to reach double digits in home runs with a solo shot in the fifth.
Seton Hall 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1 10 2 Notre Dame 0 3 0 0 1 3 X - 7 9 1Grilli and Hummel. Schmalz and Lisanti.WP - Schmalz (7-4) LP - Grilli (5-5) ND HiLites: Sollmann (2-4, 2RBI), Wagner (1-4, HR, 2RBI), Schmalz (7IP, 10H, 1R)
May 4 Game Two Notre Dame 15, Seton Hall 1
Christian Parker no-hits Seton Hall over the first 6.2 innings and combines with two other pitchers to toss a two-hitter as the Irish throddle the Pirates, 15-1. Notre Dame smacks 14 hits and takes advantage of six Seton Hall errors as Notre Dame scores eight times in the first three innings. Scott Sollmann registers three hits and becomes Notre Dame’s all-time leading career basestealer with the second of his two stolen bases on the afternoon.
Seton Hall 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 1 2 6 Notre Dame 4 1 3 0 0 2 0 5 X - 15 14 0Gangemi, Jerue (3), Grandstaff (7), Dolansky (8) and Hummel, Melconian (6). Parker, Lidge (8), Widelski (9) and Lisanti, Wagner (8).WP - Parker (7-2) LP - Gangemi (1-1) ND HiLites: Sollmann (3-4, 3R, 2B, 2SB), Scholl (2-4, 2B, 2R, RBI), Parker (7IP, 2H, 1R, 5K)
May 5 Notre Dame 10, Seton Hall 1
The Irish clinch a spot in the BIG EAST tournament with its third straight blowout of the Pirates, 10-1, to close their initial BIG EAST season. J.J. Brock hits his second career grand slam as Notre Dmae puts four on the board in the third to take a 6-0 lead. Gregg Henebry picks up his fifth win of the season, allowing an unearned run in five innings of work. Dan Stavisky and Rich Sauget close out the win allowing just one hit over the final four innings.
Seton Hall 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 4 Notre Dame 2 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 X - 10 11 1Tomassi, Probst (4), Duigman (8) and Hummel, Robinson (7). Henebry, Stavisky (6), Sauget (9) and Lisanti, Robinson (8).WP - Henebry (5-1) LP - Tomassi (1-1) ND HiLites: Brock (2-4, HR, 4RBI), Wagner (1-2, 3RBI), Henebry (5IP, 5H, 0ER)
BIG EAST Tournament (Norwich, Conn.)
May 14 West Virginia 10, Notre Dame 8
A five-run eighth innings spoils the opening game of the BIG EAST tournament for the Irish as West Virginia comes from behind to beat Notre Dmae, 10-8. Notre Dame gets off to a fast start, scoring three times in the first inning with George Restovich doubling home a pai with two outs. Senior RF Rowan Richards returned to the lineup for the first time in five weeks and registered a pair of hits including his sixth home run of the season. The Irish carried an 8-4 advantage into the eight but five walks and a pair of errors allow the Mountaineers to take the lead for good.
Notre Dame 3 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 - 8 12 4 West Virginia 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 5 X - 10 12 1Henebry, Shilliday (6), Davis (8), Sauget (8) and Lisanti. Riley, Cummings (8), Allen (9) and Frushour.WP - Cummings (3-2) LP - Sauget (1-2) Save - Allen (4)ND HiLites: Richards (2-5, HR, RBI), Amrhein (2-5, R, 2RBI), Turco (2-4, R)
May 15 Notre Dame 7, Villanova 3
The Irish tally five runs in the bottom of the first and Darin Schmalz does not allow an earned run in a complete game win over Villanova, 7-3, to eliminate the Wildcats from the BIG EAST tournament. RBI hits from George Restovich, Mike Amrhein and Bob Lisanti stake Schmalz to the early lead and the junior picks up his eighth win of the year with a four-hitter. Rowan Richards continued his hot-hitting, singling three times and scoring once.
Villanova 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 4 3Notre Dame 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 X - 7 9 1Dunne, Williams (1), Klopp (8) and Grove. Schmalz and Lisanti.WP - Schmalz (8-4) LP - Dunne (5-2)ND HiLites: Richards (3-5, R), Lisanti (1-3, 2B, 2RBI), Sollmann (2-4, 2R) Schmalz (9IP, 4H, 0ER, 3K)
May 17 Game One Notre Dame 4, Providence 2
In a matchup of pretournament favorites, Christian Parker mows down the Friars and the Irish get two two-run home runs from Mike Amrhein and Jeff Wagner to eliminate Providence, 4-2. Parker gives up just five hits while striking out six to improve to 8-2 on the season. Amrhein and Wagner account for five of Notre Dame’s six hits with Amrhein homering in the third and Wagner in the ninth of Friar starter Jim O’Brien.
Notre Dame 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 4 6 0 Providence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 2 5 1Parker and Lisanti. O'Brien, Galligan (9) and Freidholm.WP - Parker (8-2) LP - O'Brien (5-4)ND HiLites: Parker (9IP, 5H, 2R, 6K), Amrhein (3-4, 2R, HR, 2RBI), Wagner (2-4, R, HR, 2RBI)
May 17 Game Two Notre Dame 4, St. John’s 0
Dan Stavisky increases his scoreless innings streak to 22.1 innings as he shuts out St. John’s, 4-0, to push Notre Dame into the championship round of the BIG EAST tournament. Stavisky allows six hits, does not walk a batter and strikes out four to register his second consecutive complete game shutout in two weeks. George Restovich drives in three runs with a sacrafice fly and two-run homer as Notre Dme makes the most out of their five hits on the evening.
Notre Dame 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 - 4 5 2St. John's 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 3Stavisky and Lisanti. Vassallo, Hughes (5), Johnson (7) and Fierro.WP - Stavisky (7-1) LP - Vassallo (1-4)ND HiLites: Stavisky (9IP, 6H, 0R, 0BB, 4K), Restovich (1-3, HR, SF, 3RBI), Amrhein (1-4, 2R, 2B)
May 18 Game One Notre Dame 5, West Virginia 2
Notre Dame forces a championship game by defeating West Virginia for the first time in 1996, 5-2. Gregg Henebry, throwing on three days rest, goes 5.1 innings allowing a pair of runs on four hits before senior Craig Allen comes in to slam the door with 3.2 innings of two-hit ball. Henebry improves his record to 6-1 while the senior Allen earns his first career save. Notre Dame gets 11 hits in the game including three apiece from Mike Amrhein and Randall Brooks.
West Virginia 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 6 1Notre Dame 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 X - 5 11 0 Stouffer, Spencer (7) and Frushour. Henebry, Allen (6) and Lisanti.WP - Henebry (6-1) LP - Stouffer (3-4) Save - Allen (1)ND HiLites: Amrhein (3-4, 2R, RBI), Allen (3.2IP, 2H, 0R, 3K), Brooks (3-3, RBI)
May 18 Game Two West Virginia 7, Notre Dame 4
Notre Dame’s hopes of a BIG EAST championship are dashed as West Virginia scores five times in the third and holds on for a 7-4 victory. The win gives the Mountaineers the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Regionals. Freshman Alex Shilliday earned the start and took the loss for the Irish going three innings and allowing four runs as Notre Dame concludes the season at 43-16 overall. The Irish, trailing 7-3 in the ninth, loaded the bases with none out against WVU starter and winner Mike Riley but the Mountaineers were bailed out by tournament most outstanding player Chris Enochs who enticed Mike Amrhein to ground into a double play and struck out Jeff Wagner to earn the save.
Notre Dame 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 - 4 12 2 West Virginia 0 1 0 5 0 1 0 0 X - 7 9 0Shilliday, Widelski (4), Balicki (4), Sauget (7) and Lisanti. Riley, Enochs (9) and Frushour.WP - Riley (6-3) LP - Shilliday (5-3) Save - Enochs (2)ND HiLites: Brock (2-3, SH, RBI), Brooks (2-3, 2B), Wagner (2-4, R, 2B)
NCAA South I Regional at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
May 23 Notre Dame 12, Virginia 1
The Irish explode for 12 runs against the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champion Virginia Cavaliers to win 12-1. Righthander Darin Schmalz allows just one hit over the first seven innings and three Irish relievers close out the victory. The Irish break it open in the fourth innings with four runs off Cavalier starter Jason Sekany. CF Scott Sollmann and 1B George Restovich each drive in a pair with singles as Notre Dame takes a 6-1 lead. Notre Dame added icing to the cake with five runs inthe eighth as Mike Amrhein and Restovich hit back-to-back home runs.
Notre Dame 1 1 0 4 0 0 1 5 0 - 12 17 3Virginia 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 3 1Schmalz, Balicki (8), Lidge (9), Davis (9) and Lisanti. Sekany, Zaikov (4), Canady (8), Lee (8), Zawatski (9) and Counts.WP - Schmalz (9-4) LP - Sekany (6-3)ND HiLites: Schmalz (7IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER), Restovich (4-6, HR, 5RBI) Turco (3-5, R, RBI)
May 24 Stetson 7, Notre Dame 6
The Irish lose a 6-1 lead in the late innings as Stetson scores four times in the seventh and twice in the eighth to win 7-6 and send Notre Dame into the loser’s bracket. Rowan Richards opened the game with solo home run but one batter later the game was delayed for an hour and 24 minutes as a “micro-twister” hit Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Following the delay, Mike Amrhein homered to give the Irish an early 2-0 lead. The Irish got three more in the sixth before the Hatters hit a pair of homers in the second. Irish starter Dan Stavisky extended his scoreless streak to 23.2 innings before allowing a single runin the second inning.
Stetson 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 - 7 14 2 Notre Dame 2 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 - 6 9 1Knott, Brown (7), Lyons (8) and Serrano. Stavisky, Davis (7), Shililday (7), Henebry (8), Sauget (9) and Lisanti.WP - Brown (7-4) LP - Shilliday (5-4) Save - Lyons (15)ND HiLites: Brooks (2-4, 2B, R), Stavisky (6IP, 4R, 3K), Turco (1-4, 2RBI)
May 25 Virginia 7, Notre Dame 1
Notre Dame’s season comes to an end at the hands of Virginia All-American Seth Greisinger, 7-1. Notre Dame manages just six hits off the future first-round draft choice including a pair by Rowan Richards. Irish starter Christian Parker is touched for runs in each of the first four innings and is driven from the game. Senior Craig Allen makes his second bullpen appearance of the post-season, striking out six over 3.1 innings of work. Notre Dame finishes its second season under Paul Mainieri with a 44-18 record.
Notre Dame 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 6 3Virginia 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 X - 7 10 3Parker, Allen (4), Sauget (8) and Lisanti. Greisinger and Counts.WP - Greisinger (12-2) LP - Parker (8-3) ND HiLites: Richards (2-4, 2B), Restovich (1-4, RBI, 2B), Allen (3.1IP, 6K, 2R)