ECU Sweeps Louisville With an 11-6 Win Sunday
April 17, 2005 | Baseball
ECU improves to 7-8 in Conference USA action and 21-13 overall while Louisville falls to 17-15, 7-7 in conference play with the loss.
Ryan Peisel reached base in all five plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with a home run, three singles and a walk. The freshman infielder collected two RBI and scored three runs on the day. Dale Mollenhauer also had a big day at the plate, hitting 3-for-5 with a run. Brian Cavanaugh, Adam Witter and Harrison Eldridge also collected multiple hits with each batter finishing the day with two. Cavanaugh scored two runs and drove one in, Witter finished with four RBI and two runs scored while Eldridge tallied three RBI.
P.J. Connelly started for ECU and lasted only 1 1/3 innings before giving way to Mike Flye. Connelly allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on three hits while walking one Cardinal batter. Flye earned his fifth win of the season, tossing 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits while walking four and striking out eight. Chris Powell came on to pitch the final 1 1/3 innings, holding the Cardinals scoreless.
Mike Lynn started for Louisville, going just one inning, allowing three runs on five hits. Tyrston Magnuson suffered the loss, allowing four runs in three innings of work before giving way to Brian Halford who finished the game on the mound for the Cardinals.
Boomer Whiting and J.T. LaFountain both collected two hits to lead Louisville.
Cavanaugh doubled to left to lead off the ballgame and after advancing to third on a Drew Costanzo sacrifice bunt, Witter singled to right, plating Cavanaugh for the first run of the game. Two batters later, Ryan Peisel brought home Witter from second to give ECU a 2-0 lead after a half inning to play.
The Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the first, scoring two runs to tie the game at two. Isaiah Howes brought home Whiting from third with a single up the middle, cutting the lead to 2-1 before a Curt Stewart groundout brought home Nick Haley from third.
Brad Stephenson led off the second inning with a double off the wall in right-center and after a Brett Lindgren groundout that advanced Stephenson to third, Cavanaugh brought him home for the Pirates' third run of the game with a sacrifice fly to left.
Louisville scored two runs in the bottom half of the second to take a 4-3 lead after two. A Chris Cates single brought home Greg Taylor to tie the game before a bases loaded sacrifice fly to left off the bat of LaFountain scored Cates to push the Cardinals ahead by a run.
Eldridge doubled to right-center, scoring Peisel from second and Mollenhauer from first to put the Pirates back ahead in the third, 5-4.
Witter hit his second homer of the weekend and his fourth this season with a two-run blast to right, scoring Costanzo to increase the lead to 7-4.
Eldridge drove in another run in the fifth with a single to right, scoring Peisel, who walked to lead off the inning. Costanzo's second single of the game came in the top of the sixth, scoring Lindgren from second to push the lead to 9-4.
LaFountain singled to right in the seventh, scoring Whiting from second for the Cardinals fifth run. Ryan McKinnon homered to left in the bottom of the eighth to bring the score to 10-6.
Peisel added a run in the ninth with his second home run of the season with a solo shot to left-center.
ECU returns home this week to face North Carolina on Tuesday and N.C. State for the third time this season on Wednesday before hosting Memphis April 22-24.
