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May 24, 2007

Box Score

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Justin Marks, Kyle Hollander and Trystan Magnuson limited the powerful Rutgers offense to five singles as the third-seeded University of Louisville defeated the number two seed Scarlet Knights 8-1 in the second round of the 2007 BIG EAST Championship, a record-setting 40th win on the season for the Cardinals.

With two away in the first, Isaiah Howes blistered a double off the wall in left, scoring Daniel Burton for a 1-0 Cardinal lead.

The Knights (37-19) answered in the bottom of the inning when Ryan Hill's RBI single plated Todd Frazier to tie the game at one, but that was all of the offense that Rutgers could muster.

Burton drilled his seventh home run down the left field line on a 1-2 pitch to open the fourth, putting the Cards up 2-1.

Chris Dominguez lead off the sixth with a single through the left side, moved to second on a sac bunt by Pete Rodriguez and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Chris Cates belted a single to right to score Dominguez, and Boomer Whiting, who had doubled on the first pitch of the ballgame hammered a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left for his first home run of the season and a 5-1 Cardinal lead.

Marks tossed six strong innings, giving up the run while scattering five hits and four walks He struck out a pair to earn the win. The BIG EAST Rookie of the Year dedicated the win to his 16-year-old cousin Logan Bickett, who was killed Saturday in a car accident.

Whiting walked and stole his third and fourth bases of the afternoon, becoming the fourth Cardinal to steal four bases in a single game. The four steals also set a new BIG EAST Championship record.

Two outs later Howes drilled a single to left to score Whiting and Jorge Castillo singled to left center. Dominguez then crushed his 17th double of the season off the wall in left, scoring two for the final margin.

Hollander came out of the bullpen for the Cardinals in the seventh and dominated, mowing down the first seven he faced before loading the bases on a walk and a pair of hit batsmen in the ninth.

Magnunson then took the hill for the 30th time on the season, good for third in school history, and struck out pinch hitter Donny Callahan. Frazier, the 2007 BIG EAST Player of the Year, then stepped in the batters box and went down on strikes to end the game.

Whiting, Howes and Dominguez each drove in a pair of runs, and Dominguez had three hits to pace the Cardinals.

RU starter Casey Gaynor gave up five runs on eight hits and three walks, striking out four, tossing 5.2 innings in the loss. Matt Patterson fanned two in an inning and a third, while Jason Downey put the side down in order in the eighth. Chris Lillis was touched for the three ninth inning runs on three hits and a walk, adding two strikeouts.

The 40 wins eclipses the 39 victories by the 2002 NCAA Regional team.

Louisville will have a rematch with Rutgers Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. With a victory the Cardinals would advance to their second consecutive BIG EAST title game Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Should the Cardinals lose that game, the same two teams will meet again at 5:00 p.m. for the right to play for the automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.