Amazing Grace! No. 9 ECU Holds Off Louisville, 9-7
April 24, 2004 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C.- Red-shirt freshman Mike Grace drove in a career-high six runs including a grand slam and Kevin Rhodes pitched out of a bases loaded jam with two outs in the top of the ninth for his second save as No. 9 East Carolina held off Louisville's fierce comeback , 9-7, Saturday night at Harrington Field in Conference USA baseball action. The Pirates (34-6, 14-3 C-USA) matched a school record 15-game winning streak. Game three of the series with the Cardinals (20-19, 8-9 C-USA) will now be played at noon Sunday.
Grace finished 2-for-5 with the six RBI. Ryan Jones, Jamie Paige and Ryan Norwood each added a pair hits. Brody Taylor (6-0) got the win on the mound striking out four in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs on eight hits. Rhodes only pitched a 1/3 of an inning but had one huge strikeout earning the save. Dustin Sasser tossed 1 1/3 innings and struck out two.
Mike Tisdale (1-5) was saddled with the loss despite settling down after the first inning. Tisdale allowed seven runs, all in the first, before holding the Pirates scoreless over the next six innings. Scott Jenkins pitched an inning in relief giving up two unearned runs.
Trailing 9-6, the Cardinals tried to come back in the top of the ninth. Luis Pardo led off the ninth with a solo home run to right field pulling Louisville within, 9-7. After Carter Harrell struck out Danny Plascencia, Logan Johnson singled up the middle. Mark Jurich then popped up for the second out of the inning. Chris Cates followed with a single to right field bringing the go-ahead run to the plate. Harrell then hit Ron Braun to load the bases. Rhodes relieved Harrell and struck out Ryan McKinnon to end the game.
Grace delivered a two-out two-run double in the bottom of the eighth for a couple of insurance runs for the Pirates to make it, 9-6.
Logan Johnson's RBI single pulled Louisville within, 7-4, in the top of the seventh. Louisville came within, 7-6, in the top of the eighth on Daniel Burton's two-run home run with two outs.
Mark Jurich hit a three-run home run in the top of the sixth cutting the deficit to, 7-3, for the Cardinals.
ECU jumped on Louisville for seven runs in the bottom of the first. Mike Grace hit his first career grand slam in the bottom of the first putting the Pirates ahead, 4-0. Mark Minicozzi then drove in Ryan Norwood as ECU led, 5-0. Billy Richardson's two-run home run gave the Pirates a 7-0 lead.
Logan Johnson led the Cardinals at the plate going 3-for-4 with one RBI. Pardo and Cates both added two hits.
ECU freshman right-hander Shane Mathews will start game three of the series Sunday while Louisville will counter with senior right-hander B.J. Rosenberg.
