University of Louisville
MARSHALL
Louisville Belts Eight Home Runs in 17-1 Win Tuesday
April 03, 2007 | Baseball
April 3, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville baseball team smashed eight home runs in just five innings, on their way to an 17-1 rain-shortened victory over Marshall Tuesday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
The eight long balls, hit in just five innings of play, were the most by a Cardinal team since March 23, 1991, when U of L belted an NCAA record 11 at Parkway Field. The current NCAA mark is now 13 shared by Alabama and Cal State Northridge.
"That was as good an offensive performance as I have ever been around," observed Head Coach Dan McDonnell.
"We just took a lot of good cuts and had a great approach and were very fortunate to get this game in with the weather."
After five complete innings, torrential rains and frequent lightning pounded the Ohio Valley and put a halt to the game, but not before the Cards (20-8) put forth some fireworks of their own.
Ironically, the Herd (14-11) scored a run without the benefit of a hit in the top of the first when Brendan Murphy plated Mason Chapman on an RBI groundout, for a 1-0 advantage before the floodgates opened.
Logan Johnson was hit by a pitch for the 55th time in his career, moving him into a tie for 15th in the NCAA career record books. Justin McClanahan followed with a towering shot to straightaway center, his second of the season to put the Cards on top for good.
An out later, Chris Dominguez drilled a tape-measure shot to the left of the batters eye in center, his fourth on the season to make it 3-1.
As dominant as the U of L offense was, the Cards went down in order in the second before exploding for a 10-run third.
Boomer Whiting walked and Johnson belted a two-run shot over the fence in right-center, his eighth of the year. McClanahan then crushed the next pitch out to left center, his second of the game. It is the first back-to-back home runs for the Cards since Daniel Burton and Isaiah Howes hit consecutive shots against Cincinnati in the sixth inning on April 29 of last season.
Jorge Castillo and Dominguez drew consecutive walks and an out later Alec Lowrey drew a free pass to load the bases.
Derrick Alfonso then hammered the first pitch up onto the berm in left for his first career grand slam and the second for the Cardinals in the last three games.
Still in the third with just one out, Chris Cates singled, giving him his second 11-game hit streak of the season and Whiting followed with a single of his own to give him a career-best 17-game streak.
Johnson belted a ground-rule double that plated Cates and McClanahan singled home two more to cap the 10-run frame that made it 13-1. The Cards' last ten-run inning was on March 16, 2004 against Murray when they scored 11 in the first.
Howes opened the fourth in style drilling an 0-2 slider out to left for his career-best seventh home run of the season and a 14-1 advantage.
Johnson led off the fifth with his second home run of the game and team-leading ninth on the year, nearly hitting the scoreboard in right. McClanahan singled for his fourth hit of the game, and after a fielder's choice and a strikeout, Burton pinch hit for Howes and smashed his fourth home run of the year off the base of the party tent on the top of the berm in left field to close the scoring and the ballgame. It was the first pinch-hit home run for Louisville since Tyler Christensen hit a solo shot in the seventh inning at EKU March 7, 2006.
Cates, who has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games and either has a hit or has driven in a run in all 28 games this season was in awe of the power surge.
"It was like watching a video game out there."
Every Cardinal starter had a hit and scored a run in the biggest offensive output of the season. Johnson was 3 for 3 with a double, two home runs, four runs scored and four RBI, while McClanahan went 4 for 4 with a pair of dingers and five ribs.
Cardinal starter Andrew Salgueiro (2-0) in a planned three innings appearance picked up the win, allowing a run on two hits and three walks, fanning three. Kyle Thornton walked one in two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
MU starter Ryan Kiel was torched for eight runs on four hits and three walks in just two plus innings. He struck out two and fell to 3-2 on the season.
Alan Gentry gave up five runs on five hits and a walk in a third of an inning. Tyler Gatrell allowed a run on three hits in 1.2 frames and Adam Dobies surrendered three runs on three hits in an inning of work, with each of them striking out one.
The Cards had 15 hits on the afternoon.
The Cardinals carry a season-best six game win streak as they host Pitt on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. ET in Patterson Stadium in the first of a three-game series. Admission is free.
