University of Louisville
Pittsburgh*
Alfonso's Blast in 10th Lifts Cards Over Panthers
March 30, 2008 | Baseball
March 30, 2008
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Derrick Alfonso's solo home run to left in the top of the 10th put the University of Louisville up a run, and an insurance tally sealed a 6-4 win over Pitt Sunday at Trees Field.
Louisville (14-9, 3-3 BIG EAST) took a 1-0 lead in the second.
Sophomore Andrew Clark singled, and after a walk to Josh Richmond and a fielder's choice off the bat of Alfonso, Clark scored when Jared Wondra's ground ball was mishandled by PITT (8-13, 2-4 BIG EAST) second baseman Dan Williams.
Justin McClanahan hammered a 2-0 pitch over the fence in left with two away in the second for his fifth home run of the season and a 2-0 Cardinal lead.
Pitt DH Chris Warner hit a two-run shot in the third to even the game at two.
Cardinal center fielder Drew Haynes reached second leading off the Cardinal fifth on an error, stole third and scored on an RBI single by John Dao to put the Cards back on top.
Josh Richmond then made the lead two runs again, drilling his second home run of the season out leading off the sixth.
Cardinal starting pitcher Dean Kiekhefer went 6.2 solid innings, giving up two runs on just five hits and a walk, striking out two. After the home run in the third, he retired 15 of the next 16, including 1-2-3 fifth and sixth innings.
In the Panther eighth, a two-base error put the leadoff man on before the next two were retired in order by Cardinal reliever Bob Revesz.
Danny Lopez singled home one unearned run off of B.J. Rosenberg, and after a wild pitch moved the runner to second, a bloop single to center tied the game.
It was with one out in the Cardinal 10th that Alfonso crushed his third home run of the season.
Stewart Ijames followed with a single to left, Haynes moved him over to second and Dao plated the insurance run with his second RBI single and third hit of the game.
A two-out error in the bottom of the 10th extended the inning, putting Panthers at the corners, but Rosenberg pumped a 3-2 slider over the plate for a called strike three to secure the victory.
Rosenberg (3-2) picked up the win with 2.1 IP, allowing an unearned run on four hits and a walk, fanning a pair, while Revesz gave up an unearned run in an inning of work, striking out one.
Pittsburgh's Ricky Breymeir (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on six hits and a walk, striking out one in three innings of relief.
Alfonso, Ijames and McClanahan each had two hits for the Cards.
The Cardinals complete a four-game road stretch when they head to Bowling Green to face Western Kentucky on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Cards will host Purdue on Wednesday night at Jim Patterson Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 6:00. Admission is free.
