Josh Stowers has exhibited some power during his first season as a starter with the University of Louisville baseball team. Lots of long balls but many of them for long outs, not reflecting his true potential.
He could not have picked a better day than Friday to take his game to another level, on a day when UofL was struggling in the opening game of a three-game series with Toledo.
The 6-foot sophomore outfielder from Chicago would combine for two powerful home runs over the left field wall to power Louisville to a razor thin 5-4 win over the Rockets.
The first one, a solo blast, coming in the fifth inning with UofL trailing 4-0. He would follow that up with a towering home run over the same wall in the seventh inning, driving three runs, to tie the score at 4-4.
That would set the stage for a sacrifice fly to right center bye Drew Ellis in the eighth inning, sending Devin Hairston home with the winning run.
The home runs were the first and second for Stowers in his collegiate career.
Nobody was happier for Stowers than left hander Brendan McKay, who won his first game in his past four tries, improving his won-lost record to 6-3. The win improved UofL record to 36-6.
Stowers was last seen with Dan McDonnell’s game-winning T-shirt award, with the No. 36 for the 36th win, hanging over his shoulder.
A happy ending for Josh and the Cards as well as for the thousand or so fans who turned out for a 4pm game. Clouds threatening throughout, we left just as the sprinkles began, happy that the 8 1/2 inning game took just under two hours. Go Cards!