All Entries Tagged With: "Chris Dominguez"

Opening 2009 Pitch In Gainesville

As the Philadelphia Phillies were wrapping a World Series title, University of Louisville coach Dan McDonnell was releasing the Cards’ 2009 baseball schedule.

Every fan who shivered through last year’s season opener at Jim Patterson Stadium in February will confirm that sunny Florida is probably a better place to start a baseball season. UofL will kick off the 2009 season at Gainesville against Florida in a three-game series, Feb. 20-22.

The first of 32 home games will be against Eastern Kentucky on February 25. Visiting conference foes will include Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and South Florida. Series on the road are against defending regular season champ St. John’s, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Cincinnati and Villanova.

Big Ten opponents include Indiana, Ohio State, Iowa and Purdue. Other Southeastern Conference foes are Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The games against UK are April 14 in Louisville, April 28 in Lexington.

The Cards finished 2008 with a 41-21 record, including the Big East Tournament championship. UofL will return eight of nine position players, including third baseman Chris Dominguez, conference co-player of the year, and southpaw Justin Marks, an all-conference team member.

Here’s a link to a printable version of the full schedule.

Chalk Up No. 40, Advance To Championship

Justin McClanahan is feeling no pain. The thumb is just fine now, thank you.  The back? no problem.

McClanahan appears to have fully recovered from the thumb injury that sidelined him for the first nine games this season. as well as an aching back that bothered him in recent weeks.

The proof came Friday as the University of Louisville baseball team mowed down Villanova 13-6 to move into the championship game of the Big East Tournament, McClanahan leading the way, U of L improving its record to 40-19.

Check this out: Two home runs, including a grand slam. Five hits in six at bats. Seven runs batted in. Eleven total bases. Three runs scored.

The pride of amateur baseball in Annapolis, Md., has raised his batting average to .379, with 93 hits in 247 at-bats. He has 10 homers and 56 runs batted in.

   Thomas Royse, the freshman righthander from Lexington, picked up his fourth win without a loss in relief, scattering four hits, striking out three, and allowing three runs over six innings.

  Righthander Zack Pitts (6-5), once considered the ace, is not as effective as he once was, lasting only two innings, giving up three runs in the second. Somewhat of a concern in post season play.

  Chris Dominguez smashed his 20th home run this season, along with a single, pushing three runs across the plate.

  Championship game against Cincinnati Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be telecast on ESPN-U. Get the yard work done early.

Moving Forward

Take the day off, Cards. Soak in the whirlpool, absorb the lineament, be ready to go again Friday morning.

Mercy rule prevails after seventh inning, Louisville slicing Villanova 14-3 in a cacophony of 16 hits, almost half of them for extra bases. One of them an opposite-field 19th home run of the season for Chris Dominguez.

Top-seeded St. John’s is gone from the Big East Baseball Tournament, hammered again, this time by Seton Hall, 12-6. Domers out, too, courtesy of West Virginia, 13-6.

The Cards will meet the winner of Thursday’s Villanova-Seton Hall game on TGIF day at 10 a.m. and then again at 5 p.m., win or lose.

Championship is Saturday at 1 p.m.