BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - Senior Ryan Kalita (Oak Park, Ill.) threw seven innings,
allowing one unearned run, in a 9-3 win over Rutgers in a winners-bracket game
at the 2003 BIG EAST Baseball Championship at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater,
N.J.
The Irish broke open the game with six runs in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman
Cody Rizzo (Temecula, Calif.) hit a bases-loaded double that scored two runs
to give Kalita all the support he would need. Rizzo finished the game 3-for-3
with two runs scored and two runs batted in.
Kalita struck out six, walked one and scattered seven hits to push his record
to 6-1. Junior Shaun Parker (Westampton, N.J.) took the loss for the Knights
and falls to 4-3. He lasted four innings, surrendering seven runs (five earned)
on eight hits.
RU got two runs in the eighth off a two-run home run by senior Steve Normane
(Point Pleasant, N.J.), his eighth round-tripper of the year. All of the Knights'
runs were unearned.
With the win, Notre Dame (42-15) advances to Saturday's Championship round
against the winner of tonight's West Virginia-Rutgers game. The Irish need
just one victory to defend their BIG EAST title.
GAME FOUR
Rutgers 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 - 3 8 3
ND 2 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 x - 9 13 2
WP - Ryan Kalita (6-2)
LP - Shaun Parker (4-3)
T - 2:57
** 2003 RUTGERS BASEBALL **
Rutgers at NOTRDAME
May 23, 2003 at Bridgewater, NJ (Commerce Bank Ballpk)
Rutgers 3 (34-19) NOTRDAME 9 (42-15)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
--------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------
BADGER, Graig 2b........... 5 0 1 1 Steve Sollmann 2b.......... 5 1 2 0
WOLSKI, Matt dh............ 4 0 0 0 Craig Cooper lf............ 4 1 1 1
FRAZIER, Jeff rf........... 4 1 1 0 Matt Edwards 1b............ 4 1 2 0
ESPOSITO, Vinny 3b......... 4 0 1 0 Joe Thaman 1b............. 1 0 0 0
NORMANE, Steve 1b.......... 4 1 1 2 Kris Billmaier cf.......... 4 1 1 1
VASQUEZ, Alberto c......... 3 0 2 0 Matt Bransfield dh......... 4 1 2 1
GAYNOR, Colin c........... 0 0 0 0 Matt Macri ss.............. 4 1 1 1
DEFENDIS, Johnny lf........ 4 0 1 0 Cody Rizzo rf.............. 3 2 3 2
CERULO, Nick cf............ 2 1 0 0 Javi Sanchez c............. 0 0 0 0
GROSE, Jeff ph/cf......... 1 0 0 0 Greg Lopez 3b.............. 4 1 1 0
BIONDE, Mike ss............ 2 0 1 0 Ryan Kalita p.............. 0 0 0 0
RODRIGUEZ, Cory ph........ 1 0 0 0 Ryan Doherty p............ 0 0 0 0
GROVER, Jason ss.......... 1 0 0 0
PARKER, Shaun p............ 0 0 0 0
DECHRISTOFANO, OJ p....... 0 0 0 0
LILLIS, Chris p........... 0 0 0 0
DIAL, Erik p.............. 0 0 0 0
Totals..................... 35 3 8 3 Totals..................... 33 9 13 6
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Rutgers............. 000 010 020 - 3 8 3
NOTRDAME............ 200 160 000 - 9 13 2
-------------------------------------------
E - BIONDE(5); PARKER; DECHRISTOFNO; S. Sollmann; Matt Macri. DP - Rutgers 2;
NOTRDAME 2. LOB - Rutgers 7; NOTRDAME 9. 2B - Cody Rizzo. HR - NORMANE(8). HBP -
Craig Cooper; Cody Rizzo. SH - K. Billmaier; Javi Sanchez 3. SB - S. Sollmann; Craig
Cooper. CS - Javi Sanchez.
Rutgers IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
PARKER, Shaun L,4-3....... 4.0 8 7 5 2 2 0 0 1 0 18 24 2 7
DECHRISTOFANO, OJ ......... 0.2 3 2 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 5 0 0
LILLIS, Chris ............. 1.1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 5 7 3 0
DIAL, Erik ................ 2.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 4
NOTRDAME IP H R ER BB SO WP BK HP IBB AB BF FO GO
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryan Kalita W,6-1......... 7.0 7 1 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 27 28 3 10
Ryan Doherty .............. 2.0 1 2 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 8 9 1 0
WP - DECHRISTOFNO(5). HB - PARKER; LILLIS.
Strikeouts - WOLSKI; FRAZIER; ESPOSITO 3; NORMANE; DEFENDIS; CERULO; GROSE;
RODRIGUEZ; GROVER; S. Sollmann; Matt Edwards; Bransfield; Greg Lopez 2. Walks -
VASQUEZ; CERULO; Bransfield; Matt Macri; Javi Sanchez.
Umpires -
Start: 3:35 pm Time: 2:57 Attendance:
Game: NB-BE
PARKER faced 4 batters in the 5th.
