University of Louisville
at Western Kentucky
Cardinal Nine Drills Hilltoppers 11-3
April 30, 2002 | Baseball
April 30, 2002
LOUISVILLE, KY - Ken Tirpack was 4 for 4 with an RBI double and a three-run home run to lead the University of Louisville Cardinal baseball team to an 11-3 dismantling of Western Kentucky Tuesday at Cardinal Stadium. Western(31-11) had won six straight and 16 of 18 before the loss.
A sacrifice fly by DH Jeff Pacholke scored Nick Turner in the second to give the Toppers a 1-0 lead.
Louisville(28-12) answered with three in the bottom of the inning. Tirpack doubled in DH Curt Stewart to even the score, and after a walk to second baseman Scott Gerlach, Dave Williams lashed a double to the wall in left, plating two for a 3-1 Cards lead.
Western cut the lead in half in the top of the third on an RBI single by Pacholke, making it 3-2.
Mark Jurich launched his team high 12th home run of the season to lead off the third for a 4-2 advantage. First baseman Morgan Bojorquez and left fielder Josh Bolen hit back-to-back singles and Bojorquez scored on a single by Stewart. Third baseman Mike Budak moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, and Tirpack blasted his third home run of the year down the right field line, a three-run shot for an 8-2 score.
Budak singled in Bolen with two out in the seventh for a 9-2 Cardinal lead. Tirpack single him to third and Budak scored on a wild pitch. An attempted throw to nab Budak at the plate sailed into left, sending Tirpack to third, and he scored on a passed ball for the final margin of 11-3.
Cardinal starter Clif Novak struggled out of the gate, allowing a run on a hit and three walks in 1.1 innings. He exited with the bases loaded and one out in the second, and Josh Ring entered and struck out two batters to get the Cards out of the jam.
Ring(5-3) went 5.1 frames , allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks to get the win. He struck out nine, one away from his career high of 10 established in a start against Toledo(3/13) last season.
Garrett Estabrook retired the only batter he faced, ending the seventh, and Carlos Fernandez tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth, allowing two hits and a walk to go with a strikeout.
WKU starter Grady Hinchman(0-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on a hit and three walks to go with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Reliever Andy Baldwin was victimized for five runs on five hits and a walk in a third of an inning.
Brandon Miller was touched for three earned runs on seven hits and a walk in 4.2 frames. He struck out four. Adam Prida was perfect for the final 1.1 stanzas.
Bojorquez, Bolen and Williams all had multi hit efforts for the Cards, along with Tirpack.
Louisville will next travel to Richmond, Kentucky to face Eastern Kentucky Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET. No audio broadcast of the game will be available.
