University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Drops Series Finale, 6-5, At Louisville
5/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Files associated with this release:
Louisville Box Score
Baseball Drops Series Finale, 6-5, At Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Southern Miss baseball team managed five runs on 11 hits in the Conference USA series finale on the road at Louisville, but the scoring output wasn't enough as the host Cardinals edged the Golden Eagles, 6-5, Sunday at Patterson Stadium.
Despite the loss, Southern Miss still managed the series victory, sweeping games one and two on Saturday. The Golden Eagles fell to 31-13 overall and 13-8 in C-USA play, while Louisville improved to 23-18 overall and 10-10 in the league. The Cardinals finished the game with six runs on 12 hits and made two errors. Southern Miss committed one error.
Jason Lowery and David Steele each had three hits to pace the Golden Eagles, and Lowery, who also had a home run, scored a team-best two runs. For Louisville, Isaiah Howes had three hits and one home run, while Boomer Whiting, J.T. LaFountain, Greg Taylor and Chris Cates all had two hits apiece.
Southern Miss starter Matt Caire pitched 4.0 innings, allowing three runs, all earned, on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Will Matlock pitched an inning, giving up three hits and one run, and Rob Burns pitched 1.1 frames with one run on one hit allowed and two strikeouts. Daniel Best threw two-thirds of an inning and had two strikeouts, while Lowery also pitched in the game, giving up the game-winning run to pick up the loss. Nick Valuzzo pitched the final inning, striking out two.
Louisville starter Scott Jenkins threw 5.1 innings in the game, giving up three runs on five hits with five strikeouts, while Jon Harbridge faced two batters and gave up one run on two hits. Griffin Bailey pitched 2.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with two walks to pick up the win, improving to 3-1 on the season. Brian Halford threw the final frame, giving up just one hit.
The Cardinals got on the board first, picking up a single run in the bottom of the second inning when Taylor scored on Whiting's single through the left side.
Southern Miss got the run back two frames later, courtesy of Lowery's solo shot to right center field that tied the game at 1-1.
But Louisville picked up two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, drawing two walks and then pushing the runners across on Whiting's double down the left field line to score Taylor and Ryan McKinnon.
Then the Golden Eagles put up a three-spot in the sixth inning when Steele and Beau Griffin belted consecutive RBI-hits to score Marc Maddox and Lowery. Steele later scored on Jacob Fowler's RBI-double down the left field line. The visitors could have pushed another run across on the play but Griffin was thrown out at the plate, keeping the score 4-3.
The score became tied once more when LaFountain's sacrifice fly to right field scored Cates. The Cardinals then took the lead momentarily in the seventh inning on Howes solo home run to right center field.
Southern Miss pushed manufactured a run in the eighth inning. Steele led off with a double and Drew Carson came in to pinch run. Griffin's sacrifice bunt moved Carson to third, and Carson later scored on a failed pickoff play by the Cardinals, crossing home on a throwing error by the first baseman.
But Louisville took the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth when Logan Johnson drew a bases-loaded walk to end the scoring for the game.
Southern Miss now has a pair of midweek games on the slate, taking on Louisiana-Monroe and Southeastern Louisiana at Smith Wills Stadium in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Game times for both contests are set for 6:30 p.m., with gates at Smith Wills Stadium opening at 5 p.m., on both nights.
