Jones Homers Twice To Rally Pirates Past Cards, 10-8
April 27, 2003 | Baseball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Ryan Jones hit a pair of homers and drove in four runs to lead East Carolina past Louisville, 10-8, on Sunday at Cardinal Stadium. The Pirates rallied from an early 5-1 deficit for the win as they took two of the three games in the weekend Conference USA series.
The Pirates (26-18-1, 12-9) hit back-to-back doubles in the second to plate a run and take a 1-0 lead.
The Cards (25-15, 10-10) responded with five in the bottom of the second. Morgan Bojorquez blistered a 1-2 pitch to the seats in right center for his third home run of the season, leading off the inning, an tying the game at one.
With one down, Ryan McKinnon was hit by a pitch, Nick Haley singled, and J.T. LaFountain was also hit by a pitch to load the bases for Josh Bolen.
Bolen drilled a single to center, scoring two, and Mark Jurich followed with a double that plated two more and gave he Cards a 5-1 lead.
A two-run home run by the Pirates' Jones in the third cut the advantage to 5-3, and Jones blasted his second two-run home run in the fifth to knot the game at five.
Louisville broke the tie in the sixth on an RBI double by Bojorquez, but the Pirates evened the score on a sac fly by Ryan Norwood in the seventh. Then with the bases loaded that same inning, DH Adam Witter grounded into what looked to be a 2-3-2 double play, but first base umpire Johnny Carraro ruled that Witter was safe, keeping the bases loaded and the inning alive.
Catcher Jake Smith was the next batter, and he cleared the bases with a triple off the wall in right, giving ECU a 9-6 edge. Haley singled home a pair of runs in the eighth to shave the lead to a single run, but an insurance run in the ninth on a single by Mark Minicozzi sealed the 10-8 win.
Louisville stranded 17 runners on the afternoon.
Louisville starter Chase Cruse (1-2) took the loss, giving up nine runs, six of which were earned, on nine hits and three walks while fanning five in 6.2 innings.
Jon Harbridge allowed a run on a hit and walk to go with two strikeouts in an inning plus.
Mike Eilers finished the game, allowing to hits and striking out two in an inning of work.
Ashley Capps started for the Pirates and was chased after two innings allowing five runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out one.
Reliever Jason Torangeau (1-0) notched the win, allowing three runs on seven hits and four walks, fanning four in five innings.
Greg Bunn picked up his eighth save with two innings of three-hit ball. He walked one and struck out two.
The Pirates will play at nationally ranked NC State on Wednesday night (7 p.m.) in their last non-conference matchup of the regular season. ECU returns home to host Southern Miss in a three-game C-USA set next weekend.
