University of Louisville
2-1
Cal State Fullerton
1-2
Cardinals Fall to Cal State Fullerton in Weekend Finale
February 15, 2015 | Baseball
Sophomore Corey Ray connected for his first home run of 2015 in Sunday's loss.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - A late rally was not enough as the seventh-ranked Louisville baseball team suffered its first loss of the season dropping an 8-6 decision to No. 17 Cal State Fullerton on Sunday at Bright House Field.
The Cardinals (2-1) trailed 4-0 after the first inning and 8-1 following the fifth inning before battling back to cut the deficit to just two runs at the end of seven. However, that was as close as they would get as the Cal State Fullerton (1-2) bullpen closed the door in the final two frames during the final day of the Opening Weekend Challenge.
Sophomore outfielder Corey Ray (Chicago, Ill.) led the way for Louisville finishing 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored, while sophomore catcher Will Smith (Louisville, Ky.) was 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. Junior first baseman Danny Rosenbaum (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) chipped in going 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI and senior infielder Sutton Whiting (New Wilmington, Pa.) added three singles and scored once.
On the mound, sophomore lefty Josh Rogers (New Albany, Ind.) was charged with the loss in his first start of the season after allowing six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in 4.0+ innings. Louisville did get strong relief efforts from sophomore lefty Robert Strader (Louisville, Ky.), who struck out four in two shutout innings, and freshman lefty Brendan McKay (Darlington, Pa.), who added one strikeout in two scoreless frames.
For the Titans, freshman lefty John Gavin earned the win after allowing four runs on nine hits with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings while Tyler Peitzmeier locked down the save recording the final four outs of the game. First baseman Josh Estill was 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored for Fullerton, while designated hitter Chris Hudgins drove in two and scored twice.
After dropping a pair of one-run losses in each of the first two days in Clearwater, Cal State Fullerton found its offense early on Sunday scoring four runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. Estill had a RBI double, Hudgins added a two-run single and outfielder Dustin Vaught chipped in with a RBI single.
The Cardinals broke through for their first run of the day in the second inning on a RBI groundout by freshman outfielder Ryan Summers (Westfield, Mass.) to score Smith. However, the Titans added to the lead with a run in the fourth on a RBI single by shortstop Timmy Richards and three more runs in the fifth after an RBI sacrifice fly by second baseman Jake Jefferies and back-to-back RBI walks for catcher A.J. Kennedy and Richards.
Facing an 8-1 deficit, Louisville stayed in the game with a three-run sixth inning, which started with a solo home run to center by Ray. Later in the inning, Rosenbaum delivered an RBI double to plate Smith before also scoring on a RBI double by freshman infielder Devin Hairston (Lexington, Ky.).
An inning later, the Cardinals added two more runs to cut the Titans lead to 8-6 when Whiting scored on RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Ray, who found the plate later in the frame after a throwing error by the Titans. From that point, the Cal State Fullerton bullpen steadied itself to record the final six outs without allowing any additional runs for the final margin.
Louisville is scheduled to open its 33-game home slate at Jim Patterson Stadium on Wednesday at 3 p.m., ET against Eastern Kentucky.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
Louisville Postgame Notes
? The Cardinals and USF finished the Opening Weekend Challenge with 2-1 records each while Alabama State and Cal State Fullerton each had 1-2 marks.
? Louisville dropped to 23-13 all-time at Bright House Field since its first visit to the ballpark in 2006.
? The Cardinals opened the season by winning two of three games for the fourth consecutive year.
? Zach Lucas has hit safely in six straight games dating back to last season.
? After three games, Sutton Whiting leads the Cardinals in hitting at .417 overall to go along with three walks and three stolen bases.
? Corey Ray closed the weekend with a .385 average, including two doubles and a home run, as well as three RBI and four runs scored.
? Danny Rosenbaum hit .400 during the opening weekend and added a double and two RBI.
? Redshirt freshman outfielder Ryan Summers and freshman infielder Devin Hairston made their first career starts on Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gavin, John (1-0)
L: Rogers, Josh (0-1)
S: Peitzmeier, Tyler (1)
Batting:
2B: Estill, Josh 1
RBI: Jefferies, Jake 1 ; Estill, Josh 1 ; Hudgins, Chris 2 ; Vaught, Dustin 1 ; Kennedy, A.J. 1 ; Richards, Timmy 2
SH: Kennedy, A.J. 1
SF: Jefferies, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hurst, Scott 2 ; Jefferies, Jake 1 ; Estill, Josh 1 ; Hudgins, Chris 2 ; Bravo, Jerrod 1 ; Vaught, Dustin 1
HBP: Vaught, Dustin 1
PO: Richards, Timmy 1
Batting:
2B: Smith, Will 1 ; Rosenbaum, Danny 1 ; Hairston, Devin 1
HR: Ray, Corey 1
RBI: Ray, Corey 2 ; Rosenbaum, Danny 1 ; Hairston, Devin 1 ; Summers, Ryan 1
SH: Hairston, Devin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Whiting, Sutton 1 ; Ray, Corey 2 ; Smith, Will 2 ; Rosenbaum, Danny 1
CS: Whiting, Sutton 1
HBP: Ray, Corey 1 ; Taylor, Logan 1
PO: Smith, Will 1
