University of Louisville
EASTERN KENTUCKY
No. 21 Cardinals Crush Colonels Wednesday
March 05, 2008 | Baseball
March 5, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Justin McClanahan, Chris Dominguez and Andrew Clark went a combined 8 for 14 at the plate with eight RBI, six runs scored and a pair of home runs to lead the University of Louisville baseball team to a 13-5 win over Eastern Kentucky on a sunny Wednesday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
"That's how you want the middle of your lineup to perform," noted Head Coach Dan McDonnell.
Freshman hurler Dean Kiekhefer worked six solid innings to earn the win in his first career start.
The Cardinals (5-3) put up six unearned runs in the second inning. Clark drilled a one out triple to the wall in right, and after Jeff Arnold drew a walk, Tyler Mickits hit a ground ball to the right side, and when the throw came to the plate, it was dropped by catcher Joe Oliver to make it 1-0. Josh Richmond singled to load the bases, and extend his hitting streak to seven games.
When Stewart Ijames hit into what looked to be an inning-ending double play, second baseman Matt Davis failed to field the ball cleanly and everyone was safe, including Arnold with the second run of the inning. An out later, Phil Wunderlich cleared the bases with a ringing double to right, and McClanahan singled him home for the 6-0 lead.
A double by Jayson Langfels, a wild pitch and an RBI groundout by Oliver put the Colonels (4-2-1) on the board in the third.
A solo home run off the bat of Tyler Rehmel opened the EKU fifth and cut the lead to 6-2, but the Colonels would get no closer.
With one away in the Cardinal fifth, the middle of the order did more damage. McClanahan singled, Dominguez walked and Clark pelted a 3-1 pitch off the top of the wall in right center and out for a three-run home run, his first of the season, and a 9-3 lead.
EKU manufactured a run in the seventh, but the heart of the Cardinal lineup responded again.
This time a single by McClanahan was followed by a home run off the bat of Dominguez that cleared the fence in left, the berm, and the fence behind the newly redesigned left field perch, a shot that Clark viewed from the on deck circle.
"I've never seen a ball hit farther than that. At a big league game, anywhere."
The home run came on a 3-1 delivery and was the third of the season for Dominguez, tying McClanahan for the team lead.
With the score 11-3, EKU picked up an RBI double by Davis and a sac fly to center by Ryan Faidley in the eighth, but yet again the same Cardinals combination replied.
Freshman Drew Haynes legged out an infield single, and a third Eastern error placed he and Wunderlich at the corners ahead of consecutive RBI singles by McClanahan and Dominguez to seal the game.
Kiekhefer scattered four hits and just one walk while striking out five to level his record to 1-1 on the season. Matt Lea worked an inning, allowing a run on one hit, striking out one.
Gavin Logsdon was touched for two runs, one of which was earned, on two hits while striking out one, and freshman Gabriel Shaw stretched his perfection to six innings this season with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out one. Shaw has retired all 18 batters he has faced, striking out nine to open his college career.
Chris Grider (0-1) took the loss, allowing six unearned runs on four hits and a walk, fanning three. Five EKU relievers each tossed an inning in relief.
The game was the first of 13 straight at home for the Cardinals, with Northwestern scheduled to play a three-game weekend set beginning Friday at 2:00 p.m. Admission is free.
