University of Louisville
Indiana
No. 22 Baseball Thumps Indiana, 21-4
April 17, 2012 | Baseball
April 17, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Led by a career-best three-hit, three-RBI performance from sophomore catcher Kyle Gibson, the 22nd-ranked Louisville baseball team had its highest scoring outing of the season in Tuesday afternoon's 21-4 road win over Indiana at Sembower Field.
With the victory, which completed a two-game season sweep of IU, the Cardinals improved to 26-11 overall, while the Hoosiers dropped to 16-21 on the season. In the first game between the two teams on March 6, Louisville earned a 13-4 win at Jim Patterson Stadium.
The 21 runs were a season-high for the Cardinals and the most since their 24-6 win over Rutgers on May 1, 2010. The 17-run difference marked the largest margin of victory for either team in the history of the series, which Louisville leads 20-19.
Gibson (Henderson, Ky./Henderson County HS) finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and two runs scored as Louisville finished with 15 hits to go with 11 walks. The Cardinals, ranked fourth in the nation in HBPs entering the week, were hit a season-high seven times on Tuesday. Sophomore Ty Young (Coatesville, Pa./Malvern Prep) was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, including his fifth home run of the season, while senior Stewart Ijames (Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic HS) had a double, a single, three RBI and a run scored in the win. Sophomore outfielder Cole Sturgeon (Owensboro, Ky./Owensboro Catholic HS) and junior second baseman Nick Ratajczak (Joliet, Ill./Gulf Coast CC) added two RBI each, while junior outfielder Matt Helms (Eufaula, Okla./Seminole State CC) chipped in with a three-run triple.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Chad Green (Effingham, Ill./Effingham HS) came out of the bullpen to pitch 4.0 perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the season. Six different Louisville pitchers contributed to the win on a predetermined staff day for the Cardinals.
For Indiana, starter Matt Dearden took the loss and dropped to 1-4 on the season after allowing four runs, including three earned, on five hits and three walks in 2.2 innings. All six Hoosier pitchers on Tuesday allowed at least one run as Indiana surrendered more than 20 runs for the second straight game at home.
The Cardinals scored in seven of nine innings on Tuesday, including two runs or more in six of those seven. Louisville trailed early in the game facing a 3-2 deficit after two innings, but answered with two in the third, four in the fourth, three in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth for a 14-3 lead before IU plated a run in the bottom of the eighth. U of L closed out the game with a seven-run ninth inning, which included the first nine batters of the inning reaching base.
Up next, Louisville returns to BIG EAST Conference action with a pivotal three-game series at league-leader USF. The Cardinals and Bulls will open the weekend on Friday at 7 p.m., ET in Tampa, Fla. The series will continue on Saturday at 6 p.m., and will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m. Live audio for the entire series will be available to subscribers to CardsTV at UofLsports.com.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
