University of Louisville
at Eastern Kentucky
Cards Dismiss Colonels 20-3
March 07, 2006 | Baseball
March 7, 2006
RICHMOND, Ky. - The University of Louisville baseball team exploded for 20 runs at Turkey Hughes Field Tuesday afternoon on their way to a 20-3 whitewashing of Eastern Kentucky. The game marked the first time the Cards have scored 20 or more runs since they walloped Wright State 24-5 on March 5, 1999.
After Nick Haley drew a leadoff walk and was moved to second on a sac bunt by Chris Cates, Louisville DH Logan Johnson blistered a double off the wall in right center to score Haley and put the Cards (5-8) up 1-0 in the first.
Louisville sent 10 batters to the plate in a five-run fourth that extended the Cardinal lead to 6-0.
Jorge Castillo singled to open the fourth, Isaiah Howes walked and Derrick Alfonso singled to right to load the bases. Pete Rodriguez ripped a single to center, plating two.
A sac bunt by Casey Albanese was mishandled by EKU pitcher Scott Goetz, allowing Alfonso to score from second and Albanese to move to second.
Haley walked to load them up again for the Cards, Cates singled home Rodriguez and a sac fly by Burton plated Albanese.
An RBI single by EKU's Tony Wells scored Brett Bolger, putting the Colonels (4-4) on the board in the fourth, trailing 6-1.
Louisville then added a six run fifth, sending 11 to the plate, making it 12-1 Cards.
Howes opened the fifth with a single down the left field line and scored all the way from first on a double to the gap in right by Alfonso. Rodriguez walked and Albanese reached again on an error on a sac bunt attempt, scoring Alfonso. Haley singled home Rodriguez, and Johnson doubled in Albanese, with an errant throw by the Colonel's rightfielder plating Haley on the play.
Johnson then scored on Burton's RBI single through the left side.
In the Cardinal half of the sixth, Rodriguez walked with one out and moved to third on a pinch-hit double by Michael Urti. A Haley sac fly scored Rodriguez and Cates singled home Urti, upping the Cards advantage to 14-1.
Redshirt freshman Tyler Christensen dug in for his second career at bat, pinch hitting with one away in the seventh, and belted a solo home run down the right field line for his first career hit and a 15-1 Louisville lead.
Burton's RBI single with the bases loaded in eighth scored Alec Lowrey, who drew a leadoff walk, and Christensen's single plated Urti, who had reached on a fielder's choice for a 17-1 lead.
Eastern pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth to make it 17-3, before the Cards capped it with a three-run ninth.
An RBI single by Cates, an error and a wild pitch in the ninth closed the scoring.
The 17-run margin of victory equalled an effort, also against Wright State, last season on May 15 in a 19-2 U of L win.
Cates's three hits paced the Cardinal attack, while Haley, Johnson, Burton, Christensen and Alfonso each had two hits. Burton and Cates both drove in three on the afternoon, while Haley, Alfonso, Rodriguez and Urti scored three runs apiece.
Cardinal starter B.J. Rosenberg (1-2) earned the win, allowing a run on four hits in five strong innings, striking out five. He faced just two over the minimum.
Zack Pitts struck out one in a perfect sixth. Andrew Salgueiro allowed a hit and a walk while fanning one in a third of an inning.
Senior Jon Harbridge retired the only two batters he faced, striking out one.
Griffin Bailey surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk, striking out one in an inning, while Brian Halford induced a pair of pop-ups in a 1-2-3 ninth.
Four Colonel pitchers worked at least two innings, all allowing at least three runs.
Goetz (0-1) was stuck with the loss, surrendering six runs, five of which were earned on five hits and five walks in three-plus innings. He struck out two.
Louisville will travel to Athens, Georgia for a three-game weekend series against the Georgia Bulldogs that begins Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Audio broadcast can be heard live on UofLsports.com via U of L Sports Pass.
