University of Louisville
0-1
Connecticut
1-0
No. 4 Louisville Drops Season Opener to No. 20 Connecticut
February 15, 2019 | Baseball
The series continues with game two on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
An eighth-inning solo home run from UConn's Paul Gozzo proved to be the difference in the game. The Cardinals threatened with a runner at second in the eighth and the potential tying run on third in the ninth, but were unable to push a run across the plate in the final two innings.
Chase Gardner got the win for Connecticut coming on in relief in the seventh. Jacob Wallace recorded the final six outs for the save.
Adam Elliott was hit with the loss, giving up the homer for the only run he allowed in his 1.1 innings out of the bullpen. Reid Detmers made the start for the Cardinals, surrendering just one run on four hits in five innings of work.
Luke Smith and Jared Poland each made their Louisville debuts on Friday night, with Smith allowing one run in 1.2 innings and Poland tossing a scoreless ninth.
Louisville jumped on the board first in the season opener, plating a run in the third inning with a little help from the UConn defense.
Lucas Dunn reached on an error by the third baseman to open the inning and then moved to third on Tyler Fitzgerald's single into left-center. Danny Oriente cashed in the run with a sacrifice fly to left field as Dunn slid in just ahead of the throw to the plate.
The Huskies tied the game at one with a RBI single in the fifth and took the lead one inning later with a sacrifice fly of their own.
Trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Jake Snider laced a single the other way to start a two-out Louisville rally. Oriente walked to put a pair of runners on leading to a Connecticut pitching change. Logan Wyatt worked a walk to load the bases and Justin Lavey saw four straight out of the zone to force in the tying run.
The game would remain tied for just a short time however, as the homer in the eighth put UConn ahead for good. Louisville had the tying run on third in the ninth inning after a pair of wild pitches advanced pinch runner Trey Leonard with two outs, but a strikeout ended the Cardinals' threat.
Snider (2-for-5) and Ethan Stringer (2-for-4) led the way offensive for UofL as every Cardinal starter reached base at least once.
Louisville and Connecticut will play game two of the series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m., ET.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gardner, Chase (1-0)
L: Elliott, Adam (0-1)
S: Wallace, Jacob (1)
Batting:
2B: Woodworth, Michael 1 ; Prato, Anthony 1 ; Fedko, Christian 1
HR: Gozzo, Paul 1
RBI: Prato, Anthony 1 ; Gozzo, Paul 1 ; Moriarty, Conor 1
SH: Woodworth, Michael 1 ; Langer, David 1
SF: Moriarty, Conor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fedko, Christian 1 ; Gozzo, Paul 1 ; Nucerino, Anthony 1
SB: Woodworth, Michael 1 ; Moriarty, Conor 1
CS: Prato, Anthony 1
Batting:
RBI: Oriente, Danny 1 ; Lavey, Justin 1
SF: Oriente, Danny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Snider, Jake 1 ; Dunn, Lucas 1
SB: Lavey, Justin 2
CS: Fitzgerald, Tyler 1 ; Snider, Jake 1
HBP: Fitzgerald, Tyler 1 ; Oriente, Danny 2
