University of Louisville
UAB *
Cards Edged By Blazers 5-4 Friday
May 20, 2005 | Baseball
May 20, 2005
LOUISVILLE, KY - A pair of two-run home runs by UAB proved to be the difference in the Blazers' 5-4 win over the University of Louisville baseball team Friday. The win evened the season series at a game apiece, with the rubber game set for Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.
In a pregame ceremony on Saturday, the Cardinals will honor eight individuals who will be on the home field for the final time in their careers that day. Admission is free.
UAB (31-24, 14-15 C-USA) got on the board first on an RBI single by J.R. Bond in the second inning for a 1-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the stanza, U of L (31-22, 14-14 C-USA) saw Greg Taylor draw a two-out walk, Boomer Whiting double, and Taylor score on a wild ball four to Chris Cates. Nick Haley walked to load the bases and J.T. LaFountain was plunked by the first pitch to push across the go-ahead run.
UAB responded with a two-out walk and a two-run home run by Zac Ward to regain a 3-2 lead in the third.
The seesaw battle continued as Jorge Castillo opened the bottom of the third with a single, Ryan McKinnon was hit by a pitch and Daniel Burton singled to load the bases again. Whiting's sac fly scored Castillo, and an RBI single by Cates not only extended his hitting streak to career-long 15 games, but gave the Cards a 4-3 advantage, plating McKinnon.
The lead would not last, though, as another two-out walk and another two-run home run in the fourth, this one by Rush Knight sealed the UAB victory, 5-4.
Cardinal starter Mike Lynn (2-3) took the loss, allowing five runs on just three hits, but he walked three in four innings. He struck out three.
Jon Harbridge permitted a hit and two walks, while fanning one in two scoreless innings, while Griffin Bailey gave up just two hits and struck out two in three inning of shutout ball.
UAB reliever Adam Price (5-5) picked up the win with 4.2 innings of scoreless relief, after starter Jeff Brown exited after three.
Ryan Huffman picked up his fourth save of the season, tossing a flawless 1.1 frames.
Haley and Johnson each had two hits for the Cards. LaFountain is now fourth all-time in games played (204), seventh in at bats (720), eighth in runs (160), tied fir sixth in walks (106) and he and McKinnon share the top spot all-time in hit batsmen with Dave Williams Jr., each of whom have been plunked 33 times over their careers.
Bailey is now tied for the second most appearances in a single season with 28 outings.
The Cards are jockeying for position in the C-USA Tournament next week in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A win over UAB would assure no worse than the #7 seed.
