Irish, Pirates battle for Big East
By NOAH AMSTADTER
Sports Writer
Last year, the Pirates and Irish came out of their season battle with a draw, as each team won two of the four games the teams played. This year, a resurrected Irish team sports a 29-8 record as they begin their Easter weekend play today with a doubleheader in South Orange, N.Y.
This weekend's games are crucial for Notre Dame, who also visits Georgetown for a Holy Saturday doubleheader. The Irish and Pirates enter tomorrow's games tied for second in the Big East, both sporting 8-4 records within the conference. Notre Dame, however, has the better overall season record as Seton Hall has 24 wins to go along with 10 losses.
The Pirates are led by utility player Alfie Critelli, who currently is tied for the Big East lead in home runs with 12 and in runs batted in with 46. Seton Hall also boasts the top two base stealers in the conference as Mike Bascom and Joe Cuervo are tied with 21 apiece.
Notre Dame will counter with their own offensive attack. Catcher Matt Nussbaum and shortstop Alec Porzel have been on fire as of late. Shortstop Porzel is the team's leading hitter with a .351 average. Nussbaum was the catalyst as the Irish took on Seton Hall last season, batting .500 while scoring five runs and driving in four more.
Notre Dame will likely start veterans Scott Cavey and Aaron Heilman in today's games. Heilman, coming off a career-best 18 strikeout game against West Virginia, is 7-1 on the season with a conference leading 74 punch-outs. Heilman, however, has given up 7 runs in 9.2 career innings against Seton Hall.
Cavey, coming off of an impressive win over the Mountaineers, fared much better against Seton Hall last season, giving up one run in six innings to collect the win. Cavey also had seven strikeouts in the game.
If the Irish can get past the Pirates, the Georgetown games provide a chance for Notre Dame to increase its conference standing. The Hoyas are a woeful 1-14 in conference play this year, 12-30 overall.
Last season, the Irish won all three of the meetings between the teams. Designated hitter Paul O'Toole batted .400 against Georgetown as a freshman, driving in four runs. Fellow sophomore third baseman Andrew Bushey homered against the Hoyas, batting .375 in the four games.
The Irish return home to play a few local games during the week next week. The team takes on Western Michigan on Tuesday at Kalamazoo and Michigan on Wednesday at Comstock Park.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, April 20, 2000
