Cardinals Recap Dominican Republic Trip, Return to Practice
October 08, 2015 | Baseball
McDonnell, Kidston & Solak review visit; Scrimmages set Sunday, Monday & Tuesday
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell, senior righty pitcher Anthony Kidston and junior infielder Nick Solak met with the media on Thursday at Jim Patterson Stadium to recap the team's five-day visit to the Dominican Republic.
The Cardinals, who completed their journey home from the island nation on Tuesday evening, resumed fall practices following Thursday's session with reporters. Louisville finished with a 2-2 mark in its four games away from home, including a pair of two-run losses to Dominican Republic Professional League foes. Louisville became the first American college program to play against Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League franchise Estrellas Orientales in its home ballpark dropping a 5-3 decision on Oct. 4 at Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macorís.
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On the field, Louisville opened its visit with an 18-0 victory over a Liga del Oesta team and a 22-3 win against an International Prospect League club at The Highlands Complex in Boca Chica on Oct. 3. While the offense made a strong statement with 39 runs on 37 hits, the pitching staff was equally dominant combining to allow just eight hits and no earned runs in 18 innings. After falling to Estrellas, Louisville closed its game schedule with a 10-8 loss to Leones del Escogido at the Arizona Diamondbacks Complex at Baseball City in Boca Chica on Oct. 5.
Away from the field, the Cardinals participated in a trio of community service opportunities while in the Dominican Republic. After arriving in the capital city of Santo Domingo on the afternoon of Oct. 2, the Cardinals taught the fundamentals of baseball to a group of more than 70 kids ranging in ages 8 to 18 years old. Covering more than an hour, the clinic concluded with a group teaching session and with the Louisville players donating bats, gloves, hats, shoes and other baseball equipment with the kids.
Along with the team's split squad wins, Saturday's second day of activities on the island included the Cardinals visiting and providing food to a girls orphanage as well as two nearby villages. Louisville first visited Pasitos de Jésus, a facility founded to help care for a young girl with Down Syndrome which also provides assistance to abused and abandoned youth girls in the Dominican Republic. The visit included a welcome introduction by the staff, a tour of the facility and singing by many of the 50 girls at the home before the Cardinals served everyone Papa John's Pizza for dinner. After entertaining their visitors with songs, the girls shared hugs of appreciate with everyone in Louisville's travel party.
Following their time at Pasitos de Jésus, the Cardinals split into two groups and visited a pair of rural villages. While at the villages, the players and coaches interacted with numerous local families while sharing food purchased through donations to SCORE International. The Saturday evening visit was Louisville's third community service outreach opportunity during its first two days in the Dominican Republic.
The Cardinals' trip to the Dominican Republic, which coincided with the university's mid-term break, concluded Tuesday with the team's return home that evening. Louisville partnered with SCORE International for its housing, transportation and community service work while on the ground in the Dominican Republic. SCORE International is a short term mission organization with extensive experience providing all-inclusive trips.
CARDINALS TO HOST SCRIMMAGES SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY
After returning home on Tuesday evening and taking a day off from the field on Wednesday, the Cardinals resumed fall practice on Thursday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville's fall scrimmage schedule will resume on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., ET with the first of three straight days of open scrimmages at Patterson Stadium. The Cardinals will also host open scrimmages on Monday at 3 p.m., and Tuesday at 3 p.m. Fall ball for Louisville is expected to continue for approximately two more weeks before concluding with the annual Pizza Bowl series later this month.
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LOUISVILLE TO PARTICIPATE IN SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE
On Saturday, the Louisville baseball team will participate in the 20th annual Susan G. Komen Louisville Race for the Cure event. It will mark the third consecutive year the Cardinals have supported the event, which raises funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation for cancer research and treatment. The annual Race for the Cure is slated for Saturday at 9 a.m., ET at Louisville Slugger Field in downtown Louisville. More information on donations or registration can be found here.
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FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
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The Cardinals, who completed their journey home from the island nation on Tuesday evening, resumed fall practices following Thursday's session with reporters. Louisville finished with a 2-2 mark in its four games away from home, including a pair of two-run losses to Dominican Republic Professional League foes. Louisville became the first American college program to play against Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League franchise Estrellas Orientales in its home ballpark dropping a 5-3 decision on Oct. 4 at Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macorís.
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| Day 1: Recap | Day 1: Photo Gallery | Day 1: Video Recap |
| Day 2: Recap | Day 2: Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2 | Day 2: Video Recap |
| Day 3: Recap | Day 3: Photo Gallery | Day 3: Video Recap |
| Day 4:Â Recap | Day 4: Photo Gallery | Day 4: Video Recap 1 | Video Recap 2 |
On the field, Louisville opened its visit with an 18-0 victory over a Liga del Oesta team and a 22-3 win against an International Prospect League club at The Highlands Complex in Boca Chica on Oct. 3. While the offense made a strong statement with 39 runs on 37 hits, the pitching staff was equally dominant combining to allow just eight hits and no earned runs in 18 innings. After falling to Estrellas, Louisville closed its game schedule with a 10-8 loss to Leones del Escogido at the Arizona Diamondbacks Complex at Baseball City in Boca Chica on Oct. 5.
Away from the field, the Cardinals participated in a trio of community service opportunities while in the Dominican Republic. After arriving in the capital city of Santo Domingo on the afternoon of Oct. 2, the Cardinals taught the fundamentals of baseball to a group of more than 70 kids ranging in ages 8 to 18 years old. Covering more than an hour, the clinic concluded with a group teaching session and with the Louisville players donating bats, gloves, hats, shoes and other baseball equipment with the kids.
Along with the team's split squad wins, Saturday's second day of activities on the island included the Cardinals visiting and providing food to a girls orphanage as well as two nearby villages. Louisville first visited Pasitos de Jésus, a facility founded to help care for a young girl with Down Syndrome which also provides assistance to abused and abandoned youth girls in the Dominican Republic. The visit included a welcome introduction by the staff, a tour of the facility and singing by many of the 50 girls at the home before the Cardinals served everyone Papa John's Pizza for dinner. After entertaining their visitors with songs, the girls shared hugs of appreciate with everyone in Louisville's travel party.
Following their time at Pasitos de Jésus, the Cardinals split into two groups and visited a pair of rural villages. While at the villages, the players and coaches interacted with numerous local families while sharing food purchased through donations to SCORE International. The Saturday evening visit was Louisville's third community service outreach opportunity during its first two days in the Dominican Republic.
The Cardinals' trip to the Dominican Republic, which coincided with the university's mid-term break, concluded Tuesday with the team's return home that evening. Louisville partnered with SCORE International for its housing, transportation and community service work while on the ground in the Dominican Republic. SCORE International is a short term mission organization with extensive experience providing all-inclusive trips.
CARDINALS TO HOST SCRIMMAGES SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY
After returning home on Tuesday evening and taking a day off from the field on Wednesday, the Cardinals resumed fall practice on Thursday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville's fall scrimmage schedule will resume on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., ET with the first of three straight days of open scrimmages at Patterson Stadium. The Cardinals will also host open scrimmages on Monday at 3 p.m., and Tuesday at 3 p.m. Fall ball for Louisville is expected to continue for approximately two more weeks before concluding with the annual Pizza Bowl series later this month.
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LOUISVILLE TO PARTICIPATE IN SUSAN G. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE
On Saturday, the Louisville baseball team will participate in the 20th annual Susan G. Komen Louisville Race for the Cure event. It will mark the third consecutive year the Cardinals have supported the event, which raises funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation for cancer research and treatment. The annual Race for the Cure is slated for Saturday at 9 a.m., ET at Louisville Slugger Field in downtown Louisville. More information on donations or registration can be found here.
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FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
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