By Charlie Leffler
On Tuesday afternoon, the Louisville Cardinals closed out their 2002 home schedule by sweeping the Akron Zips in a double header 3-1, 6-2. The Cards moved their win streak to eight straight games.
Akron came into the day’s matchup with an 18-27 record and Louisville head coach Lelo Prado said that he was concerned about his team possibly suffering a let down in the games what were situated between important conference series.
“There’s no doubt,” said Prado. “I was really worried about today because you could have a let down and it could ruin your season. We did enough to win that’s all we can say.”
In the first game of the afternoon, it appeared that the Zips were going to give the Cards all that they could handle. The low 60’s temperature combined with a winds gusting to 20 mph to nullify much of the Louisville long hitters’ advantage.
Josh Ring also looked shaky in his second start in four days by walking two of the first three Akron batters, but the Cardinal defense closed out the inning strong by turning a Dan Swallie hit into a double play.
In the second inning Ring gave up two hits to the Zips but the Cards once again defended strongly and kept them from scoring.
Then in the bottom of the second Louisville began to use their bats with more effectiveness but not without some help from the Akron defense. Morgon Bojorquez led off with a shallow fly ball that Zip centerfielder Ryan Brickwood misjudged. The ball caromed off Brickwood’s glove and Bojorquez took second on the error.
After Josh Bolen bunted out, Mike Budak went at Brickwood again. The hard shot to center sent the Zip player crashing into the wall but somehow he managed to hang onto the ball as he fell to the ground. Yet, Brickwood did not recover fast enough and Bojorquez scored from second to give Louisville a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third still clung to the one run lead when Dave Williams Jr. connected on his eighth double of the year over second base. The hit also moved Williams’ hitting streak to 16 consecutive games. J.T. LaFountain then sent a shot into the gap at left center for a double and Williams scored to put U of L up 2-0.
Akron managed to close the gap in the top of the fourth with the Cards’ Garrett Estabrook on the mound. With one out, the senior lefthander walked Zip Lou Pederi who was followed on base by a single from Brady Steineck. After Tom Lindhe flew out to center, Darek Stanfield dropped a single into right on which Pederi scored to close the margin to 2-1.
The score still stood at 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Louisville’s Fernando Isa hit his ninth double of the season into centerfield. After Scott Gerlach popped out, Williams stepped to the plate and ripped off his second double of the day, this one down the right field line. The hit allowed Isa to score for the final margin of the game.
Ring picked up the win and moved to 8-4 on the year while Louisville’s Carlos Fernandez was credited with his fourth save.
In the nightcap of the double header, Akron began with a comedy of errors. On his very first pitch of the game, Zips’ right-hander Frank Mendoza nailed Williams in the side to send him to first. After throwing two balls to LaFountain, Williams stole second base and the throw from catcher Jim Bonnette went wide and into centerfield. Williams took third on the error. When Mendoza returned to LaFountain he threw two more balls walking him on four pitches.
After only two batters, Akron head coach Tim Berenyi came to the mound and appeared to be considering pulling his starter. But then Berenyi called the entire Zips team to the mound for a conference. When home plate umpire Jason Reed walked out to break things up and short argument ensued between the official and the coach resulting in Berenyi’s ejection. Apparently the coach had seen enough and wanted to wait out the rest of the day on a nice warm bus.
When play resumed, Mendoza was still pitching and Louisville’s Mark Jurich sent a shot down the right field line for a double that allowed Williams to score.
Next Bojorquez stepped to the plate and Mendoza hit him with a pitch as well sending him to first loading the bases. Josh Bolen then worked an 0-2 deficit into a walk and LaFountain scored.
Mike Budak followed by hitting into a double play but the action allowed Jurich to come in and put U of L up 3-0 after one inning.
In the bottom of the second, Louisville’s Adam Haley saw his first action at the plate after sitting out fourteen games with a foot injury. Haley was apparently anxious for action because he took Mendoza’s first pitch and sent it into the gap at short for a single.
Williams then returned to the plate for his second at bat of the game and on his second pitch Mendoza hit him again.
With runners on first and second, LaFountain hit a single into center that allowed Haley to score. Jurich then followed with a single to right and Williams came home for his second run of the game without yet having swung his bat. Louisville’s lead was at 5-0 after two innings of play.
In the bottom of the third the Cards added one more run after Bolen reached second on a double to left. A punch to short by Budak moved the runner to third and he scored when Curt Stewart grounded out to short.
Even though they were down 6-0, the Zips did not throw in the towel. With Louisville’s Clif Novak on the mound in the top of the fourth, Swallie sent a shot over the right field wall for the only homer of the day. Lindhe then hit a single up the middle and scored when Steineck snapped a double down the left field line to close the gap to 6-2.
In the top of the fifth, Louisville right hander Mike Tisdale took the mound for one inning. It was his first action since injuring his shoulder a month earlier. Tisdale cleared the inning in three batters.
After being hit his first two times at the plate, Williams flew out to short only other time at bat and saw his hitting streak end at 16 games.
“I was really thinking too much about it,” said Williams. “I didn’t even know until yesterday that I had 15 before today. I try not to look at that stuff too much because I guess I’m superstitious about stuff like that.”
Louisville (37-13) was hoping that they could tie the school’s all-time win record with the double header win, but when the University of Kentucky failed to put the tarp on their field Monday the scheduled rivalry game could not be played because of field conditions. Now the Cards will seek to match and break the record mark during their three-game stand at ECU this starting Thursday. A sweep of ECU would virtually guarantee Louisville no worse than a second place finish in Conference USA. Presently the Cards trail Houston by 1/2 game and are tied with TCU. With TCU playing at Houston this weekend there is a chance that the two teams will eliminate each other from first place contention and allow Louisville to pick up the regular season title.
“That’s what we’re shooting for,” said Prado, “that’s what this is all about. Going into the last weekend and have a chance to win a conference championship. It’s the first time we’ve ever been in that situation at this schools so let’s see what happens.”
“This is a big weekend,” said Williams. “We’re pretty well guaranteed of first place if we sweep ECU, which is very possible if we play the way we’re capable of playing.”
Louisville’s position is ironic considering they were picked to finish 9th in the preseason C-USA polls. “All fall we knew that we had talent on this team,” said Williams, “then to see that we were picked ninth in the conference was a little boost for us to come out and show people what we were really about.”
The Cards are looking for the magic number of 40 wins that will get them into NCAA regional play for the first time in school history.
“Hopefully, we’ll continue to play well and get our dream of getting to that regional tournament,” said Prado.
