University of Louisville
XAVIER
Cards Drop 11-9 Heartbreaker in 10 Innings Wednedsay
February 22, 2006 | Baseball
Feb. 22, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A wild seesaw battle ended with Xavier plating three runs in the top of the 10th inning to secure an 11-9 win over the University of Louisville in the Cardinals home opener Wednesday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
The Cardinals (0-5) took and early lead, as Chris Cates was hit by a pitch and Nick Haley followed with a single to put runners at the corners with one out in the first.
Logan Johnson singled home Cates and after Daniel Burton singled to load the bases, Isaiah Howes' sac fly to center made it 2-0 Cards.
Catcher Michael Urti doubled with two out in the second and scored on Boomer Whiting's single, extending the advantage to 3-0.
In the top of the third a two-out triple by Sean Brewer transformed into the Musketeers (2-2) first run of the game when a wild pitch by starter B.J. Rosenberg scored the run.
Johnson drew a one-out walk in the U of L third, moved to third on a double by Burton and scored on Howes' second sac fly of the game recaptured the three-run edge.
Jorge Castillo stung a double to the gap in right to open the Cardinal fourth, and after a sac bunt by Derrick Alfonso moved Castillo to third, he scored on an Urti single, making it 5-1 Cards.
Louisville made it 6-1 when Burton was issued a free pass leading off the U of L fifth and scored on a double to right by Alfonso, who was making his first career start at third as a collegian in place of injured freshman Chris Dominguez.
A wild pitch again scored XU's Brewer from third and an RBI double by Matt Waskerwitz sliced the lead to 6-3 in the sixth.
Xavier struck for two more in the seventh on a two-run single by Danny Hayden, trimming what was a five-run advantage down to a single tally.
Louisville got a run back after the stretch on an RBI single by Alfonso that scored Burton who reached on an error, making it 7-5 Cards.
But Drew Robert's three-run home run in the top of the ninth lifted Xavier to an 8-7 lead - its first of the contest.
It looked as though the game would end that way, but Howes rifled the first pitch he saw into center with one out in the bottom of the ninth. An out later, freshman Casey Albanese, looking for his first career hit, went deep into the count, and on the second three-two pitch of the at-bat he drilled a single into left-center, and Howes, who broke with the pitch motored around to score all the way from first to tie the game at eight and send it to extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, after the bases were loaded on a walk, hit batter and single, a sac fly gave XU a 9-8 lead, a third wild pitch by Cardinal pitchers upped the advantage to 10-8 and Brewer's RBI single closed the scoring in the frame at 11-8.
Louisville put the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the 10th after a leadoff walk to Whiting and a two-base error by Adam Pasono in center on a ball hit by Haley. With runners at second and third with one out, Johnson's sac fly, scoring Whiting was the only run they could push across the plate.
Rosenberg was solid in his second start of the season, allowing three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks in 5.2 innings. Rosenberg at one point retired 13 of 14 batters faced. Scott Jenkins made one pitch to get the final out of the sixth in his short appearance.
Griffin Bailey was touched for two runs on three hits and a walk in an inning of work, fanning one, and after a 1-2-3 eighth, Brian Halford surrendered three runs on two hits, including the Roberts home run in the ninth. He walked one and struck out three in two innings.
Jon Harbridge (0-1) hit a batter and walked a batter without recording an out in the 10th and was saddled with the loss. Zack Pitts tossed the final inning, allowing a run on two hits and a walk.
Despite giving up the run in the bottom of the ninth, Brett Greenwell (1-1) picked up the win for XU, allowing two runs, one earned on two hits and a walk in 2.00 innings.
He was the last of five Musketeer pitchers.
Louisville had won the last 49 games they had held a lead heading into the ninth inning, a streak that stretched back to the 2003 season.
The dates and times for the games against Northwestern this upcoming weekend have changed. Now the Cards and Cats will hook up for two nine-inning games on Friday beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET at Patterson Stadium, and play the regularly scheduled game on Saturday.
There are no longer games scheduled for Sunday or Monday. Admission to all home games at U of L Baseball is free. Fans can purchase $1 hot dogs, chips and sodas all season long. All home games are broadcast on WAVG 1450 AM.
