University of Louisville
at West Virginia * (Game One)
Cards Split Double Dip With Mountaineers
April 23, 2006 | Baseball
April 23, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.V. - After winning the opener 6-4, the University of Louisville dropped the nightcap 10-9 to West Virginia to split a double header Saturday and set up a series-deciding match up on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET at Hawley Field.
The Cards jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Chris Cates and Logan Johnson each singled and sac bunt by Daniel Burton moved them over before Jorge Castillo's ground out plated Cates.
Cates opened the third with a base hit and after Johnson was hit by a pitch Castillo doubled in Cates for 2-0 lead.
The Cards (17-22, 8-6 BIG EAST) extended their lead to 3-0 in the fourth. Pete Rodriguez singled and later scored on an RBI double by Burton.
A three-run outburst with two-out in the fifth made it 6-0 as the Cards batted around.
Michael Urti drew a two-out walk, Isaiah Howes singled and Rodriguez walked to load the bases. Freshman Casey Albanese then stepped to the plate and belted the first pitch to center field, scoring two. Cates followed with an RBI single of his own.
The Mountaineers (26-13, 6-8 BIG EAST) got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Tyler Kuhn's RBI groundout scored Bill Wooten.
A solo home run by Stan Posluszny with one out in the sixth trimmed the advantage to 6-2 and an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Casey Bowling in the seventh made it 6-3 Cards.
An RBI single in the ninth by Kuhn put the tying run at the plate, but Cardinal starter B.J. Rosenberg capped the win by inducing a groundout by Bowling to end the game.
Rosenberg (5-4) tossed his second complete game of the season, scattering nine hits and two walks, while striking out four.
Kenny Durst took the loss in game one, dropping to 3-3 on the year. He allowed six runs on nine hits and three walks in 4.2 innings, striking out two.
Cates captured his first career four-hit game and was hit by a pitch, while Rodriguez enjoyed his first three-hit outing, also drawing a walk.
In game two of the twin bill, Derrick Alfonso and Rodriguez hit back-to-back singles to open the second, and after Howes failed to get the sac bunt down on the first attempt, the Cardinal coaches let him swing away, and he promptly drilled the 0-1 pitch on a line over the fence in left for a three-run home run and a 3-0 Cardinal lead. It was Howes' first home run of the season.
WVU DH Mike Schmidt's RBI groundout in the bottom of the second put the 'Neers on the board, but the Cards got the run back on a tape-measure solo home run to right by Johnson to open the third, making it 4-1.
Rodriguez reached on an error leading off the fourth and Howes singled to left before a double into the left field corner on a 3-2 pitch by Tyler Christensen with the runners moving scored two and extended the lead to 6-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, WVU loaded the bases on a hit batter and two singles before catcher David Carpenter belted a grand slam to left to trim the lead to 6-5.
Johnson doubled down the left field line to lead off the top of the fifth and scored on a triple to right center by Alfonso who later scored on a wild pitch for a three-run cushion.
An RBI single by Bowling and an RBI fielder's choice by Carpenter in the bottom of the fifth again made it a one-run game at 8-7 Cards.
A second solo home run by Johnson leading off the seventh, his eighth of the season, nudged the U of L advantage to 9-7.
In the Mountaineer eighth, Carpenter opened the inning with a single, Wooten walked, and a single by Kuhn loaded the bases. A comebacker by Nelms scored a run and put runners at second and third.
Justin Jenkins, whose 21game hit streak was snapped in game one, hit a slow roller to the right side of the infield that Johnson gloved on the run, but threw wide of first allowing the tying and go ahead runs to score.
Johnson lead off the top of the ninth with his second double of the game, but was stranded there to end the ballgame.
Dan Leatherman started for the Mountaineers and went the distance, surrendering nine runs, eight of which were earned on 11 hits and three walks. He struck out three, while improving to 6-1 on the year.
Cardinal starter Jake Smith was touched for seven runs on seven hits and a walk in 4.1 innings, striking out two. Trystan Magnuson allowed two hits and struck out one in 1.2 innings of work. Gavin Logsdon retired the only batter he faced.
Andrew Salgueiro worked two-thirds of an inning, and gave up two runs on a hit and a walk. One of the runs was earned.
Mike Lynn was the hard-luck loser, dropping to 0-2 on the year, giving up an unearned run on a hit in two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one. David Torcise struck out the only batter he faced.
Despite the error, Johnson finished the twinbill going 5 for 6 with two doubles, two home runs, three runs scored, two RBI, three walks and was hit by a pitch. He reached base 10 of the 11 times he stepped into the batters box. Alfonso and Howes each had two-hit efforts in game two.
