March 6, 2009

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Chris Dominguez hit three home runs and drove in nine runs to lead the University of Louisville to a 19-6 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team in the opening game of the Cardinal Classic Friday at Patterson Stadium. The Panthers (3-5) scored a run in each of the first two innings, but could not take advantage of their opportunities or keep the early momentum against the Cardinals (6-4), seeing their three-game winning streak come to an end in the process.

Louisville, ranked No. 8 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll and in the top 25 in all five preseason polls, entered play today at No. 29 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll and No. 25 in the PING! Baseball Top 30.

Milwaukee took the 2-0 advantage after two, but left four runners on base and had one thrown out at the plate over those first two innings of the contest.

"We had an opportunity to really have a big inning in the second but we got passive," UWM head coach Scott Doffek said. "We took a couple of real hittable fastballs in hitters' counts and let them off the hook. We had a chance to rough (UL starter Justin) Marks up early in the game, but he found his stuff and was lights-out."

The Panthers got things rolling immediately, as senior Andy Gerhartz led off with a base hit and sophomore Cole Kraft ripped a line drive through the right side to put two on with no outs. They both advanced on a ground out, but then Gerhartz got caught off third on a line-drive comebacker. Senior Shawn Wozniak followed with a shot that the third baseman got a glove on. It drove in one, but Wegner was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

Milwaukee would add another in the second on an infield error, but again failed to capitalize, leaving the bases full.

Dominguez then took over. He started the scoring in the second with a deep home run to left field before Phil Wunderlich would follow with another home run to tie the score.

Dominguez, named the preseason National Player of the Year by the Sporting News and First Team All-America by numerous publications, then broke the game open with a grand slam in the third. Three errors in the field by UWM did not help the cause, and the team trailed 8-2 after the inning was over. He added his third home run of the day in the bottom of the fifth to make it 14-2.

"You have to give Chris Dominguez credit, but when you fall behind a good hitter in these conditions [wind blowing out], that is what you are going to get," Doffek said. "We kind of got what we deserved. He gets the credit - you have to do some things right to have the day he did, but, that falls back on us not making pitches or getting ahead."

Justin Marks (1-1), the Big East Preseason Pitcher of the Year, settled down considerably and ended the game with a career-high 11 strikeouts in his 6.0 innings of work. Junior Nate Caldwell (0-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing six earned runs before being taken out in the third inning.

UWM did heat up at the end, scoring three in the seventh and one more in the eighth. Senior Ben Long doubled in Gerhartz, who led off the frame with a triple. A throwing error scored the second run before senior Johann Andes' long fly ball to the wall turned into a sacrifice fly. Junior Nino Guerrero and Gerhartz added back-to-back doubles in the eighth to close out the scoring for Milwaukee.

Gerhartz led the 11-hit attack with a 3-for-4 day, while junior Shaun Wegner and Wozniak each ended the day with two hits.

Milwaukee will play two games tomorrow, with the first getting underway at 10 a.m. CST against Eastern Illinois. A rematch with the Cardinals follows at 1 p.m. CST.