University of Louisville
#11 Missouri<br> (NCAA Regionals)
Cards Fall Short Against Missouri, 7-5
June 03, 2007 | Baseball
June 3, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Despite outhitting 11th-ranked Missouri 15-8 Saturday, the University of Louisville baseball team was unable to upset the Tigers, losing 7-5 and moving into an elimination game against Miami(FL) Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT.
With two away in the bottom of the second inning, Chris Dominguez hammered a first pitch triple high off the wall in center, and Pete Rodriguez belted the subsequent pitch up the middle to put the Cards (41-21) up 1-0.
Chris Cates opened the bottom of the third with a base hit up the middle, Boomer Whiting moved him to second with his 14th sac bunt of the season, and an out later, Daniel Burton laced an 0-2 pitch up the middle to make it 2-0. Isaiah Howes followed with a single of his own to give the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage.
The Tigers (42-16) loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fourth, but Cardinal starter Justin Marks induced an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play ground ball to extinguish the threat.
Missouri then struck for four runs in the sixth. Jacob Priday belted a two-run home run, a solo shot by the next batter Trevor Coleman tied the game, chasing Marks. Reliever Colby Wark loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter before exiting, and Gary Arndt's RBI fielder's choice gave the Tigers their first lead of the game.
Quickly the Cards responded in the bottom of the sixth. Howes hit a leadoff single and stole second, and Jorge Castillo blooped a single down the right field line on an 0-2 pitch to knot the game at four.
Priday struck again with a solo shot to straight away center field with one out, putting MU up 5-4.
An RBI double by Brock Bonds and a bases-loaded walk to John McKee pushed across a pair of crucial insurance runs in the top of the ninth.
In the bottom of the ninth Cates hit a one out single an Whiting drew a walk. Logan Johnson singled home Cates and brought the potential winning run to the plate.
Burton hit a fly ball to right, and Howes stepped to the plate, having hit five home runs in his last five games, but his high fly ball to right was gloved by Ryan Lollis to seal the win for the top-seeded Tigers.
Marks worked five shutout innings before running into trouble in the sixth, surrendering three runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out three. Wark did not retire a batter, giving up a run on a pair of walks.
Skylar Meade (8-4) was saddled with the loss, allowing a run on a hit, striking out two in 3.0 solid innings of relief. Dominguez was touched for two runs on two hits and a walk in a third of an inning, before Gavin Logsdon closed things out, walking one in two-thirds of an inning.
MU starter Rick Zagone gave up four runs on 11 hits and a walk in 5.0 innings. He fanned two.
Kyle Gibson (8-3) came out of the pen for the Tigers and worked 3.1 innings, allowing a run on three hits and a walk, striking out five to earn the win. Scooter Banks gave up a hit in two-thirds of an inning to log his sixth save of the season.
Johnson and Howes each picked up three hits for the Cardinals.
The two teams performed in front of a Taylor Stadium record crowd of 3,630 fans.
James Belanger (1-4, 3.63 ERA) is set to face Miami ace Eric Erickson (10-3, 2.00 ERA) Sunday.
