Aug. 7, 1999
WICHITA, Kansas- The USA Baseball national team used strong
starting pitching from Notre Dame junior-to-be Aaron Heilman
(Logansport, Ind.) and an explosive offense to post a decisive 21-1
victory Saturday over the Thonotosassa (Fla.) Pop Daumys at Lawrence
Dumont Stadium, propelling the USA into the winners' bracket at the
annual National Baseball Congress World Series.
Team USA (22-13 overall)-which opened play with a 15-0 win over Luke
(Ariz.) Air Force Base-again enjoyed the scheduling benefits of being
the tournament's top-seeded team. The USA will look to extend its
12-game summer winning streak on Sunday, Aug. 8, against the Santa
Barbara (Calif.) Foresters (game time is 5:00 p.m. CST).
Heilman allowed one run, five hits and one walk while striking out four
batters over the first four innings. Stanford righthander Justin Wayne
pitched the final inning, with the game called after five innings due to
the tournament mercy rule (Heilman was credited with the win).
Heilman's summer statistics with Team USA include a 2.50 ERA, a
4-2 record (tying him with UCLA's Josh Karp for the team lead in wins),
two saves, 36 strikeouts, 10 walks and 35 hits allowed in 37.1 innings,
with a .250 opponent batting average.
As has been the case in previous years, Heilman is not the only
current Notre Dame player who is participating in the NBC World Series,
as four Irish players-catcher Paul O'Toole (Lakewood, Ohio), outfielder
Jeff Felker (Ellicott City, Md.) and righthanders John Corbin
(Hollywood, Fla.) and Drew Duff (Sevierville, Tenn.)-are members of the
Hays (Kan.) Larks squad that fought off elimination in a 10-inning game
on Thursday night, with Felker and O'Toole providing key RBI (see recaps
below).
USA 21, Thonotosassa 1 (Aug. 7): Heilman gave up a run in the bottom of
the first but the USA responded with a six-run second, versus starter
J.J. Smith S the big inning was capped by the 16th home run of the
summer by University of California third baseman Xavier Nady, moving him
into a tie for third on the USA national program single-season list with
Will Clark ('84) and Ty Griffin ('88) ... Nady now stands one behind
Travis Lee (17, '96) and four behind the record holder Tino Martinez
(20, '88) S Team USA tacked on nine more runs in the third, versus
relievers Terry Conn and Ryan Land ... Texas A&M rightfielder Daylan
Holt capped the inning with his sixth home run of the summer, a two-run
blast S local favorite Koyie Hill, the USA's second baseman and a
product of Wichita State, collected two doubles and a triple in front
of the home crowd, with three RBI and two runs scored ... University of
San Francisco first baseman Tagg Bozied and Arizona shortstop Keoni
DeRenne each scored three runs.
USA 15, Luke Air Force Base 0 (Aug. 5): The USA opened play at the NBC
World Series, led by three hits and two RBI from UCLA leftfielder Bill
Scott S California catcher Mike Tonis also delivered a bases-clearing
double S Holt and Hill each added a pair of hits and two RBI S every
starter for Team USA scored at least one run S USC righthander Mark
Prior pitched four innings and allowed just two singles while striking
out four to earn the win S the game was shortened to five innings due to
the tournament 10-run rule ... Houston lefthander Shane Nance worked the
final frame in his first appearance with Team USA during the summer of
1999 (Nance was a teammate of former Notre Dame infielder Brant Ust on
the 1998 USA national team) S DeRenne's 18-game hitting streak came to
an end when he went 0-for-1 with two walks.
Hays 8, Wichita Twins 7 (Aug. 5): The Larks stayed alive and have
advanced to the round of 16 in the loser's bracket, with their next game
on Sunday vs. the loser of the USA-Santa Barbara game S Hays fell behind
4-0 before a five-run fourth, with Felker's two-out single to the
pitcher plating the third run (followed by a two-run home run by the No.
6 hitter) S Wichita took a 7-5 lead in to the bottom of the ninth but
Hays rallied, with cleanup hitter O'Toole smacking a two-out single up
the middle to tie the game S O'Toole went 2-for-4 while catching, Felker
was 1-for-5.
Edmund (Okla.) Mudcats 9, Hays 8 (Aug. 4): Hays jumped out to an 8-0
lead after three innings but Edmund roared back for the win S O'Toole
went 1-for-5 with an RBI and run scored while hitting cleanup as the DH
S Felker batted seventh and played right field, hitting 3-for-5 with a
run and RBI S both Irish players had an RBI double S one of the Larks'
two coaches is Pat Davis, the former Notre Dame lefthander (1995-98) who
is a former Larks player and coaches at his former high school, the
Texas Military Institute S Felker and Corbin (both seniors-to-be with
the Irish) were late additions to the Hays squad (Felker attended summer
school at Notre Dame while Corbin began the summer playing for the
Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League) S Hays advanced to the
NBC World Series as champions of the Jayhawk League S Duff and O'Toole
both will be members of the talented sophomore class for the Irish in
1999-2000.
