Championship Central
Box Score
Highlights
CLEARWATER, Fla. – American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Jeff Gardner went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead top-seeded Louisville past No. 8-seeded Memphis 13-3 Thursday in a pool-play game of the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship at Bright House Field. The game ended after six-and-a-half innings due to the 10-run rule.
Louisville (44-13) improved to 1-0 in Pool A play, while Memphis (28-29) fell to 0-1 in the tournament. Each of the eight teams plays the other three in its division, before the two division winners meet Sunday in the championship game.
Gardner and Alex Chittenden had three RBIs each for Louisville, which raced to an 11-2 lead through four innings and picked up single runs in the fifth and sixth. The cushion was more than enough for all-conference first team pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, who struck out eight and allowed six hits and two runs in 6.1 innings to improve to 12-2 on the year.
The Cardinals chased Memphis starting pitcher Caleb Wallingford – himself a first team all-conference selection – from the game after just two innings as Louisville stormed out to a 7-0 lead. Gardner’s RBI double in the first inning staked Louisville to a 2-0 lead, while the Cardinals batted around in the second to put five runs on the board, capped by Danny Rosenbaum’s two-run double.
Memphis cut into the lead in the top of the third on an RBI single by Zach Schritenthal and an RBI double by Jake Little.
Louisville again batted around in the fourth inning, scoring four runs with two outs. This time it was Alex Chittenden who delivered a two-run double to put Louisville ahead 11-2.
The teams exchanged runs in the fifth inning as Little’s RBI single made it 11-3, but Gardner’s solo home run in the bottom of the inning made it a nine-run game. Louisville gained the decisive 10-run margin in the bottom of the sixth after Nick Solak was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Corey Ray to score from third.
Five of the nine Louisville starters had at least two hits, while the top four players in the lineup combined for nine of the Cardinals’ 13 runs.
Memphis was led at the plate by rightfielder Jake Little, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Both teams resume pool play Friday as Louisville faces No. 5-seeded USF at 3 p.m. ET, and Memphis takes on No. 4-seeded Rutgers at 11 a.m.
2014 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
bright house field • clearwater, fla.
Tournament
Pool A Record
No. 1 Louisville 1-0
No. 4 Rutgers 1-0
No. 5 USF 0-1
No. 8 Memphis 0-1
Tournament
Pool B Record
No. 2 UCF 1-0
No. 7 UConn 1-1
No. 3 Houston 1-1
No. 6 Temple 0-1
Wednesday, May 21 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
UCF 7, UConn 1
Houston 3, Temple 0
Rutgers 10, USF 0 (7 innings)
Thursday, May 22 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
UConn 7, Houston 2
Louisville 13, Memphis 3 (7 innings)
No. 2 UCF (35-22) vs. No. 6 Temple (14-31) 7 p.m.
Friday, May 23 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 4 Rutgers (30-23) vs. No. 8 Memphis (28-29) 11 a.m.
No. 1 Louisville (44-13) vs. No. 5 USF (26-30) 3 p.m.
No. 3 Houston (42-15) vs. No. 2 UCF 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 7 UConn (27-30) vs. No. 6 Temple 11 a.m.
No. 4 Rutgers vs. No. 1 Louisville 3 p.m.
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 5 USF 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 – Final (ESPNU)
Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner Noon
all times Eastern