Pepperdine Visits No. 14 Baseball for Weekend Series
March 01, 2012 | Baseball
March 1, 2012
Updated Game Day Links
| Saturday, Noon | #14 Louisville vs. Pepperdine | CardsTV Audio/Video | |
| Saturday, Gm 2 | #14 Louisville vs. Pepperdine | CardsTV Audio/Video | |
| Sunday, 1 p.m. | #14 Louisville vs. Pepperdine | CardsTV Audio/Video |
By Adam Pruiett, UofLsports.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Stewart Ijames keeps up with the machinations in college baseball, maintaining a particularly close eye on the upcoming opponents on Louisville's schedule. Pepperdine is a ball club that has the undivided attention of the Cardinals' senior first baseman/outfielder.
"They're not in the Top 25," said Ijames (Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic HS), the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week, "but they've been knocking down doors to be in the Top 25."
The No. 14 Cardinals (6-2) will look to solidify their position in the rankings while keeping the Waves (7-2) on the outside looking in when Louisville welcomes Pepperdine for a three-game series starting at 3 p.m., ET on Friday at Jim Patterson Stadium. The second contest is set for 1 p.m., Saturday and the third is slated for 1 p.m., Sunday.
Pepperdine has already won a pair of series this season against No. 16 Oklahoma and Fresno State, taking two of three games in both. The Waves will travel east to Louisville from Malibu, Calif., fresh off a 7-2 drumming of No. 21 Southern Cal on Tuesday. The Trojans had been unbeaten through seven games.
These will be Pepperdine's first games away from home, and Louisville will hope the Waves find discomfort in foreign surroundings. Pepperdine has been potent at the plate and on the pitcher's mound, averaging 6.3 runs per game and a 2.59 team ERA. The offense has been anchored by Tony Cooper (.476 batting average), Zach Vincej (.429), Matt Forgatch (.400) and Joe Sever (.333, 11 RBI). Right-hander Jon Moscot (1-1, 3.95 ERA), right-hander Scott Frazier (1-1, 3.75) and right-hander Corey Miller (2-0, 0.57) are scheduled to start for the Waves.
"They're a well-rounded team. They can play," Louisville senior pitcher Derek Self (Cave City, Ky./Caverna HS) said. "They've been playing well and playing small ball. They've been producing runs when they've needed to."
Pepperdine will be looking to avenge Louisville's sweep of the Waves last season in Malibu. The Cardinals followed a 4-2 victory with commanding wins of 8-0 and 7-0. That trifecta capped Louisville's best stretch of baseball last year as the Cardinals won eight of nine during a two-week span.
After winning six straight games this year, Louisville is looking to regroup after suffering a 3-2 setback to Eastern Illinois on Tuesday. While the Cardinals' pitching has been sound, the offense has been quiet since rolling up six runs over the first two innings in a series-ending 6-3 win over Oakland. Louisville didn't score in the last six innings of that outing and didn't plate a run against Eastern Illinois until the ninth.
"We were chasing and taking ourselves away from our approach," said Ijames, who is hitting .357 with three home runs and seven RBI. "A lot comes down to us as an offense. There's not a lot of times where I can say we beat ourselves, but (Tuesday) I feel like we beat ourselves."
Louisville's players also admitted they played flat, with Self noting, "You can't just have an energy burst in the ninth. The season is a grind, but this is what we're made to do. You can't slack off one day." Regaining the enthusiasm that was evident during their six-game winning streak has been a focal point for the Cardinals.
Louisville's weekend rotation will look to match its outstanding effort against Oakland, when junior right-hander Justin Amlung (Louisville, Ky./St. Xavier HS), sophomore right-hander Jeff Thompson (Greenville, Ind./Floyd Central HS) and senior right-hander Travis Tingle (Louisville, Ky./Cleveland State CC) all picked up victories. Self has been the linchpin of a steady relieving corps with two saves and no runs allowed in seven innings.
Pepperdine poses a stiff early season challenge for Louisville. The Cardinals are also intent to wipe away the frustration from Tuesday's loss.
Grateful for the quick turnaround, Ijames said, "The good thing about baseball is we'll be able to play tomorrow."
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