University of Louisville
USF
Baseball Drops Weekend Finale to USF
April 23, 2011 | Baseball
April 23, 2011
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Coach McDonnell Discusses Saturday's Loss
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After taking the first two games of the series, the Louisville baseball team dropped a 10-5 decision to visiting USF in Saturday's weekend finale at a rain-soaked Jim Patterson Stadium.
With the loss, the Cardinals dropped to 22-17 overall and 8-7 in BIG EAST games, while the Bulls improved to 19-20 on the season and 8-7 in league action with the win. After the first pitch for Saturday's game was moved up 30 minutes due to expected rain, the game was completed in its entirety despite three weather delays totaling 108 minutes. The game featured a nine-minute rain delay in the bottom of the fourth inning, a 41-minute lightning delay in the top of the fifth inning and another 58-minute rain delay in the top of the fifth.
The pivotal inning in Saturday's game proved to be the lengthy fifth inning in which USF scored seven runs on nine hits, including eight straight, against four different Louisville pitchers. The inning required more than 2 hours of actual time to be played and USF went from down 3-1 to leading 8-3.
The inning started with walk to Junior Carlin, who scored moments later when shortstop Sam Mende sent a 2-2 pitch from Louisville starter Matt Koch (Cherokee, Iowa/Washington HS) over the wall in left field to even the score at 3-3. The home run was the fourth of the season for Mende. USF continued the inning with back-to-back singles from outfielders James Ramsay and Alex Mendez against U of L senior right-hander Gabriel Shaw (Paducah, Ky./St. Mary's HS) before rain and lightning returned leading to a 41-minute weather delay.
Following the delay, outfielder Chad Taylor loaded the bases with a single off Cardinals' reliever Travis Tingle before catcher Andrew Longley sent a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall for his third home run of the season and a 7-3 lead. One pitch later, heavy rain returned leading to a 58-minute delay. After the second delay of the inning and the third of the afternoon, USF added its seventh and final run of the fifth on an RBI single to left by Mende to score second baseman Peter Brotons for the 8-3 advantage.
The Cardinals were never able to recover from the inning scoring only twice in their final five innings. Shaw took the loss for the Cardinals and dropped to 0-2 on the season after allowing two runs on two hits in less than an inning of relief. Koch finished with the no-decision after allowing two earned runs on eight hits in 4.0 innings of work.
At the plate for Louisville, freshman infielder Ryan Seiz (Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock HS) finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, while senior J.J. Ethel was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Junior outfielder Stewart Ijames (Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic HS) was also 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. For USF, Mende finished 4-for-6 with three RBI, while Mendez was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs. Reliever Matt Reed got the win to improve to 3-3 after allowing two runs on four hits in 2.0 innings of relief, while Kevin Quackenbush pitched 2.2 innings of shutout relief after entering a three-run game for his ninth save of the season.
USF opened the scoring in Saturday's game with an unearned run in the top of the first inning on an RBI single to left by first baseman Todd Brazeal to plate Junior Carlin for the 1-0 lead. The Cardinals evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the frame as freshman infielder Ty Young (Coatesville, Pa./Christopher Dock HS) reached base with a one-out double to right field and scored one batter later on an RBI single to right center by Ijames.
Following a scoreless second inning, Louisville gained its first lead of the day in the third with two runs on three hits for a 3-1 advantage. Junior infielder Ryan Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead HS) led off the inning with a single to left field, moved to third with back-to-back stolen bases and later scored on an RBI groundout by Ethel. One hitter later, Ijames scored on an RBI single up the middle by Seiz for the two-run advantage.
After a scoreless fourth inning, USF erupted for its seven-run fifth inning to gain command. Louisville cut the deficit to 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth as Ethel led off with a single to left field, moved to second on a single through the right side by Seiz, advanced to third on a groundball by freshman catcher Kyle Gibson (Henderson, Ky./Henderson County HS) and scored on a RBI single up the middle by senior outfielder Drew Haynes (New Albany, Ind./New Albany HS).
Louisville added another run in the seventh on an RBI single up the middle by Seiz to score Ethel and cut the deficit to 8-5. However, the Bulls answered back with two runs in the eighth as Ramsay scored on an RBI double to left center by Mendez, who later scored on a wild pitch for the final margin.
The Cardinals had won six straight against the Bulls before Saturday's loss. Louisville has won 10 of the last 12 overall in the series. After Saturday's defeat, Louisville is in a three-way tie for fifth in the BIG EAST Conference standings with USF and Cincinnati.
Up next, Louisville will travel to Lexington, Ky., to face rival Kentucky on Tuesday at 7 p.m., ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Following that one, the Cardinals will return home to host a three-game weekend series against Georgetown, which opens on Friday at 6 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.
