Louisville Wins Games, Visits Orphanage and Feeds Villages
October 03, 2015 | Baseball
Cardinals visit home for abused and abandoned girls; team also shares food with two villages
JUAN DOLIO, Dominican Republic - Day two of the Louisville baseball team's five-day visit to the Dominican Republic began Saturday with a pair of dominant split squad wins against local independent players before concluding with the Cardinals visiting and providing food to a girls orphanage as well as two nearby villages.
On the field, the Cardinals had a strong debut on the island earning an 18-0 victory over a Liga del Oesta team and a 22-3 win against an International Prospect League club at The Highlands Complex in Boca Chica. While the offense made a strong statement with 39 runs on 37 hits on Saturday, the pitching staff was equally dominant combining to allow just eight hits and no earned runs in 18 innings.
Away from the field, the Louisville players and coaches followed the games by first visiting Pasitos de Jésus, a facility founded to help care for a young girl with Down Syndrome which also provides assistance to abused and abandoned youth girls in the Dominican Republic. The visit included a welcome introduction by the staff, a tour of the facility and singing by many of the 50 girls at the home before the Cardinals served everyone Papa John's Pizza for dinner. After entertaining their visitors with songs, the girls shared hugs of appreciate with everyone in Louisville's travel party.
Following their time at Pasitos de Jésus, the Cardinals split into two groups and visited a pair of rural villages. While at the villages, the players and coaches interacted with numerous local families while sharing food purchased through donations to SCORE International. The Saturday evening visit was Louisville's third community service outreach opportunity during its first two days in the Dominican Republic.
Among the highlights earlier in the day on the field was the performance of junior lefty Drew Harrington, who finished with nine strikeouts and allowed just one hit in five shutout innings in the win against Liga del Oesta. At the plate, junior first baseman Michael Bollmer was 4-for-7 with two home runs and seven RBI, while freshman outfielder Chris Botsoe homered and drove in four runs. Junior catcher Will Smith added three hits, including a double, and scored five times and sophomore infielder Blake Tiberi was 4-for-7 and scored twice.
In the win over the IPL club, sophomore righty Kade McClure set the pace on the mound by striking out seven without allowing an earned run on three hits in five innings. At the plate, junior outfielder Colin Lyman hit for the cycle and was 5-for-6 overall with an inside-the-park home run, four RBI and five runs scored. Sophomore first baseman Brendan McKay was 4-for-6 with a double, triple and two RBI, freshman outfielder Josh Stowers finished 3-for-6 with a home run and five RBI and freshman infielder Daniel Little added three hits and two RBI.
On Sunday, Louisville will play its featured game of the weekend with a 5 p.m., ET matchup against Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League at 8,000-seat Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macorís. The Estrellas Orientales baseball franchise began in 1910 and won league titles in 1954 and 1968.
Louisville's fourth and final game in the Dominican Republic is set for Monday at 11 a.m., ET against Leones del Escogido at the Arizona Diamondbacks Complex-Baseball City in Boca Chica. The Leones del Escogido baseball franchise was founded in 1921 and is a 12-time league champion while also winning four Caribbean Series championships.
The trip, which coincides with the university's mid-term break, will conclude on Tuesday with the team's return home. The Cardinals are partnering with SCORE International for its housing, transportation and community service work while on the ground in the Dominican Republic. SCORE International is a short term mission organization with extensive experience providing all-inclusive trips.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
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LOUISVILLE BASEBALL 2015 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC GAME SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Results: Louisville 18, Liga del Oesta 0 | Louisville 22, International Prospect League 3 (split squads)
Date/Location: Saturday | The Highlands Complex | Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
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Matchup: Louisville vs. Estrellas Orientales
Date/Time: Sunday | 5 p.m., ET
Venue: Estadio Tetelo Vargas
City: San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
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Matchup: Louisville vs. Leones del Escogido
Date/Time: Monday | 11 a.m., ET
Venue: Arizona Diamondback Complex-Baseball City
City: Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
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On the field, the Cardinals had a strong debut on the island earning an 18-0 victory over a Liga del Oesta team and a 22-3 win against an International Prospect League club at The Highlands Complex in Boca Chica. While the offense made a strong statement with 39 runs on 37 hits on Saturday, the pitching staff was equally dominant combining to allow just eight hits and no earned runs in 18 innings.
Away from the field, the Louisville players and coaches followed the games by first visiting Pasitos de Jésus, a facility founded to help care for a young girl with Down Syndrome which also provides assistance to abused and abandoned youth girls in the Dominican Republic. The visit included a welcome introduction by the staff, a tour of the facility and singing by many of the 50 girls at the home before the Cardinals served everyone Papa John's Pizza for dinner. After entertaining their visitors with songs, the girls shared hugs of appreciate with everyone in Louisville's travel party.
Following their time at Pasitos de Jésus, the Cardinals split into two groups and visited a pair of rural villages. While at the villages, the players and coaches interacted with numerous local families while sharing food purchased through donations to SCORE International. The Saturday evening visit was Louisville's third community service outreach opportunity during its first two days in the Dominican Republic.
Among the highlights earlier in the day on the field was the performance of junior lefty Drew Harrington, who finished with nine strikeouts and allowed just one hit in five shutout innings in the win against Liga del Oesta. At the plate, junior first baseman Michael Bollmer was 4-for-7 with two home runs and seven RBI, while freshman outfielder Chris Botsoe homered and drove in four runs. Junior catcher Will Smith added three hits, including a double, and scored five times and sophomore infielder Blake Tiberi was 4-for-7 and scored twice.
In the win over the IPL club, sophomore righty Kade McClure set the pace on the mound by striking out seven without allowing an earned run on three hits in five innings. At the plate, junior outfielder Colin Lyman hit for the cycle and was 5-for-6 overall with an inside-the-park home run, four RBI and five runs scored. Sophomore first baseman Brendan McKay was 4-for-6 with a double, triple and two RBI, freshman outfielder Josh Stowers finished 3-for-6 with a home run and five RBI and freshman infielder Daniel Little added three hits and two RBI.
On Sunday, Louisville will play its featured game of the weekend with a 5 p.m., ET matchup against Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League at 8,000-seat Estadio Tetelo Vargas in San Pedro de Macorís. The Estrellas Orientales baseball franchise began in 1910 and won league titles in 1954 and 1968.
Louisville's fourth and final game in the Dominican Republic is set for Monday at 11 a.m., ET against Leones del Escogido at the Arizona Diamondbacks Complex-Baseball City in Boca Chica. The Leones del Escogido baseball franchise was founded in 1921 and is a 12-time league champion while also winning four Caribbean Series championships.
The trip, which coincides with the university's mid-term break, will conclude on Tuesday with the team's return home. The Cardinals are partnering with SCORE International for its housing, transportation and community service work while on the ground in the Dominican Republic. SCORE International is a short term mission organization with extensive experience providing all-inclusive trips.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
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LOUISVILLE BASEBALL 2015 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC GAME SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Results: Louisville 18, Liga del Oesta 0 | Louisville 22, International Prospect League 3 (split squads)
Date/Location: Saturday | The Highlands Complex | Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
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Matchup: Louisville vs. Estrellas Orientales
Date/Time: Sunday | 5 p.m., ET
Venue: Estadio Tetelo Vargas
City: San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
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Matchup: Louisville vs. Leones del Escogido
Date/Time: Monday | 11 a.m., ET
Venue: Arizona Diamondback Complex-Baseball City
City: Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
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Players Mentioned
1B
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LHP
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OF
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RHP
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LHP/1B
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C
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3B/1B
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