University of Louisville
9-0
WESTERN CAROLINA
1-8
Seven-Run Third Inning Lifts No. 10 Louisville to Series-Opening Win
March 02, 2018 | Baseball
Justin Lavey finishes 3-for-3 with four RBIs as Cardinals out-hit Western Carolina 16-4
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 10th-ranked Louisville baseball team erupted for a seven-run third inning and never relinquished control cruising to a 16-4 series-opening victory against Western Carolina on Friday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
After the Catamounts plated a pair of runs in each of the first two innings, the Cardinals answered with their highest scoring inning of the season accumulating the seven runs on seven hits while sending 12 batters to the plate in the game-changing third frame. Moving to 9-0 on the season, Louisville's pitching staff held WCU (1-8) without a hit over the final seven innings of the game.
Justin Lavey achieved career highs in hits and RBIs as the sophomore was 3-for-3 with four RBIs as the Cardinals out-hit the Catamounts 16-4 overall. In his first action of the season, sophomore Danny Oriente was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored, while sophomore Logan Wyatt finished 3-of-6 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs. Junior Josh Stowers added two hits, two RBIs, two walks and scored once, sophomore Tyler Fitzgerald was 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI and two runs and junior Devin Mann chipped in by reaching base three times, scoring three runs and driving in a run.
Junior lefthander Adam Wolf won his third straight start and moved his career record to 9-0 after matching a career-high with seven strikeouts and allowing four runs on four hits in 6.0 innings. Freshman lefty Michael Kirian accumulated three strikeouts without allowing a hit in 2.0 scoreless innings of reliefs before freshman lefthander Gavin Sullivan twirled a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout to close the game.
Western Carolina started fast Friday scoring a pair of runs on a two-out triple by Justin Sparks in the first inning. They pushed the lead to 4-0 in the second inning on a RBI triple from Bo Fricks and a RBI sacrifice fly from Andrew Robinson.
Louisville answered the aggressive start by the Catamounts with its seven-run third inning highlighted by Fitzgerald, who doubled and scored a run in his first trip to the plate in the inning before delivering a RBI single later in the inning. Mann's RBI single scored Fitzgerald for the first run before Oriente followed with a two-run double to left center. Lavey tied the game with his RBI sac fly, while sophomore Pat Rumoro pushed Louisville ahead for good with his RBI single. After Fitzgerald's run-scoring single plated the sixth run of the inning, Stowers drove home the final run with his RBI single.
The Cardinals pushed the margin to 9-4 in the fourth inning on a two-run single from Lavey. Louisville added to the margin in the sixth inning on a RBI single by Lavey and a RBI sacrifice fly from Rumoro. Freshman Zach Britton had a RBI sac fly and Wyatt connected for a RBI double in the seventh inning before UofL closed the scoring with a trio of runs in the eighth on a bases loaded walk by Stowers and a two-run single from sophomore Ethan Stringer.
The Cardinals and Catamounts will continue their weekend slate Saturday at 1 p.m., ET, while the series finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter at @UofLBaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
2018 LOUISVILLE BASEBALL TICKETS
Season ticket packages as well as single game tickets for the 2018 University of Louisville baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased online at GoCards.com/bsbtickets, by phone at 502-GO-CARDS or by visiting the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office, located near Gate 2 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (2800 South Floyd Street) on weekdays from 9 a.m., until 5 p.m., ET.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wolf, Adam (3-0)
L: Chase Walter (0-1)
Batting:
3B: Justin Sparks 1 ; Bo Fricks 1
RBI: Andrew Robinson 1 ; Justin Sparks 2 ; Bo Fricks 1
SF: Andrew Robinson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Andrew Robinson 1 ; Caleb Robinson 1 ; Spencer Holcomb 1 ; Bo Fricks 1
HBP: Immanuel Wilder 1 ; Spencer Holcomb 1
Batting:
2B: Oriente, Danny 1 ; Wyatt, Logan 2 ; Fitzgerald, Tyler 1
3B: Elliott, Adam 1
RBI: Stowers, Josh 2 ; Stringer, Ethan 2 ; Mann, Devin 1 ; Oriente, Danny 2 ; Britton, Zach 1 ; Wyatt, Logan 1 ; Lavey, Justin 4 ; Rumoro, Pat 2 ; Fitzgerald, Tyler 1
SF: Britton, Zach 1 ; Lavey, Justin 1 ; Rumoro, Pat 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Stowers, Josh 1 ; Snider, Jake 1 ; Mann, Devin 3 ; Oriente, Danny 2 ; Britton, Zach 1 ; Wyatt, Logan 2 ; Campbell, Drew 1 ; Elliott, Adam 1 ; Rumoro, Pat 1 ; Bianco, Ben 1 ; Fitzgerald, Tyler 2
SB: Stowers, Josh 1 ; Fitzgerald, Tyler 1
CS: Snider, Jake 1
HBP: Stringer, Ethan 1
