Lawhorn Grand Slam Lifts Pirates to Split
April 26, 2003 | Baseball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Darryl Lawhorn's ninth-inning grand slam lifted East Carolina past Louisville, 8-5, in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday at Cardinal Stadium. The dramatic finish came on the heels of a 12-inning thriller in game one, won by the Cardinals, 7-6.
The Cards (25-14, 10-9 C-USA) struck for two runs in the first inning of game one as Dave Williams Jr. led off with a triple and scored on a single up the middle by Josh Bolen.
Bolen stole second, his ninth theft of the season, and scored on a single to left by catcher Ron Braun for a 2-0 advantage.
The Pirates (25-18-1, 11-9) responded with a pair of unearned runs without the benefit of a hit in the top of the third to tie the game.
Bolen reached on an error by second baseman Mike DeJesus with one out in the third, moved to third on a single by Mark Jurich and scored on a single by Braun to give the Cards a 3-2 lead. Morgan Bojorquez followed with an RBI single of his own to extend the lead to 4-2 Cards.
In the fourth, U of L starter Scott Barber walked the bases loaded, chasing him from the game. Mike Eilers entered and struck out Jamie Paige, gave up an RBI single to Ryan Jones and with the bases still loaded, Eilers fielded a comebacker, starting a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning with the Cards lead cut to 4-3.
With two down in the top of the fifth, ECU catcher Jake Smith drilled a line drive to center that scooted past a diving Williams all the way to the wall for an inside-the-park home run, tying the game at four.
Bolen walked to lead off the fifth and eventually scored on a single by Bojorquez to regain the lead at 5-4, but an unearned run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Smith to tie the game once again.
Lawhorn walked to open the top of the ninth, and scored on a double by DH Adam Witter, giving the Pirates its first lead of the game, 6-5.
Bolen lead off in the ninth, drilling a triple off the wall in right center. A wild pitch by ECU closer Greg Bunn plated Bolen to tie the game at six and send the game to extra innings.
In the 12th, Bojorquez drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a single by LaFountain and advanced to third when the right fielder mishandled the ball to put runners at the corners with nobody out. McKinnon struck out, and Nick Haley followed with a perfect squeeze bunt, plating Bojorquez to seal the win.
Carlos Fernandez (4-1) went 5.0 innings in the win, giving up a run on four hits and two walks, fanning one. Starter Scott Barber struggled with his control, walking six in three innings. He gave up three runs, one of which was earned on just one hit, striking out two.
Mike Eilers pitched out of a jam in the fourth, and tossed four innings overall, allowing two runs, one of which was earned on four hits. He struck out three.
ECU reliever Bunn (3-4) took the loss, surrendering an unearned run on three hits and two walks while fanning four.
LaFountain had four hits, while Braun added three for the Cards in game one.
Louisville again took the lead in the first when Jurich's RBI single scored LaFountain, who had doubled, making it 1-0.
An RBI single by Braun plated Bolen in the third and RBI singles by Bolen and Braun in the fourth made it 4-0 Cards.
A sacrifice fly to center by Haley closed the Cardinal scoring in the fifth, creating a 5-0 cushion. The string of eight unanswered runs began with three consecutive RBI singles in the sixth, cutting the lead to 5-3.
An RBI single by Paige in the seventh cut it to a one run lead.
In the ninth, a double, a walk, a fielder's choice and a single loaded the bases for Lawhorn, who took a 2-0 pitch out to right-center for a grand slam, and an 8-5 advantage for the final margin.
The Cards put runners on the corners with one out in the ninth, but could not pick up a run. Louisville starter Zach Jackson surrendered four runs on nine hits and two walks, striking out five in six innings.
Griffin Bailey (1-2), who took the loss, gave up two runs on a hit an three walks to go with a strikeout.
Brian Halford tossed the final inning, giving up two runs on a pair of hits.
Pirate reliever Scott Andrews (1-0) picked up the win tossing 4.1 scoreless innings on just two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Haley, Bolen, Jurich and Williams each had a pair of hits in the second game, with Williams extending his hitting streak to 15 games.
Braun was 4-for-5 in the second game, and was 7-for-10 in the set to lead the Cards, driving in four runs.
The teams will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium. .
