Pirates Take Game, Series Over Cardinals
April 16, 2005 | Baseball
LOUISVILLE, KY.--Despite a rally by Louisville in the late innings, ECU held on to take a 9-8 win over the Cardinals Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium. Louisville (17-14, 7-6 C-USA) scored three runs in the eighth and threatened in the ninth but ECU (20-13, 6-8 C-USA) was able to hold on for the one-run victory.
The Pirates have now won four conference games in a row and have clinched their second consecutive series win.
T.J. Hose earned his second win of the season in his second start of the season, allowing seven runs, only three of which was earned on seven hits in seven innings of work. The freshman right-hander struck out six, walked three and hit two Louisville batters. Mike Flye relieved Hose but faced only three batters, allowing one run on two hits while walking one. Scott Andrews earned his first save of the season, tossing the final two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three.
Adam Witter was the leader offensively for the Pirates, collecting a career-high four hits, finishing 4-for-5 with a home run and three singles. Jake Smith finished 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI while Ryan Peisel and Brian Cavanaugh each recorded two hits on the day.
Justin Valdes (1-4) lasted just one inning, allowing six runs on six hits while walking one in a losing effort. Scott Jenkins relieved Valdes, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while walking two and striking out two. Griffin Bailey and Brian Halford combined to throw the final 2 1/3 innings.
Isaiah Howes, Logan Johnson and Chris Cates all collected two hits with Cates collected a team-high three RBI. Johnson, Ryan McKinnon and Greg Taylor all plated two runs for the Cardinals.
ECU put five on the board in the top of the first on a couple of Louisville miscues and five consecutive hits. After Mike Grace walked and advanced to third on a Witter single to right, Grace scored on a passed ball for the Pirates' first run of the game. Witter, scored on the play when catcher J.T. LaFountain threw the ball into leftfield while trying to throw him out at third. Jake Smith then doubled to left and was driven in on a Peisel single through the left side before Dale Mollenhauer brought him home with a double down the line in right. Harrison Eldridge followed Mollenhauer with a nearly identical double to right, scoring him from second to give ECU a 5-0 lead early on.
Boomer Whiting scored in the bottom half of the first when Jorge Castillo reached on a fielding error on Peisel at third.
In the top of the second, Grace brought home Cavanaugh, who doubled to lead off the inning, from third on a sacrifice fly to center, pushing the Pirate lead back to five.
A second Peisel miscue at third allowed the Cardinals to stay alive with two outs in the bottom of the fourth when Taylor doubled to the gap in right-center, scoring Johnson from second and McKinnon from third. Cates then doubled to left, scoring Taylor to cut the ECU lead to 6-4.
Witter's second hit of the ballgame was a solo homer to left, his third of the season and the first home run ever hit at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Nick Haley plated Louisville's fifth run in the bottom of the fifth when he scored from first on a Howes double to center.
Smith scored Grace, who reached on his second walk of the game earlier in the inning, with a single up the middle in the seventh before Peisel scored Witter with a single to left, pushing ECU's lead to 9-5.
The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth before Cates singled up the middle, scoring two runners to cut the lead to 9-7. Haley reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Taylor to bring Louisville within one.
Down one in the ninth, Howes hit his second double of the game to center to lead off the inning before Andrews shut the door to keep Howes from tying the game, giving ECU the win.
The Pirates and the Cardinals will play the final game of the series on the opening weekend at Jim Patterson Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m.
