University of Louisville
Cincinnati *
Dominguez Powers Cards to 7-3 Win Over UC
May 19, 2007 | Baseball
May 19, 2007
BIG EAST Championship Bracket
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CINCINNATI, Ohio - Chris Dominguez bookended the scoring with solo home runs in the second and the ninth as the University of Louisville ended Cincinnati's season with a 7-3 win over the Bearcats Saturday, capturing the weekend series two games to one.
With the win, Head Coach Dan McDonnell ties John Boles (1980) for the most wins by a first year head baseball coach in Cardinal history with 38.
The Cardinals will enter the BIG EAST Championship as the third seed for the second time in as many seasons. Louisville stormed into the championship game last season where they lost to top seed Notre Dame.
Louisville will face #6 seed Villanova Tuesday, May 22 and 10:00 a.m. in the first game of the tournament.
Dominguez drilled his sixth home run of the season, parking an 0- 1 pitch off the scoreboard in right with two out in the second inning to put the Cards up 1-0.
Cincinnati (28-28, 10-16 BIG EAST) tied the game at one in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI ground out by pinch hitter Kyle Rapp.
Louisville (38-18, 19-8 BIG EAST) scored three in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead. Chris Cates lashed a single to center, Boomer Whiting reached on a bunt single and Logan Johnson was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Daniel Burton singled to short, scoring Cates and Adam Yeager's throw from short went into the dugout plating Whiting and putting runners at second and third.
An RBI groundout by Jorge Castillo scored Johnson for the final run of the frame.
Yeager's RBI single in the seventh cut the lead to 4-2, but the Cards picked up a pair of runs in the top of the seventh.
Whiting was hit by a pitch for the 40th time in his career, and Johnson drilled his second home run of the series, and team-leading 13th of the season down the line in right to put the Cards on top 6-2.
Neall French's 11th home run of the season opened the eighth and trimmed the lead to 6-3, but Dominguez shut the door with his first two-homer game of his career.
The redshirt freshman from Miami crushed a 3-1 pitch over the batters eye in center for his seventh on the year and the final margin.
Colby Wark retired the first seven batters of the ballgame, and did not allow a hit until Brian Szarmach hit a hot shot off of Wark's right calf with one down in the fifth. Wark then struggled with his control and was replaced by Skylar Meade an out later.
Wark gave up a run on the lone hit and four walks, while striking out six in 4.2 IP.
Meade improved to 8-2, tying for third on the single season win list at U of L, as he allowed a run on three hits in 2.0 innings, fanning one. Kyle Hollander allowed a run on a hit and a walk, while tossing a third of an inning.
Gavin Logsdon induced a double play ground ball, facing just two batters in one inning out of the bullpen.
Senior closer Trystan Magnuson loaded the bases on three seeing-eye singles, but retired French with the bases loaded in the ninth to seal the win. He struck out one in an inning of work.
UC starter John Baird (2-4) was the losing pitcher, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk in seven-plus innings, striking out four. Evan Sanford struck out one in a 1-2-3 eighth, while Adam Calez gave up the dominguez home run in working the ninth.
St. John's drew the top seed in the eight-team double elimination championship and will face UConn in the 8:00 game Tuesday, while runner-up Rutgers will share the Cardinals half of the bracket and face seven seed Notre Dame at 1:00 p.m.. Fourth seed Pitt will meet #5 seed USF in the 5:00 p.m. game at Keyspan Park, the home to the New York Mets New York-Penn League representative.
All of the Cardinals postseason games will be broadcast in Louisville on WAVG 1450 AM.
