Brant Ust had a good day at the plate in batting 3 for 6 with 5 RBI's and a home run in wild 19-16 victory over the University of Dallas.

Baseball Wins Wild Game over University of Dallas, 19-16

Naumann's shutout relief, Felker's pinch-hit home run spark Irish comeback.

March 9, 1999

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Sophomore lefthander Mike Naumann retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced and junior Jeff Felker smacked a game-winning, three-run home run in the seventh inning, as the Notre Dame baseball team rallied from two seven-run deficits to defeat the University of Dallas, 19-16, in a wild game Monday night at V.J. Keefe Field.

Notre Dame (5-6) spotted Dallas (6-8) a 7-0 lead in the top of the first inning and continually chipped away at leads of 12-7 and 16-9 before surging ahead on Felker's second home run of the season.

Naumann rescued the depleted Irish pitching staff, which was facing its fourth game in three days, by allowing just one hit over the final four and two-third innings while recording three strikeouts, five groundouts, three flyouts and a tough double-play ball back to the mound. Sophomore righthander Mike Perdue suffered the loss, allowing 10 runs (just three of them earned) on eight hits and three walks over three innings, with four Ks.

Notre Dame's offensive heroes included freshman third baseman Andrew Bushey (4-for-6, RBI), junior shortstop Brant Ust (3-for-6, 5 RBI, seventh home run of the season), junior DH Matt Nussbaum (3-for-3, RBI, three walks) and freshman centerfielder Steve Stanley (3-for-6, three runs scored).

The game started 65 minutes late-at 8:05 central time-due to a late-arriving umpire who was working another marathon game across town. The Irish and Crusaders then played nearly past midnight, with the game lasting three hours and 45 minutes before Naumann induced a game-ending flyout at 11:50.

The last time Notre Dame and its opponent each scored 16-plus runs came on April 12, 1966, when the Irish dropped a 17-16 game at Georgia. Notre Dame also lost a 16-15 game to Detroit on May 18, 1989, at Coveleski Stadium, before winning five straight games to claim the MCC Tournament title. Monday's 35 combined runs are the most in a game involving Notre Dame since April 19, 1988, when the Irish dropped a 28-10 early-week game at Western Michigan.

The decisive seventh inning began with a full-count, one-out walk by freshman first baseman Matt Strickroth. Bushey followed with a single through the right side and Nussbaum added a run-scoring single through the left side.

The Irish then scored five runs with two outs, helped by two errors. Second baseman Bryan Goria made a throwing error on a grounder by junior rightfielder Jeff Perconte, allowing Bushey to score. The Irish then brought on Felker as a pinch-hitter for righthanded sophomore Ben Cooke. Felker worked to a 2-1 count before launching the ball over the scoreboard in right field for a 17-16 Irish lead.

The big inning continued when Stanley sent a two-strike single up the middle and stole second base. Sophomore second baseman Alec Porzel then walked on four pitches and Ust drilled a two-run double past the third-base bag.

Dallas jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first, sparked by back-to-back home runs from Merlin Greaves and Phillip Cooley. Irish freshman righthander Matt Buchmeier had a rough outing in his first start, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits while not recording an out.

The Irish jumped back in the game with six unearned runs in the bottom of the second, sparked by singles through the infield by Nussbaum and freshman catcher Paul O'Toole and infield singles Perconte (followed by a throwing error) and leftfielder Cooke.

Stanley reached when second baseman Goria booted his groundball and Porzel then roped an RBI single to left-center. Ust capped the inning with a three-run shot that cleared the trees in left-center field with plenty of room to spare.

Dallas responded with four more runs in the third inning versus sophomore righthander Mike Carlin, sparked by David Biagini's two-run single up the middle. The Irish then plated a run in the third, when Perconte's sacrifice fly versus Jake Carney brought home Bushey.

Dallas added an unearned run in the fourth versus junior lefthander Mark Lapinskas, who was making his first appearance with the Irish since March 27, 1998. Dan Housten's double moved Greaves to third and the runner broke for home when Cooke had trouble coming up with the ball in the leftfield corner. Greaves stumbled halfway down the third-base line and Ust double-clutched before sending home the relay throw. In a strange encounter at the plate, Greaves pushed O'Toole between the shoulder blades before lunging towards the base. Ust's throw arrived a split-second later and O'Toole slapped a late tag while giving Greaves a retaliatory shove. Irish head coach Paul Mainieri came out of the dugout to argue that Greaves had never touched home plate (in addition to pushing O'Toole), but the umpires let the run stand.

The Irish chipped away with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a single from Strickroth, Bushey's double to left field, a walk by Nussbaum, a balk by freshman righthander Jake Carney and O'Toole's RBI single through the right side to produce a 12-9 game.

But Dallas answered back with another four-run effort in the top of the fifth, versus Lapinskas and junior righthander Steve Szczepanski. Naumann took the hill facing a 15-9 deficit with runners on second and third and a 2-1 count on the batter. Naumann then uncorked a run-scoring wild pitch before walking Scott Pacot and forcing Housten into a rally-killing, double-play lineout back to the mound.

The Irish then scored the final 10 runs of the game, with three in the fifth and seven in the decisive seventh. Stanley opened the fifth with a first-pitch bunt down the first-base line before beating Perdue to the bag. Porzel followed with his first home run of the season, on a shot to left field before Ust reached second base when leftfielder Jesse Nelson dropped his fly ball. Ust moved up on a wild pitch before scoring on Bushey's single to the left side.

Ust is hitting 10-for-16 on the spring break trip, with four home runs and 15 RBI. His 36 career home runs rank fourth in Notre Dame history, behind current senior Jeff Wagner (43), Frank Jacobs (37, 1989-91) and Mike Amrhein (37, 1994-97).

Dallas (6-8)        704 140 000     16  14  5
Notre Dame (5-6)    061 230 70X     19  22  3
Hargrove, Carney (3), Perdue (5), Myers (8) and Cooley.
Buchmeier, Carlin (1), Lapinskas (3), Szczepanski (5), Naumann (5)
 and O'Toole.