April 24, 2001
Bowling Green, Ky. - The Western Kentucky baseball team out-hit Louisville, but left 10 runners on base, falling to the Cardinals 4-2 on Tuesday.
The Cardinals (25-22) got on the board in the first off Hilltopper starter Brian Houdek (Sr., Dyer, Ind.) as 3B J.T. LaFountain hit a one-out home run over the wall in right to give U of L an quick 1-0 lead.
The Hilltoppers (27-18) responded in the bottom of the first of Cardinal hurler Denny Williams as LF Matt Fox (Sr., Louisville, Ky.) led off the inning with a double down the line in left. Houdek then flew out to right, moving Fox to third and 1B D.J. Johnson (So., Hudson, Ky.) plated him with a groundout to second to tie the game 1-1.
Both teams were held scoreless for the next four inning, but Louisville broke the tie with two runs in the sixth. SS Adam Haley reached on an error to lead off the frame. CF Mike Hook followed with a single to left and LaFoutain singled off the glove of a diving Patrick Ransdell (Jr., Bowling Green, Ky.), allowing Haley to score and Hook to move to third. 1B Mike Budak then lifted a sacrifice fly to right to plate Hook and give U of L a 3-1 lead. The Cards added another run in the seventh when DH Mark Jurich led off the inning with a home run to right, making it a 4-1 Cardinal lead.
Western got a run back in the seventh as 3B Tanner Townsend (Jr., London, Ky.) led off the frame with a single off reliever Josh Ring. Pinch hitter Brent Miller (Fr., Muncie, Ind.) then hit a one-out single to right and Jeff Pacholke (Jr., Prairrie DuSac, Wisc.) followed with a ground ball up the middle that 2B Matt Jarboe dove for and tied to get Miller at second, however, he was called safe to load the bases. SS Luis Rodriguez (Sr., Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico) singled up the middle to drive in Townsend to make it 4-2. However, Ring struck out Fox and got Houdek to line out to shortstop to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded.
Western threatened again eighth as Johnson drew a walk to lead off the inning. After Ring struck out the next two hitters, CF Tim Cleland (Sr., Klamath Falls, Ore.) and Miller hit back-to-back singles to lead the bases. But Ring got pinch hitter Nick Turner (Jr., Louisville, Ky.) to ground out to third on a 3-0 pitch to end the inning and again leave the bases loaded. Ring was the able to retire the Toppers in the ninth to pick up his seventh save of the season.
Houdek (4-3) suffered the loss going 7.0 innings allowing four runs on six hits while striking out nine. Williams (6-6) picked up the win allowing one run on six hits over 6.0 innings of work. Fox and Rodriguez each had three hits to lead the Hilltopper offense.
Western will be at home again tomorrow as they host Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m (CDT).
- WKU -
