University of Louisville
CINCINNATI * (Game Two)
Cardinals and Bearcats Split Twinbill Saturday
April 29, 2006 | Baseball
April 29, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Four University of Louisville pitchers combined on a three-hitter, and the Cardinal offense tallied runs in each of the final six innings to capture the nightcap of a doubleheader with Cincinnati 14-2. U of L lost the opener of the twin bill 9-2 Saturday.
In game one, the Bearcats (27-16, 10-8 BIG EAST) exploded for six runs in the third inning on seven hits. Mark Muscenti and Brian Szarmach each had two-run singles to highlight the inning.
Adam Yeager's two-run double in the seventh extended the UC lead to 8-0.
In the Cardinal seventh, Derrick Alfonso's double to right center scored Chris Cates, who had also doubled, to put the Cards on the board. The run snapped a streak of 23 consecutive scoreless innings for the Cardinal (18-26, 9-9 BIG EAST) offense.
Daniel Burton singled home Alfonso to cut the lead to 8-2, but the Bearcats picked up an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single by Muscenti to close the scoring.
UC starter Dan Osterbrock picked up the win to improve to 2-1, allowing seven hits and two walks in 5.1 scoreless innings. He struck out five.
Jack Nelson notched his second save with 3.1 innings of relief, giving up two runs - one earned on four hits and fanning five.
Brian Halford suffered the loss for the Cards, surrendering eight runs on 12 hits and a walk in 6.2 innings. He struck out three as he drops to 3-3 on the year.
Gavin Logsdon gave up a run in an inning on a hit and two walks to go with a strikeout. Jon Harbridge allowed a hit in a third of an inning, while Ryne Mantooth retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out one for the Cardinals.
Louisville managed 11 hits in the loss, but left 12 on base in game one.
It was Cincinnati again taking the lead, this time with a run in the first without the benefit of a hit, when Josh Harris scored on a wild pitch with two out.
Pete Rodriguez reached on a fielding error by Cincinnati's Jon DeLuca at third with two out, Logan Johnson singled, and a second error by DeLuca on a ball hit by Alfonso scored Rodriguez to tie the game in the third.
Burton walked to begin the Cardinal half of the fourth and ended up at third after Isaiah Howes walked and Alec Lowrey hit into a double play.
Casey Albanese then belted a 1-0 pitch to left to scored Burton and put the Cards up 2-1. Cates then doubled home Albanese, his fourth two-bagger in the three-game series, and scored on an RBI single by Rodriguez to make it 4-1 Cards.
The Bearcats trimmed the lead to 4-2 on an RBI single by Logan Parker in the fifth before the Cards scored the final 10 runs on the rain-soaked evening.
Alfonso singled to open the fifth and scored on a double by Howes, making it 5-2 U of L.
With one out in the sixth, Cates and Rodriguez singled, and Johnson and Alfonso followed with RBI singles to make it 7-2.
An out later Burton jumped on a 1-0 pitch, smoking over the fence in left for a three-run home run - his first on the season. Howes followed by crushing an 0-2 offering off the top of the berm in left, making it 11-2 Cards. The back-to-back home runs were the first for U of L since J.T. LaFountain and Mark Jurich turned the trick on May 13, 2003 in the fifth inning at Eastern Kentucky.
A walk to Cates, another single by Rodriguez and a pitch that hit Johnson loaded the bases for consecutive RBI fielder's choices by Alfonso and Jorge Castillo, making it 13-2.
Tyler Christensen doubled and eventually scored on a groundout by Johnson in the eighth to close the scoring.
Griffin Bailey (2-2) replaced starter Jake Smith in the fifth and worked 2.1 perfect innings, striking out two to earn the win.
Andrew Salgueiro worked a perfect eighth and Mike Lynn allowed a hit, but struck out three in the ninth.
Smith worked 4.2 frames, giving up a leadoff triple in the fifth by Yeager after four hitless frames. Smith allowed two runs on two hits and five walks to go with three strikeouts.
Kyle Rapp dropped to 1-6 with the loss, as the UC starter lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up four runs on a four hits and three walks. Three of the runs were earned. Six other Bearcats took the hill in the nightcap following Rapp.
A number of Cardinals stood out offensively, with Rodriguez and Alfonso each enjoying three-hit games. Cates and Rodriguez each scored three runs.
Johnson was 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored and was also plunked twice, giving him a school record 19 for the season and 35 for his career, passing up LaFountain in both categories.
Louisville will travel to Bowling Green Tuesday to face Western Kentucky at 5:00 p.m. ET, before returning to the Ville to host Murray State Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in Patterson Stadium.
