Deely's Dingers Win Pizza Bowl Opener, 8-3
October 16, 2013 | Baseball
Oct. 16, 2013
2013 Pizza Bowl Game 1 - Photo Gallery
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Senior outfielder Cole Sturgeon had three hits with two RBI as Deely's Dingers opened the 2013 Pizza Bowl series with an 8-3 victory over Cheese's Champs on Wednesday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
The Champs will look to even the series with the Dingers in game two of the three-game set on Thursday at 5 p.m., ET. Friday's finale is set for 4 p.m., ET and will precede the Louisville football team's nationally televised home game against UCF inside Papa John's Cardinal Stadium next door to the ballpark. Fans attending the open scrimmages should note that parking will not be available in the left field lot near Iowa Street due to a campus construction project.
Sturgeon was 3-for-5 overall, including a pair of RBI singles, while scoring all three times he reached base in the win as the Dingers used a five-run first inning to claim control of the game. Senior infielder Alex Chittenden was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while junior infielder Zach Lucas was 2-for-5 with a double and scored twice. Senior catcher Aaron Gershenfeld chipped in with two singles and two RBI.
On the mound, freshman lefty Drew Harrington was credited with the win after allowing just one run on five hits with one strikeout in 4.2 innings for the Dingers. Junior righty Brandon Alphin followed with 2.1 innings of shutout relief with one strikeout, while freshman righty Mason Richardson added a perfect inning of relief in the ninth to close the game.
Freshman infielder Blake Tiberi was 2-for-5 with a double and one RBI, while fellow freshman infielder Nick Solak was 2-for-5 with two stolen bases and a run scored in the loss. Freshman utility player Will Smith chipped in with a single, a walk and two RBI for the Champs. On the mound, freshman righty Jake Sparger took the loss allowing five runs in four innings with four strikeouts, while sophomore righty Jonah Philley and sophomore lefty Jakson Deyer each worked a scoreless inning of relief.
The two teams in this year's Pizza Bowl series are guided by assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough and student manager Chad Deely. Cheese's Champs include position players Shane Crain, Jeff Gardner, Mike White, Sutton Whiting, Michael Bollmer, Will Smith, Nick Solak, Ryan Summers, Logan Taylor and Blake Tiberi, as well as pitchers Nick Burdi, Joe Filomeno, Jared Ruxer, Jakson Deyer, Jonah Philley, Robert Strader, Ryan Lauria, Josh Rogers, Alex Sears and Jake Sparger. Deely's Dingers include position players Alex Chittenden, Aaron Gershenfeld, Kyle Gibson, Cole Sturgeon (also will pitch), Zach Lucas, Danny Rosenbaum, Jordan Striegel, Grant Kay, Colin Lyman, Corey Ray and Matt Rowland, and pitchers Kyle McGrath, Brandon Alphin, Brad Hedden, Kyle Funkhouser, Anthony Kidston, Jordan Simons, Zack Burdi, Drew Harrington and Mason Richardson.
The scheduled pitching matchup for game two on Thursday is Ruxer against Funkhouser while Friday's finale is set to feature Filomeno against McGrath.
About the Pizza Bowl
Upon his hiring as Louisville head coach in the summer of 2006, Dan McDonnell immediately created an atmosphere of competition throughout the Cardinal baseball program. Whether it's through conditioning in the Omaha Challenge, or in preseason scrimmages, McDonnell believes in creating competitive situations to give his players numerous opportunities to prepare for what they will see during conference and postseason games.
One of the most effective ways McDonnell and his coaching staff can provide the Louisville players with those competitive, game-like situations is through the annual Pizza Bowl series. Following six weeks of fall practice sessions, the Cardinals take to the field for what started as a one-game scrimmage in the fall of 2006 and has become an ultra-competitive three-game or five-game intra-squad series. The winning team is rewarded by being served as much pizza as it would like by the losing squad, which in turn shares what is left. The Pizza Bowl series has become an exciting and highly anticipated ending to the fall for Louisville coaches, players and fans.
About Louisville Baseball
Directed by McDonnell, who is entering his eighth season at the helm, Louisville returns 19 letterwinners from last year's squad, which won a school record 51 games, the program's fourth regular season conference title in five seasons and hosted NCAA postseason games for the fourth time. The Cardinals capped the season by defeating No. 2 national seed Vanderbilt in the Nashville Super Regional to clinch the program's second College World Series berth and a No. 8 national ranking.
Among the top returnees for Louisville for the 2014 season are senior captains and All-Conference standouts Jeff Gardner and Cole Sturgeon, junior righty pitcher and All-American Nick Burdi, All-Conference shortstop Sutton Whiting, senior catching duo Shane Crain and Kyle Gibson and Freshman All-American pitchers Kyle Funkhouser and Anthony Kidston. A strong group of experienced upperclassmen including the likes of infielders Alex Chittenden, Zach Lucas and Danny Rosenbaum, outfielder Mike White and pitchers Jared Ruxer, Kyle McGrath and Joe Filomeno are joined by a deep and talented set of newcomers setting the stage for an entertaining fall and spring on the baseball diamond for the Cardinals.
In his seven seasons guiding the Louisville baseball program, McDonnell has placed the Cardinals among the nation's elite with two College World Series berths, three NCAA Super Regional appearances, six NCAA Regional bids, four conference regular season titles, two conference tournament titles and 309 wins overall.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
