Louisville 9, Oklahoma St. 0

Friday, June 8th 2007, 12:38 pm

By: News On 6

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ Louisville pitcher Zack Pitts scattered four hits over seven innings and the Cardinals blasted three home runs in a 9-0 win over Oklahoma State on Friday in the opening game of the Louisville super regional at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Isaiah Howes, Chris Dominguez and Pete Rodriguez went deep for the Cardinals (45-21), who can advance to the College World Series with another win over the Cowboys (41-20) on Saturday.

Pitts, the Big East Pitcher of the Year, struck out six and walked just two to improve to 10-3 on the season. After being staked to an early three-run lead, Pitts cruised, never allowing a runner past second base. He was removed after walking the first two batters of the eighth inning and received a standing ovation from the record crowd, many of them sitting on temporary bleachers brought in for the first super regional game in school history.

Louisville hardly looked intimidated by the stage, scoring three runs in the first off Oklahoma State starter Oliver Odle (7-5), including a two-run shot by Howes just moments after he was selected by the New York Yankees in the Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

The Cardinals added another run in the second on a bunt by Chris Cates, and Dominguez blasted a solo shot in the fourth. Rodriguez got in on the act in the sixth, hitting his first homer of the season to make it 7-0.

That was more than enough for Pitts and reliever Gavin Logsdon, who had little trouble shutting down the high-powered Cowboys. Oklahoma State had just one extra-base hit and no Cowboy made it to third base.

Oklahoma State shocked Arkansas in the Fayetteville, Ark., regional last weekend, but showed little of the same fire against the Cardinals. Though they were designated the home team in the opening game of the best-of-three series, the Cowboys never got comfortable. Jordy Mercer had two hits for the Cowboys, who never threatened.

Howes, Jorge Castillo and Daniel Burton all had two hits for Louisville, who pounded out 13 hits against seven Cowboy pitchers.