University of Louisville
at East Carolina *
Cardinal Nine Trounces ECU 14-1
May 16, 2002 | Baseball
May 16, 2002
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Four runs in the fourth and seven in the fifth vaulted Louisville to a 14-1 thrashing of East Carolina Thursday night, and its record-tying 38th win of the season, tying the mark set in 1980. Louisville has won nine straight.
Freshman pitcher Zach Jackson(10-1) also tied a U of L single season record winning his 10th game of the season, equalling a mark established by Scott Reburn in 1984. In the win, Jackson tossed his first complete game of his career, allowing just five hits and two walks while fanning four.
The Pirates(36-16-1, 15-12-1) took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Left fielder Ben Sanderson lead off with a double and scored on Warren Gaspar's single.
The Cards(38-13, 20-8) responded in the top of the fourth. Second baseman J.T. LaFountain singled to open the inning, and an out later first baseman Morgan Bojorquez walked. Josh Bolen reached on an error and LaFountain scored on the play evening the score at one.
Cardinal third baseman Mike Budak worked the count to 2-2 before drilling a pitch deep to right center field for his 10th home run on the season and a 4-1 Cardinal lead. Budak has now homered in four straight Conference USA games.
In the fifth, shortstop Adam Haley was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and an out later, LaFountain began a stretch of five straight singles that increased the advantage to 7-1. Rightfielder Mark Jurich, Bojorquez and Bolen singled in runs, and Budak beat out a ground ball to load the bases.
Designated hitter Carlos De la Osa, with a grand slam already this season in C-USA play, jacked an 0-1 pitch over the fence in right center, clearing the bases for his fourth home run of the season and an 11-1 Cardinal lead. It was the fifth grand slam by a Cardinal on the season, and its third in the past seven games.
Haley blasted his fourth home run of the season with one out in the eighth, and later in the inning a double by Jurich to left center scored LaFountain for a 13-1 lead.
An RBI single by catcher Ken Tirpack plated Budak in the ninth to close the book, 14-1 Louisville.
ECU starter Davey Penny (7-3) took the loss, allowing 11 runs, 10 of which were earned on eight hits and two walks, striking out two in five innings. Jason Torangeau was touched for two runs on two hits and two walks to go with three strikeouts in three innings. Ryan Jones gave up a run on a hit and a walk in the ninth, striking out one.
Jackson allowed just the one runner past second, and only two touched second. After a leadoff single in the fourth, Jackson did not allow another hit, and had perfect sixth, seventh and ninth innings.
Budak, Jurich and LaFountain had multi-hit efforts, as J.T. extended his hitting streak to nine games.
Louisville can win Conference USA with a series sweep of ECU and a split of the three-game series between TCU and Houston.
The Cards and the Pirates will meet for game two of the series Friday at 7:00 p.m. and round out the series Saturday at 7:00 p.m. before the C-USA tournament in Kinston, N.C., May 21-26.
