Season Ends with Heartbreaking Super Regional Loss

Monday, June 8

JIM PATTERSON STADIUM

7:00 PM

University of Louisville

47-18

CAL STATE FULLERTON

39-23

Cal State Fullerton

Louisville

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A record-setting season for the Louisville baseball program ended in disappointing fashion on Monday night as the No. 3 national seeded Cardinals suffered a 4-3 loss in 11 innings to 11th-ranked Cal State Fullerton in the deciding game of the NCAA Super Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium.

A controversial solo home run to begin the 11th inning by David Olmedo-Barrera lifted the Titans (39-23) to the best-of-three series win and their 17th College World Series berth. The result brought an abrupt halt to the season for the Cardinals (47-18), who were chosen as a national seed for the second time in school history and set an ACC record for conference wins finishing 25-5 in their inaugural season in the league. Monday's finale was played in front of 6,010 fans, the largest NCAA postseason crowd ever for Louisville and the second largest home crowd in school history.

The decisive moment in the game came when Olmedo-Barrera led off the 11th inning by sending a 2-1 pitch from Louisville sophomore righty Zack Burdi (Downers Grove, Ill.) down the left field line. As the ball cleared the outfield wall, third base umpire Heath Jones signaled a home run for the Titans. Following a visit from Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell, Jones met briefly with other members of the four-man umpiring crew before joining crew chief Doug Williams in initiating a video review of the play. After a review of more than four minutes by an unidentified member of the NCAA umpiring program in a studio in Atlanta, the home run call was upheld.

The homer was the final run for Cal State Fullerton, which scored the last three runs of the night in overcoming a late 3-1 deficit for the victory. Monday marked the first time this season Louisville lost a game in which it had led at any point after entering the eighth inning with a two-run cushion.

The result spoiled another strong starting outing on the mound from sophomore lefthander Josh Rogers (New Albany, Ind.), who allowed just one run on six hits with six strikeouts in 7.0+ innings for a no-decision. Burdi was saddled with the loss, his first of the season, and dropped to 6-1 overall after allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of relief.

At the plate, senior Zach Lucas (Louisville, Ky.) concluded his collegiate career with a 3-for-5 night, including a double and one run scored, while sophomore Will Smith (Louisville, Ky.) chipped with a home run to highlight his 2-for-5 evening. Sophomore Logan Taylor (Lexington, Ky.) capped a tremendous NCAA Championship at the plate with two hits. In six NCAA postseason games, Taylor was 10-for-16 (.625) with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI and four runs scored.

The Titans struck first on Monday night as Olmedo-Barrera connected on a 0-1 offering from Rogers sending it down the right field line for a solo home run and a 1-0 lead in the first inning. It was the first of two solo home runs on Monday night for the junior designated hitter.

The Cardinals broke through for their first run of the night in the fourth when Smith clubbed a 2-0 pitch from Titans righty Connor Seabold over the left field wall to even the score at 1-1. It was the second home run of the season for Smith, who also homered in Louisville's 6-5 win over Florida State on May 10.

The first lead change of the game came in the sixth inning when freshman Brendan McKay (Darlington, Pa.) drove in sophomore Nick Solak (Woodridge, Ill.) with a RBI sacrifice fly to right for the 2-1 Louisville advantage. Solak started the inning with a single to left and after moving to second when sophomore Corey Ray (Chicago, Ill.) was hit by a pitch, advanced to third on a throwing error by Titans catcher A.J. Kennedy.

The Cardinals extended the lead to 3-1 in the seventh inning when Lucas scored from third on a wild pitch by Cal State Fullerton lefty Tyler Peitzmeier. After singling through the left side to begin the inning, Lucas stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on the second wild pitch of the inning by Peitzmeier.

Cal State Fullerton answered the single runs by Louisville in the sixth and seventh innings with a pair of runs in the eighth inning on a two-run single to left by Jerrod Bravo to even the score at 3-3. After a Taylor Bryant walk and a Josh Vargas single off freshman righty Lincoln Henzman (Lexington, Ky.) with one out, a two-out walk to Olmedo-Barrera from sophomore lefty Drew Harrington (Elizabethtown, Ky.) loaded the bases for the Titans. Bravo followed with his two-run single to left on a 0-2 pitch from Burdi to score Bryant and Vargas.

Louisville had chances to win the game in both the ninth and 10th innings after moving runners into scoring position with less than two outs in each inning. However, in each case, the Cardinals left two runners stranded when one run would have clinched a trip to Omaha.

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