In what many experts termed an act of desparation, Team Cardinal sent ace Chad Coward to the mound in Game 3 of the Intrasquad World Series in hopes of taking the lead and regaining the momentum in the fall classic. Coward pitched and lost a 1-0 decision in Game 1 - a contest Team Cardinal expected to win.

The Cards then evened the series with an unexpected win in Game 2, but seemed to lack confidence in number-three starter Chris Millsap. Enter Coward. He matched his Game 1 performance by allowing a single run in the third game, but this time his effort proved to be enough as Team Cardinal pushed across a go-ahead unearned run in the top of the seventh to defeat Team Black and hard-luck loser Jeff Joyce, 2-1. Joyce allowed six hits, but no earned runs in going the distance.

Team Cardinal scored first, after Justin Bouldin's leadoff single in the second. Dennis Jensen reached on an error by shortstop Andrew Duffy. After Gabe Staub's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, Jeremy Brooks' ground ball to first plated Bouldin and Team Cardinal led 1-0.

Team Black answered in the bottom of the sixth against Coward, who had retired 13 straight batters between two Team Cardinal infield errors. KC Chambers, batting left-handed for the first time this fall, reached first on a bunt single, moved to second on a passed ball, took third on a third-strike wild pitch to Kevin Moore, and scored when Bouldin's throw to first hit

Moore in the back. Moore was promptly picked off first in what proved to be the key defensive play of the game. The next hitter, Jason Rodriquez, batted for the struggling John Ludington and lined a double to left. Coward ended the threat with a strikeout of Joe Dooley to close the inning.

In the Team Cardinal seventh, Steve Danis singled with one out, and stole second on the first pitch to Bryan Probst. When strike three to Probst got away from Nate Gutridge, Danis advanced to third. Not satisfied with taking just one base on the play, Danis turned the bag at third and headed for home. An obviously surprised Team Black player/coach Andy Reed threw wildly to the plate, and Danis scored what proved to be the winning run.

Coward retired the bottom third of the Team Black without incident in the seventh, bringing his strikeout total to 11, breaking Anthony Ramakis' two-day- old record of nine.

Notes: Eric Pelletier continued his hot hitting with a two-for-three day, and is the only player to have hit safely in all three games... Rodriquez' double was only the fourth extra base hit of this pitching dominated series... Team Cardinal's win is the first in the series by a visiting team.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Cardinal 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 6 3

Black 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 2

WP Coward (1-1)

LP Joyce (0-1)

E Duffy (B), Reed (B), Probst (C), Davis(C), Bouldin(C)

2B Rodriquez (B)

SB Wynn(B), Staub(C), Danis(C)