Flashes Knock Off Louisville in Extra Innings
3/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Louisville, Ky. - An RBI double by Anthony Gallas in the 10th inning helped Kent State to a 4-2 victory over host Louisville (9-6) Sunday afternoon (Mar. 11) at Patterson Field. Behind two straight days of strong pitching, the Golden Flashes (5-8) won two-of-three weekend games at the Cardinal Classic.
Ryan Davis earned the victory on the mound, while starter Evan Smith and reliever Chris Carpenter silenced the Cardinal bats in the first eight innings. Kent State carried a 2-1 lead from the third through eighth frames, before Louisville's aggressive base-running paid off in the ninth.
With the Cardinals down to their last out and Logan Johnson on second base, Daniel Burton tapped a slow roller to the left of the mound. Davis scooped it up and threw to first where Burton slid in safely head first. Meanwhile, Johnson rounded third base and headed home. The throw to the plate was on time causing the umpire to signal the third out, but Johnson's slide knocked the ball away from catcher Will Vazquez to reverse the call.
Not affected by the momentum shift, the Flashes bounced back with two runs in the 10th. Gallas, who was 0-for-4 heading into his final at bat, smacked a double down the left field line to score Jared Bartholomew for the go-ahead run. Andrew Davis also singled in the inning and scored on a bases loaded walk by Greg Rohan. Ryan Davis then retired three straight batters in the bottom of the inning for his first win of the season.
Smith made his second start of the year and extended his scoreless innings streak to 11, before allowing his only run in the third. The right-hander tossed five innings and struck out two. Carpenter permitted just one hit in three scoreless innings.
KSU's first two runs came in the second on an RBI single from Jason Patton and a suicide squeeze bunt by Chris Tremblay. Vazquez and Brad Winter also singled in the second. Patton accounted for three of the Flashes' nine hits, while the Kent State defense played error free ball for the second straight day.
The Golden Flashes will head south for the fifth consecutive weekend Mar. 16-18 and play a three-game series at Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
