University of Connecticut Athletics
Baseball Falls To Top-Ranked Notre Dame
5/5/2001 12:00:00โฏAM | Baseball
May 5, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind.- On a day when Chris DeBrisco (Sr., Stamford, CT) became the University of Connecticut's all-time leader in career appearances with 57, the Notre Dame pitching staff was a key as Aaron Heilman grooved and the staff in the second game was rattled, but benefitted greatly from a three-run come from behind ninth to hold on, giving the Irish 6-1 and 13-12 victories. With the pair of losses inside the Frank E. Eck Stadium, the Huskies fell to 24-25 on the season and 12-13 in BIG EAST play. The top-ranked Irish, who clinched the regular season league title after the first game pushed its overall record to 43-7-1 and 20-2 in the conference.
Perhaps it was fitting that the last batter Heilman would face, Mike James, was fanned to mark the 400th strikeout of his career and the 10th of the game. The single game total tied that of what The Citadel was able to do on Feb. 24.
Game one saw the Irish get on the board first when Alec Porzel sent his fifth homer of the season over the left field fence when his solo shot took off on the first pitch he saw. That score would hold until the bottom of the third when the Irish came up with three more as Steve Sollmann pulled a double down the left field line to start off the frame. After Pat Sperone (Jr., Sicklerville, NJ) gave a free pass to Porzel, Brian Stavisky sent a triple into right center to score Sollman and Porzel, before he was brought around in when Kris Billmaier was out at first.
The Irish added two more in the fourth to pull the lead to 6-0 and threatened to shut out the Huskies for the first time since an opening day (Feb. 16) 2-0 loss at UNC-Greensboro. However, in the top of the seventh, Peter Soteropoulos (So., Peabody, MA) doubled and was brought around when Russ D'Argento (Fr., Ashland, MA) singled.
For UConn, Sperone worked all six as he went to 6-5 on the year giving up eight hits, six runs (all earned), while walking four and striking out three. Heilman went seven with three hits, one earned run and walked three.
Between games the Irish changed uniform tops from green, which is brought out on special occasions as ND is now 4-0 in them, to blue. The momemtum didn't change much though as a season high 19 hits for UConn woulnd't be enough. The two teams battled it out with Notre Dame jumping out to three run leads twice and a two run lead another time with UConn answering on every occasion and finally pulling ahead in a four-run sixth in which the Irish committed three errors.
Connecticut got it to 12-10 and took things into the bottom of the ninth in that fashion. However, with runners on first and second, Steve Sanley dropped a triple into center that went over the outstrechted arm of Mike Scott (Jr., Darien, CT) to tie it up, before he came across for the win on a Sollmann sac fly to center.
James was credited with his first loss of the season to bring his record to 4-1., while Notre Dame's Matt Laird got the win up his record to match that of James'.
The two teams will meet for the third time tomorrow at 12:05 p.m.
Game OneNotre Dame, 6, UConn, 1Connecticut (24-24, 12-12) 000 000 1- 1 3 0Notre Dame (42-7-1, 19-2) 103 200 X- 6 8 1
Patrick Sperone and Mike James. Aaron Heilman and Paul O'Toole. Win-Heilman(12-0). Loss-Sperone (6-5). 2B-Soteropoulos (UC), Stanley (ND), Solmann(ND), Bok (ND). 3B-Stavisky (ND). HR-Porzel (UC).LOB-UConn-5, ND-4
Game TwoNotre Dame, 13, Connecticut, 12Connecticut (24-25, 12-13) 003 314 010- 12 19 4Notre Dame (43-7-1, 20-2) 303 120 103- 13 13 4
Chris DeBrisco, Mike James (6), and Mike Leonard. Danny Tamayo, MattBuckmeier (6), Mike Naumann (7), Matt Laird (8) and Paul O'Toole.Win-Laird (4-1) Loss-James (4-1). E-Scott (UC), D'Argento (UC), Mocerino (UC),DeBrisco (UC), Stanley (ND), Porzel (ND), Stavisky (ND), Tamayo (ND).2B-Scott, 2 (UC), Tisbert (UC), Trubia (UC), Porzel (ND).3B-Hess (UC), Stanley (ND). HR-Stavisky (ND).LOB-UConn-9, ND-8DP-ND-1
