Big Inning Propels No. 2 Louisville to 7-5 Win Against Duke

Saturday, April 22

LOUISVILLE, KY

4:00 PM

University of Louisville

32-6, 16-4

DUKE

21-20, 8-12

Duke

Louisville

Devin Hairston prepares to throw to first during Saturday's 7-5 win over Duke.

Photo by: Mike DeZarn

Big Inning Propels No. 2 Louisville to 7-5 Win Against Duke

April 22, 2017 | Baseball

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Cardinals score all seven runs in second inning while evening the weekend series against the Blue Devils

By: Garett Wall

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Powered by a seven-run second inning, the No. 2 Louisville baseball team evened its weekend series against Duke with a 7-5 victory on Saturday at Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Cardinals (32-6, 16-4 ACC) bounced back from Friday's series-opening loss by equaling their highest scoring inning of the season to gain control early against the Blue Devils (21-20, 8-12 ACC). Saturday's result sets up a deciding third game for Louisville and Duke on Sunday at 12:45 p.m., ET and admission is free.

Drew Ellis and Devin Mann paced the way for Louisville finishing with two hits each during the pivotal second inning. The two infielders finished with the same lines offensively as each player was 2-for-3 with a walk, one RBI and one run scored in the victory. Saturday marked the third straight multi-hit game and the 15th this season for Ellis, who is second on the team with a .376 batting average and a team-high nine home runs. Devin Hairston added two hits, one RBI and scored a run, while Brendan McKay chipped in with a two-run single and scored once.

Lefthander Adam Wolf came out of the bullpen to register the win and move to 5-0 on the season after allowing just one run on two hits in two innings of relief. Righty Sam Bordner added 2.1 innings of scoreless relief before righthander Lincoln Henzman had one strikeout in a perfect ninth inning to closeout his 12th save of the season. Henzman moved into a tie for fifth in single season saves at Louisville equaling the total of Carlos Fernandez in 2003 while also rising to seventh in career saves with his 15th, which matches the number for Tony Zych from 2009-11.

The Cardinals gained control Saturday by scoring their seven runs on six hits in the second inning against Duke starter James Ziemba. Tyler Fitzgerald drove in the first run with a RBI fielder's choice to plate Ellis. Following a walk to load the bases, Colby Fitch was a hit by a pitch to score Mann for the second run. Louisville then connected for four straight run-scoring singles starting with Hairston's infield hit to score Fitzgerald while McKay followed with a two-run single to right send Stowers and Fitch home. Ellis and Mann then added their second hits of the inning as Ellis connected for a RBI single to center and Mann had a run-scoring single to left for the 7-0 lead.

The Blue Devils cut into the margin with a four-run fourth inning scoring all the runs with two outs. Erikson Nichols delivered a RBI single through the right side to plate Kennie Taylor the first run, while Jimmy Herron was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Max Miller. Zack Kone followed with a two-run single up the middle that caromed off second base allowing both Nichols and Chris Proctor to score.

Duke added a run in the sixth inning after Kone drove Nichols in with a single to left field to narrow the Louisville lead to 7-5. However, the Blue Devils never pulled any closer as Bordner and Henzman combined to retire nine of the final 10 batters of the game without allowing a hit to preserve the victory.

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