BASEBALL: Notre Dame falls to professional Devil Rays, 17-4
By NOAH AMSTADTER
Assistant Sports Editor
Notre Dame graduate Vince Naimoli faced and interesting dilemma Thursday afternoon. The 1959 graduate is the owner of the major league Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who were playing an exhibition game against the Irish.
Despite his loyalty to his alma mater, Naimoli was quite clear on which team he was rooting for at Florida Flower Park in St. Petersburg.
"No question. I want the Devil Rays to win every game," Naimoli said in a press release.
And that is just what his team did, by a 17-4 margin.
The Devil Rays jumped on sophomore starter Peter Ogilve early. Following two 2-run singles by major league veterans Randy Winn and Gerald Williams, the Irish were quickly down 5-0 in the second inning.
The Irish hit the bank in the bottom of the fourth off Tampa bonus baby Matt White. White, a former top draft pick who received a $10 million signing bonus, walked the first three batters of the inning before facing outfielder Kris Billmaier.
Billmaier stroked a single to score one run, and freshman first baseman Joe Thamann plated another runner with a groundout.
With Irish rightfielder Brian Stavisky nursing a sore hamstring, Billmaier will be counted on for offensive help.
"He's a fun player to watch," Notre Dame sports information director Pete Lafleur told the Notre Dame radio network. "He really goes up there and takes his hacks."
White faced 11 hitters in two innings, giving up the two runs on three hits.
"I wasn't pleased to have a lapse in my first outing," White said in a press release. "You're so focused to go out there and I just rushed it, getting my fastball up."
Mike Morgalis didn't fare much better on the mound for the Irish in the fifth inning, serving up homers to Ron Wright and Derrick Gibson to extend the Tampa lead to 9-2.
White's manager thought that his star prospect lost his composure a bit on the mound.
"He got out of sync, especially the first three hitters. He did throw some good pitches but it was just one of those days when he got out of sync and it took him longer than you want to get back into it," White said.
Travis Harper started the game for the Devil Rays, holding the Irish scoreless in his three innings. Harper retired eight of the first nine batters he faced.
"That's what you expect from Travis," Rothschild said. "I thought he threw the ball very well. He's going to throw the ball over the plate and knows what to do with it."
The Irish take the field for a game that counts today. Star righthander Aaron Heilman takes the mound against a tough Florida Atlantic team at 1 p.m.
All Sports Stories for Friday, March 2, 2001
