[Stardust]

University of Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell still would like to see his team get better at rallying from behind. Against rival Kentucky, the Cardinals’ formula of pouncing early seems to be working just fine.

U of L used a six-run third inning to take a seven-run lead and coasted to a 10-2 victory before a season-high crowd of 3,862 at Jim Patterson Stadium on Tuesday night. It’s the first time this season that UK, ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, has lost twice to the same opponent.

The Wildcats (35-7) lost in much in the same fashion that they dropped their first meeting with the Cards 12-0 two weeks ago. In that game U of L scored three runs in the first inning and led 5-0 after three.

U of L, ranked No. 20 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, has outscored its opponents 69-9 in the first inning this season.

“We’re apparently the best first-inning team in the nation,” said third baseman Ty Young, who went 2 for 4. “Once we get those couple of runs in the first inning, we definitely chill out a little more, and we’re able to score some more runs and our pitchers throw strikes.”

About the time Young finished that sentence, a howling Matt Helms could be heard 20 feet away. Teammate Stewart Ijames sneaked up undetected while Helms was doing an interview and smacked him in the face with a shaving-cream pie.

Yes, it was just a “midweek game,” but the Cards (29-12) still felt good about sweeping UK for the first time since claiming the 1998 and ’99 meetings.

“I don’t want to make it more than it is, but I’ve always promised our fans I’m never going to downplay it,” McDonnell said. “If fans are out here in the rain, the largest crowd of the year, because it’s important to them. If it’s important to our fans, then it’s important to us.”

UK freshman left-hander Sam Mahar, making just his second start, found out just how fast the Cards can operate.

UK shortstop Matt Reida made nearly every play that came his way — except one tough chopper in the first inning. He didn’t cleanly field a ball hit by Nick Ratajczak and made no throw to first. Young singled to right and Ijames drew a walk to load the bases with two out, setting up Alex Chittenden’s only plate appearance in the game.http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2...t|Sports|s