Rosenbaum's Heroics Lift Cardinals to Regional Final

Saturday, May 30

JIM PATTERSON STADIUM

4:00 PM

University of Louisville

45-16

MICHIGAN

38-24

Louisville

Michigan

May 30, 2015 | Baseball

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May 30, 2015

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville's freshman southpaw Brendan McKay fired more than seven innings of one-run baseball, junior first baseman Danny Rosenbaum delivered two clutch hits that resulted in three runs and sophomore closer Zack Burdi shut the door in the ninth inning as the No. 3 national seed Cardinals downed Michigan, 4-3, to advance to the NCAA Louisville Regional Championship Saturday at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Louisville's 10th-consecutive home postseason victory puts the Cardinals (45-16) one win away from their third-straight regional title. They'll face the winner of tomorrow's elimination game between No. 2 seed Bradley (36-20) and No. 3 seed Michigan (38-24) at 4 p.m., ET Sunday. The Wolverines beat the Braves 10-5 in their regional opener on Friday afternoon.

Rosenbaum (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) erased Louisville's 1-0 deficit in the seventh inning with a two-run homer and after Michigan tied the game at 3-3 in the eighth inning, he started the Cardinals' winning rally in the ninth inning with a leadoff single. The Cardinals replaced Rosenbaum for sophomore pinch runner Colin Lyman (Algonquin, Ill.) and he scooted all the way to third base after advancing on a groundout and stealing third. Freshman Devin Hairston (Lexington, Ky.) capitalized in the sacrifice situation as he sent a fly ball out deep down the right-field line to plate Lyman as the go-ahead run.

Burdi (Downers Grove, Ill.) secured Louisville's advancement to the championship game by locking things down in the ninth inning. He struck out three Wolverines in earning his seventh win of 2015, which included him catching Jacob Cronenworth looking to end the contest. Burdi now boasts a perfect 6-0 record to go along with nine saves.

McKay and Michigan ace Brett Adcock both delivered seven quality innings for their squads, but Rosenbaum's and Burdi's late heroics helped the Cardinals hold on for their 10th-straight postseason triumph at Jim Patterson Stadium.

McKay (Darlington, Pa.) dealt a career-long 7.2 innings, allowed four hits and one earned run while fanning five Wolverines in his ninth quality start of the year. The John Olerud Award finalist and Golden Spikes Award semifinalist was not credited with a decision but upped his 2015 strikeout total to 108.

Both McKay and Adcock cruised early despite a 53-minute lightning delay that halted action in the second inning. McKay had started the second inning by reaching second base on a single and a Michigan outfield error before severe weather disrupted the game for nearly an hour. The Cards couldn't capitalize with McKay in scoring position after the 53-minute delay as Michigan ace Brett Adcock maneuvered around the jam with back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.

The Wolverines strung together a threat of their own in the bottom of the second inning as consecutive infield singles from Cody Bruder and Travis Maezes along with a double steal had McKay in a jam with two runners in scoring position with one down. McKay buckled down and recorded two-straight punchouts to keep Michigan off the board.

McKay and Adock both dealt scoreless third innings to keep the game knotted at 0-0 entering the fourth inning. The Cardinals had a pair of base runners in their half of the fourth but couldn't move them past first base, which gave Michigan the opportunity to draw first blood in the bottom half. First baseman Carmen Benedetti lined McKay's 1-1 offering over the right field fence to give the Wolverines an early advantage.

McKay nearly drove what would have been a game-tying solo homer over the left field fence in the seventh inning, but Michigan outfielder Kevin White snagged the ball with his back on the wall. Senior third baseman Zach Lucas drew a two-out walk to keep pressure on Adcock as his pitch count climbed. Trailing 1-0 with two outs in the seventh inning, Rosenbaum cranked a 2-2 offering from Adcock over the centerfield wall to give Louisville its first lead at 2-1. Rosenbaum's two-run blast was his second homer of 2015 and extended Louisville's seventh-inning scoring advantage to 66-19 this season.

Sophomore outfielder Corey Ray (Chicago, Ill.) provided McKay and the Cardinals with some insurance in the eighth inning when he drove a two-out single up the middle to score Whiting. Michigan did not allow Louisville's 3-1 lead to last as it came through with two runs of its own to knot the game in the bottom of the eighth.

After McKay retired the first two Michigan batters in the eighth inning, shortstop Jake Bivens drew a two-out walk to start a string of good fortune for the Wolverines. Jackson Glines kept the rally alive by reaching on an error, Benedetti worked a full-count walk against Louisville reliever Drew Harrington (Elizabethtown, Ky.) and pinch hitter Kyle Jusick delivered a bases-loaded single to bring home the tying runs.

Tied at 3-3 in the ninth inning, Rosenbaum led off the top of the ninth inning with a single to centerfield. Lyman pinch ran for Rosenbaum and helped create the game-winning run with his aggressiveness on the base paths. Lyman reached third base with one out and Hairston brought him home with the game-deciding sacrifice fly, his seventh of the year.

Rosenbaum finished his day 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Cardinals at the plate. Ray, McKay, Fitch and Ryan Summers (Westfield, Mass.) teamed with Rosenbaum for Louisville's six hits.

Cronenworth suffered the loss for Michigan as he allowed three hits and the game-winning run in the ninth inning. Adcock tossed seven innings, allowed three hits and two runs while striking out six in the no decision for the Wolverines.

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