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Feb. 19, 2010

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 12th-ranked Louisville baseball team opened the 2010 season in impressive fashion with a dominating 13-1 win over Bowling Green on Friday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Junior right-handed pitcher Thomas Royse allowed only one unearned run on two hits in 5.0 strong innings to earn the win, while six Louisville hitters finished with at least two hits led by senior second baseman Adam Duvall and sophomore outfielder Stewart Ijames with three hits each. Duvall was 3-for-5 overall with three runs scored and one RBI, while Ijames was 3-for-5 with three RBI.

"This was definitely a complete game and it started with Thomas setting the tone on the mound for the pitching staff," said Cards' head coach Dan McDonnell. "We made a lot of routine plays defensively, and then we had the huge two-out hit in the third inning by Ryan Wright that got the offense going. We realize it's not going to be like that every time we play, but as a coach, it's always my goal for us to have a complete game like that. It's a great way to start out the season and hopefully, we realize we start 0-0 tomorrow."

Following a pair of scoreless innings, Bowling Green opened the scoring in the third inning as centerfielder T.J. Blanton was hit by a pitch, moved to second with his first stolen base of the season, advanced to third on a throwing error by Royse and then scored on an RBI groundout to third by shortstop Jon Berti for a 1-0 advantage. However, that would be the only noise the Falcons would make against Royse all day as the Lexington, Ky., native finished with five strikeouts overall.

"I was a little nervous stepping into the shoes of Justin Marks as the Friday starter, but I feel like I did a solid job today," said Royse. "I know that I have a great offensive lineup behind me and a strong pitching staff around me, so that makes my job a lot easier."

The Bowling Green advantage was short-lived as the Cardinals answered the call in the bottom of the third with three runs on five hits against Falcons' starting pitcher Brennan Smith. After junior outfielder Josh Richmond and Duvall reached base with back-to-back singles and advanced a base on groundout to the right side by senior first baseman Andrew Clark, sophomore shortstop Ryan Wright started the scoring for the Cardinals with a two-run single up the middle. A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Wright then scored on an RBI double to right field by junior third baseman Phil Wunderlich and a 3-1 lead after three innings.

Louisville put the game away an inning later with six runs on five hits in the fourth for a commanding 9-1 advantage. Richmond started the inning for the Cardinals with a walk and a stolen base and then scored on an RBI single by Duvall, which ended the day for Smith. The Bowling Green ace took the loss after allowing five earned runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings and was replaced by Nick Bruns. After a walk to Clark, Wright loaded the bases with a single to center field and was followed by an RBI single to left by Wunderlich to score Duvall. Senior catcher Jeff Arnold followed with an RBI single through the left side to score Clark, while Ijames then closed the scoring with a bases-clearing three-run double down the right field line.

The Cardinals added another run in the fifth inning as Richmond led off by being hit by a pitch from Bruns, moved to second with another stolen base and then scored on an RBI single to left by Clark for a 10-1 advantage. The score remained that way until the seventh inning when Louisville closed the scoring with three runs on three hits and two Bowling Green errors. The first pair of runs came on a two-run double down the right field line by Clark, while the final run of the game was scored by Clark on a throwing error.

Along with Royse, the Cardinals also got strong pitching performances from senior righty Matt Lea, who allowed only one hit and no runs in two innings, and redshirt freshman Justin Amlung, who pitched two scoreless innings in his first career appearance.

Due to inclement weather forecasts for the Louisville area for Sunday, the Cardinals and Falcons will conclude their weekend series with a doubleheader (two 9-inning games) on Saturday at noon ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Louisville Notes
- With Friday's win, the Cardinals improved to 4-0 under the guidance of head coach Dan McDonnell in home-openers.
- Louisville also improved to 55-29 in season-openers with Friday's 13-1 win over Bowling Green.
- Louisville now holds a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series with Bowling Green.