Sophomore Ryan Wright’s game-winning RBI double in the 10th inning capped the No. 12 ranked Louisville baseball team’s furious rally from seven runs down and clinched an 8-7 win over Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium. With the win, the Cardinals also completed a three-game season-opening sweep of the Falcons.
Wright hammered an 0-1 pitch from Bowling Green reliever Cody Apthorpe off the wall in right center to score senior second baseman Adam Duvall and finish the Cardinals’ largest comeback in head coach Dan McDonnell’s four seasons in Louisville. The final run scored nearly three hours after the Falcons opened the game with a seven-run first inning to take a commanding lead in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
The game-winning double was Wright’s only hit on the day as junior outfielders Drew Haynes (4-for-5, one RBI, one run) and Josh Richmond (3-for-6, one RBI) led another solid day at the plate for Louisville. Duvall finished 2-for-6 with two RBI and three runs, junior third baseman Phil Wunderlich was 2-for-4 with two RBI and junior catcher J.J. Ethel was 2-for-4 with one run scored in his Louisville debut.
For the third straight game to open the 2010 season, the Cardinals trailed early as Bowling Green exploded for seven runs on seven singles and one Louisville error in the first inning. U of L sophomore righty starter Tony Zych was charged with all seven earned runs before being replaced by junior righty Neil Holland out of the Cards’ bullpen.
Overall, Holland led a masterful day for the Louisville bullpen, which sat down 23 straight Bowling Green hitters during one stretch, with five shutout innings of relief and only one hit allowed. He was followed by junior lefty Bob Revesz, who allowed only one hit in 3.1 innings, while junior righty Gabriel Shaw closed the game out with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win in his second appearance of the day. The Paducah, Ky., native pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in the Cardinals’ 5-2 win over Bowling Green in game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Louisville started its come back in the bottom of the first inning as Duvall connected for his first home run of the season over the wall in right field off Bowling Green starter Kevin Leady.
Following two scoreless innings, the Cardinals added a pair of runs on four hits to cut the Bowling Green lead to 7-3. Senior Jeff Arnold led off the inning with a double to left field and scored on an RBI single through the right side by sophomore outfielder Stewart Ijames. After advancing to second on groundout, Ijames scored on an RBI single to left by Haynes.
Louisville continued its rally in the sixth inning with four runs on four hits to even the score at 7-7 and eliminate the Falcons’ advantage. Ethel started the inning with a leadoff single up the middle, moved to third on a single to right by Haynes and then scored on an RBI single through the left side by Richmond. After reaching with a fielder’s choice to score Haynes, Duvall, along with Wright who walked, both scored on a two-run double to left center by Wunderlich to tie the game.
The score remained that way until Wright’s dramatic game-winning hit in the 10th inning. Apthorpe took the loss for the Falcons after allowing one run on three hits in the 10th inning, while Bowling Green starter Kevin Leady allowed three runs on six hits in 3.1 innings.
The Cardinals will close out their season-opening four-game homestand on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET at Jim Patterson Stadium against Morehead State.
Louisville Notes
- With Saturday’s doubleheader sweep, Louisville improved to a perfect 6-0 in the all-time series with Bowling Green.
- The 3-0 start to the season is the best start for Louisville since the 2003 squad started 6-0.
- Junior outfielder Drew Haynes closed out the first weekend of the season as the Cardinals’ top hitter with a .625 average overall thanks to a 6-for-11 start at the plate.
