By Eric Groves

If Western Kentucky Athletic Director Wood Selig wants to begin a boycott of U of L athletics, he may want to consider starting with the Cardinal baseball team. With both teams ranked in the nation’s Top-30 the grudge match had even more intensity. Louisville’s Ken Tirpak went 4-4, including a three-run homer, an RBI double, drove in 4 runs and scored three more. U of L avenged an earlier loss at Western by pounding the Hilltoppers 11-3 Tuesday night at old Cardinal Stadium. Josh Ring struck out nine and allowed two runs on eight hits in 5 & 1/3 innings to notch his 5th win of the season. Western starter Grady Hinchman took the loss and lasted on 1 & 1/3 innings, but it was relief pitcher Andy Baldwin who bore the brunt of U of L’s offensive onslaught.

Louisville starter Cliff Novak was wild from the outset, hitting WKU leadoff hitter David Lower and walking three more Toppers in the top of the second. With Western leading 1-0 following a sacrifice fly, the sacks full and only one out, Novak gave way to Ring, who escaped the jam unscathed as he fanned Jerry Cecil and got Lower looking to end the inning. The Cards rallied in the bottom of the frame, as Tirpak and center fielder Dave Williams Jr. smacked RBI doubles, chasing Hinchman and staking the Cards to a 3-1 lead.

WKU scored another in the top of the third on an RBI single by Nick Turner and appeared to be poised for more. But left fielder Josh Bolen gunned down Turner at third while trying to advance on DH Jeff Pacholke’s single. After allowing two more singles to Ransdell and Antone Towns to load the bases, Ring got shortstop Travis Brown to ground out to second to end the threat.

The Cards broke it open in the third. After giving up Mark Jurich’s team leading 12th homer and consecutive singles to Morgan Bojorquez, Bolen, and Curt Stewart, Baldwin was pulled in favor of righty Brandon Miller. Miller retired Mike Budak on a sacrifice bunt, setting the stage for Tirpak. On the first pitch he saw from Miller, the switch hitting Tirpak launched a towering shot deep into the right field bleachers to give the Cards an 8-2 lead.

The Toppers never threatened again, though they did manage to plate one more run off Ring in the seventh on Ransdell’s RBI single. The Cards answered with three more in their half of the frame on an RBI single by Tirpak, a wild pitch by Miller and a passed ball. The win improved Louisville to 28-12, while WKU fell to 31-11.