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LOUISVILLE, KY. - Frank Morris (Levittown, Pa.) (1-4) allowed only three earned runs on five hits in eight innings of work to shut down the high-powered #13/13 Louisville offense, however the Seton Hall baseball offense was just as quiet as they fell to the Cardinals, 3-1, Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Louisville (32-6, 11-3) took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning when Ryan Wright drove Adam Duvall home with a sacrifice-fly to right field.
Seton Hall (13-22-1, 3-11) plated the tying run in the top of the fourth however, when Reid Pulford (Medford, N.J.) picked up his first collegiate base hit scoring A.J. Rusbarsky (Freehold, N.J.). Rusbarsky started the inning with walk and moved to second base when Cardinals' starter Dean Kiekhefer balked. Giuseppe Papaccio (Nutley, N.J.) hit a groundout to the left side of the infield moving Rusbarsky to third and with two outs, Pulford ripped a 2-2 pitch into right field to tie the game at one.
The Cardinals jumped right back to take the lead in the home half of the fourth when Phil Wunderlich and Steward Ijames hit back-to-back two-out solo home runs for the, 3-1, advantage.
The Pirates offense was unable to pick up the big hit in order to help Morris. Prior to trying the game in the fourth, Seton Hall loaded the bases in the visiting half of the third inning with one out, however Chris Fontenelli (Toms River, N.J.) grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Trailing, 3-1, in the top of the fifth, Nick Ammirati (Sparta, N.J.) led off with a single.
Two batters later Michael Rogers (Portland, Ore.) was hit by a pitch, and Fontenelli followed with a walk that chased Kiekhefer in favor of Matt Koch who induced another inning-ending 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Rusbarsky.
Again in the top of the eighth, Rusbarsky led off with a single and Chris Spagnuolo (Tabernacle, N.J) - who pinch hit for starting first baseman Connor Delepine (Middletown, N.J.) in the sixth - drew a one out walk, which led the Cardinals to bring in closer Neil Holland. Holland forced pinch-hitter Sean Gusrang (Burlington, N.J.) into the Pirates third inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Holland remained in the game in the ninth to pick up his 10th save of the season. Koch (1-0) earned the win tossing three scoreless innings in relief after Kiekhefer was unable to work through the fifth inning.
The Pirates and Cardinals return to action tomorrow afternoon when they complete their three-game series with first pitch scheduled for noon.
