FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES
TAMPA, Fla. – The runs came in pairs as the University of Louisville baseball team scored twice in five different innings, and Justin Marks tossed six scoreless frames as the Cardinals scored a 10-2 win over USF Saturday. The Cards will attempt to sweep the Bulls Sunday with a first pitch time that has been changed to 12:00 p.m. to accommodate UofL’s travel schedule.
The Cards (19-13, 5-5 BIG EAST), who have won three straight, took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, scoring on the Bulls in the first for the second time in as many games.
John Dao opened the game with a single and Phil Wunderlich followed with a double into the left field corner, putting two in scoring position. A sac fly by Justin McClanahan scored one and a passed ball plated the second run.
Dao walked to open the third and stole second, moved to third on a groundout by Wunderlich and scored on a double by McClanahan. A fielding error by Addison Maruszak on a ground ball hit by Chris Dominguez plated McClanahan upped the lead to 4-0 Cards.
Wunderlich smoked the first pitch of the fifth inning into the alley in right, and after a single by Dominguez, Andrew Clark and Jeff Arnold hit consecutive RBI singled for a 6-0 advantage.
Marks scattered five hits and three walks, striking out four to improve his record to 3-1 on the season.
Kyle Cheesebrough wore a 2-0 pitch leading off the eighth and Drew Haynes double to left to place two in scoring position. Dao followed with a two-run single that made it 8-0.
In the bottom of the eighth the Bulls (15-18, 5-9 BIG EAST) averted the shutout on a two-out solo home run to right by Brian Hobbs that made it 8-1.
Louisville sealed the game in the ninth on a two-out, two-run double by Cheesebrough that plated Clark and Tyler Mickits.
A bases-loaded walk to Hobbs in the ninth plated the other run, but Gabriel Shaw induced a groundout with the bases loaded to end the game.
Shaw gave up two run on five hits and two walks, striking out one over the final three innings to earn his fifth save of the season.
USF starter Randy Fontanez (2-3) took the loss, giving up eight runs – six earned, on 13 hits and to walks, striking out four in seven innings.
Dao’s three hits and two RBI paced an offensive attack for the Cards that saw every starter collect a hit, and scored in double figures for the third consecutive BIG EAST game.
