By By Michael Kennedy
University of Louisville head baseball coach Dan McDonnell may not have been in the dugout for the first game of the regional tournament for the Cards, but he was surely pleased with the Cards’ performance.
The Cards (49-12) beat the St. Louis University Billikens (33-28) in the first round of regionals 11-2 on Friday, June 4. McDonnell was suspended by the NCAA for three games following an argument he had with umpires during the Big East Tournament. Coaches Roger Williams and Chris Lemonis shared head coaching responsibilities for the Cards.
U of L was the first on the board when freshman designated hitter Zak Wasserman scored on a sacrifice fly by senior first baseman Andrew Clark. The Billikens responded with back-to-back solo home runs in the fourth, hit off U of L starter sophomore Derek Self. Those were the only two runs he would surrender in his four innings of pitching.
After that, the Cards took control of the game. Sophomore pitcher Tony Zych shut down the St. Louis offense, striking out five of the first seven batters he faced. Zych pitched 3.1 innings, giving up no runs and earning the win. Cotton took the loss for the Billikens.
In the seventh, sophomore second baseman Ryan Wright hit a two run homer, and senior first baseman Andrew Clark also hit a two run shot in the eighth, his third RBI of the game.
The Cards play Vanderbilt University (42-17) at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 5. Vanderbilt bested Illinois State (31-23) 8-7, in a five-hour, 13 inning game earlier Friday. Illinois State and St. Louis will play at noon on Saturday.
