Irish on verge of No. 1 ranking after sweeping 'Cats
By COLIN BOYLAN
Sports Writer
Only weeks removed from an NCAA basketball championship, Irish fans may soon have another No. 1 team to cheer for after the Notre Dame baseball team posted a three-game sweep of Villanova this weekend with dominating victories of 7-1, 15-2 and 8-3.
The wins improved the team's record to 36-5-1 and, coupled with two weekend losses by top-ranked Stanford, may boost the Irish from their current number two spot in the College Baseball Division I poll to the No. 1 ranking. As always, Notre Dame head coach Paul Mainieri was humble about the prospect of such an achievement.
"If it [the top ranking] happens, it will definitely be a great accomplishment," Mainieri said. "But I don't place too much emphasis on mid-season polls."
After their performance against the Wildcats, the Irish definitely appear to be worthy of such an honor. Their weekend series was characterized by dominant performances on the mound and big hitting at the plate.
Staff ace Aaron Heilman kicked off the opening contest, facing off against Villanova's Tom Kandybowicz. The Wildcats got to Heilman first, when second baseman Matt Longo knocked an inside fastball high into right field. The hit, which initially seemed like a routine fly ball, got caught up in a strong outward wind and sailed over the right field fence.
It was only the 10th homerun Heilman had allowed during his entire career and it gave Villanova a 1-0 third inning lead. However, Heilman refused to blame the homerun on the weather.
"Certainly the wind was blowing, but I just made a bad pitch," Heilman said.
Regardless, it was the only real scoring chance the Wildcats would get for the rest of the game.
Once Heilman retired the side, the Irish hitters took over. Steve Stanley opened up the bottom of the inning with a single. He took second on a Wildcat error and scored on Steve Sollman's next at-bat double to tie the game at one.
The Irish then blew open the door in the fifth inning. Once again, Stanley started things off with a single. Three straight walks to Brian Stavisky, Kris Billmaier and Paul O'Toole brought him home. Utility man Ben Cooke followed with a double just over the glove of the outstretched Villanova center fielder. The deep shot cleared the bases and gave Notre Dame a 5-1 lead. The lead would later be extended to 7-1 on RBIs from Alec Porzel and Stavisky
That was all Heilman would need. Pitching with pinpoint accuracy, he dominated Wildcat hitters the rest of the game. Finishing with eight
strikeouts, he allowed only four hits and no additional runs, going the full seven innings for the victory. The win was Heilman's 10th of the season, and he became only the second pitcher in Notre Dame history to begin a season 10-0.
"I wasn't really thinking about that at all," Heilman said after the game. "I just try to pitch my best and let the records take care of themselves."
Irish hitters dominated the second contest. Stanley started the game by doing his best Reggie Jackson impersonation when the junior center fielder sent pitcher Bob Grzenda's first offering deep over the rightfield fence. The homerun was the first of Stanley's career and set the pace for an outpouring of runs that would follow.
The Irish exploded in the sixth inning, when consecutive singles by O'Toole and Matt Bok brought home Irish baserunners. Three batters later, a single by Stanley scored two more runs and Steve Sollman following with an opposite field two run homer.
Kris Billmaier joined the party in the seventh by pulling a pitch from Adrian Schau into the scoreboard in left field, for his fourth homerun of the year.
Even pinch hitters Matt Strickroth and John Heintz made significant contributions — slamming rare back-to-back triples to spark a four run eighth inning and give the Irish an insurmountable 15-2 lead.
Almost lost in all the offensive production was a masterful performance by starting pitcher Danny Tamayo. Tamayo's eight inning, two run outing was highlighted by the fact that he only gave up one hit, a homerun to Rob Cafiero, all game. With help from an amazing diving catch by the centerfielder Stanley, Tamayo was able to work through six innings of hitless baseball, before Cafiero's blast ended the streak.
Nonetheless, Tamayo finished with eight strikeouts and a win that improved his record to 7-1.
The Irish began their quest for a three game sweep in solid fashion on Sunday. Stavisky gave starting pitcher J.P. Gagne a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he knocked in Stanley with an RBI single.
But the score remained close for the majority of the game. The Wildcats threatened to take the lead when they loaded the bases with only one out in the sixth inning. Pitching with a tight 3-1 lead, Gagne induced Villanova's batters to ground into a forceout at home and a inning ending fly ball, respectively.
Once again, the bottom of the sixth inning was kind to the Irish, when an error by the second baseman Longo opened the door for four unearned runs. The rally was capped by a three run Porzel homer.
After seven innings of gritty pitching, Gagne gave way to Matt Buchmeier and Matt Laird to close out the game and earn an 8-3 victory. The win improved his season record to 4-2. More importantly, it marked the 14th consecutive Irish victory, their longest winning streak in nearly eight years.
While Mainieri was pleased with the performance of his "aces" Heilman and Tamayo, he was especially impressed by Gagne's performance.
"J.P. Gagne pitches courageously every time he goes out there and he's so important to our success this year," said Mainieri.
Indeed, this weekend's series showcased the talents of several unsung heroes on the Irish squad. These include catcher O'Toole, who threw out all three Villanova runners who attempted a steal in the third game, and Stanley who racked up six hits and scored eight runs in the series.
"Steve Stanley has been tremendous for three years. There's no way we could even think about being No. 1 without him," said Mainieri.
Indeed, the only fact that could the attitude around the Irish clubhouse was the injury suffered by third baseman Andrew Bushey in the first game. Bushey injured his shoulder diving for a ground ball and did not return for the remainder of the series. His current status is day to day.
Meanwhile, as the Irish continue to climb to their best record ever, they will likely be anchored by what some call the best 1-2 pitching combination in college baseball in Heilman and Tamayo.
When asked if he thought any tandem in the nation could compare, Heilman responded, "I think you'd be hard pressed to find one, but we're very confident in our entire pitching staff and our team as a whole."
All Sports Stories for Monday, April 23, 2001
