University of Louisville
SETON HALL *
Rodriguez Doubles Home Game Winner in the 12th Thursday
May 19, 2006 | Baseball
May 18, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Pete Rodriguez belted a double to right center in the bottom of the 12th that scored Isaiah Howes and vaulted the University of Louisville to a thrilling 8-7 win over Seton Hall Thursday at Jim Patterson Stadium in the series opener. U of L has now won a season-high seven straight.
The Cards (26-28, 15-10 BIG EAST), who had blown a 5-0 lead in the ninth, rallied with two out in the bottom of the 11th to tied the game at seven.
Louisville opened the scoring when Rodriguez singled to right to open the third and stole second before lightning forced a 30 minute delay.
When play resumed, Nick Haley walked and Chris Cates lined a single up the middle to plate Rodriguez and give the Cards a 1-0 advantage.
In the fourth Jorge Castillo and Howes drew consecutive walks to open the stanza and Derrick Alfonso moved them both into scoring position with a sac bunt.
A suicide squeeze by Rodriguez scored Castillo and a wild pitch plated Howes to make it 3-0 Cards, as they scored two runs without the benefit of a hit.
Alfonso lead off the seventh blistering a double down the left field line and scored on a double to left center by Rodriguez for a 4-0 Cardinal lead.
With two out in the eighth, Howes reached on an infield single and stole second. As he took off for third on the next pitch, Alfonso swung and missed on strike three, but it was wild, and without stopping Howes motored home as Alfonso was safe at first for the 5-0 lead.
Cardinal starter Brian Halford left after eight masterful innings in which he was touched for just three singles and a walk and did not allow a runner on third while striking out seven. He worked 1-2-3 innings in the first, third, sixth and seventh.
In the ninth Gavin Logsdon came in out of the pen and gave up a single to Seton Hall's (17-33, 7-18) Dan McDonald. John Walsh then doubled, and a single by Brandon Cohen plated two, breaking up the shutout and chasing Logsdon.
Griffin Bailey then induced a popup before consecutive singles by pinch hitters Mark Pappas and Casey Hines cut the lead to two. After a strikeout for the second out of the ninth, Dan Lopez capped one slowly to third on an 0-2 pitch that loaded the bases.
Dan Smedberg then singled in a pair to knot the game at five. A comebacker by McDonald ended the ninth.
In the Pirate 11th, Will Courter singled with two out and Lopez reached on an error as David Torcise took over for Bailey. A walk to Smedberg loaded the bases and McDonald struck for a two-run single that put the Pirates up 7-5.
It was Rodriguez again for the Cards in the 11th, getting hit by a pitch with one out. A walk to Alec Lowrey an out later put the tying run on with two away.
Haley rolled an RBI single through the right side, cutting the lead to one, before Cates was walked to load the bases.
Logan Johnson then drew a walk to push across the tying run, but a flyout to left by Castillo left the bases full.
Howes was hit to open the 12th and moved to second on another sac bunt by Alfonso, before the heroics by Rodriguez.
Torcise (2-4) earned the win with 1.1 innings of relief, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out one. Bailey logged 2.2 innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits to go with two strikeouts.
Seton Hall starter Dan Merklinger surrendered four runs on four hits and five walks in six innings before giving way to Keith Cantwell, who allowed a run on a hit and a strikeout in three innings of relief.
Tim Dexter gave up two runs on a hit and three walks, striking out three in 1.2 innings.
Luis Fernandez (1-2) was tagged with the loss, giving up the game winner on a hit in two-thirds of an inning.
Rodriguez finished the night 3 for 4 with two doubles, three RBI, a stolen base, a HBP and two runs scored. Howes scored three times on the night.
The Cards were outhit 13-7 in the win.
Halford moved into eighth in career strikeouts with 175, a tie for seventh in ERA (4.28) and ninth in innings (223.0). Haley's RBI single in the 11th moves him into a tie with Mark Jurich for seventh on the Cardinal hit list (234).
The teams will meet for game two of the series Saturday night at 6:00 at Patterson Stadium. Admission is free.
