University of Louisville
Western Kentucky
No. 25 Baseball Falls at Western Kentucky
April 06, 2011 | Baseball
April 5, 2011
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The 25th-ranked Louisville baseball team suffered a 15-5 non-conference loss to host Western Kentucky on Tuesday night at Bowling Green Ballpark.
With the loss, the Cardinals dropped to 18-10 overall, while the Hilltoppers improved to 18-11 on the season with the win. The loss halted Louisville's six-game winning streak overall against WKU dating back to the 2008 season and was the worst defeat overall for the Cardinals since a 15-5 loss at Pittsburgh on April 10, 2010.
Playing the Hilltoppers at the downtown home to the Bowling Green Hot Rods for the first time, the Cardinals struggled in the early innings as WKU exploded for a 14-2 lead by the end of the fourth frame. Louisville opened the game with a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on the fourth home run of the season for junior second baseman Ryan Wright (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead HS), a two-run shot to left center field off Western Kentucky starter Taylor Haydel to score freshman outfielder Cole Sturgeon (Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic HS). However, WKU answered back in the bottom of the inning with four unearned runs to begin of stretch of 14 straight runs to take command of the game.
After catcher Matt Rice earned a two-out walk from Louisville freshman right-hander Chad Green (Effingham, Ill./Effingham HS) in the first, centerfield Kes Carter extended the inning when his ground ball went under the glove of Cards' freshman first baseman Ryan Seiz (Perkasie, Pa./Christopher Dock HS) and into right field. After a walk to rightfielder Ryan Hutchison loaded the bases, designated hitter Chris Bullard followed with a two-run double down the right field line to even the score at 2-2. Moments later, first baseman Justin Hageman's two-run single up the middle plated two more for the 4-2 lead after the first inning.
The HIlltoppers added one run in the second on an RBI single to center by Carter before scoring six runs in the third inning for an 11-2 advantage. The inning included a solo home run to right field for Bullard, a two-run triple to left center by leftfielder Jared Andreoli, a two-run homer to right center by Rice and an RBI triple to center by Hutchison. WKU continued its scoring with three more runs in the fourth on a two-run triple to right by second baseman Ivan Hartle and an RBI double to right center by Rice for the 14-2 cushion.
Louisville stopped the scoring streak in the fifth inning with an RBI single by freshman shortstop Alex Chittenden (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central HS), an RBI single by freshman third baseman Ty Young (Coatesville, Pa./Malvern Prep) and an RBI single by Wright to cut the deficit to 14-5. However, that was as close as the Cardinals could get as WKU held Louisville without a run during the final four innings. The Hilltoppers also added one final run in the eighth inning on an RBI infield single by Andreoli.
Green took the loss for the Cardinals and dropped to 1-1 overall after allowing five runs, though only one was earned, on three hits with two strikeouts and four walks in 2.0 innings of work in his first career collegiate start. Haydel earned the win on a staff day for the Hilltoppers and improved to 3-2 on the season after allowing two runs on one hit in his 2.0 innings of work.
At the plate, Wright was 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored to lead Louisville, while seven WKU players finished with two hits in the game. Rice led the way for the HIlltoppers going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Andreoli and Bullard finished with two hits and three RBI each in the win.
Up next, Louisville returns to BIG EAST Conference action with a three-game series at Cincinnati, which begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m., ET. The series will continue on Saturday at 4 p.m., while Sunday's finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. Live play-by-play of all three games will be aired by KOOL 1570 AM, while CardsTV at UofLSports.com will also provide live audio of the series.
