Friday, May 31
LOUISVILLE, KY
6:00 PM
University of Louisville
44-15
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Illinois Chicago
29-22
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Illinois Chicago
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Louisville
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Photo by: Jermaine Bibb | Louisville Athletics
Cardinals Tally 5-3 Win over UIC in NCAA Championship Opener
May 31, 2019 | Baseball
Louisville will play Illinois State on Saturday at 4 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Nick Bennett turned in a strong start, Danny Oriente hit his first home run of the season, and Michael McAvene emphatically slammed the door shut as the Louisville baseball team defeated UIC 5-3 in Friday night's NCAA Regional opener at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Louisville (44-15) advances to take on third-seeded Illinois State on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium. The Redbirds hung on for an 8-7 victory over Indiana in the first game of the day Friday.
"You have to earn everything in the postseason," head coach Dan McDonnell said. "It wasn't easy tonight, but we earned it, and we did enough to win. It's not about being pretty, and it's not about playing perfect baseball at this time of year. You just compete, and grind it out, and do enough to win, and survive and advance.
Bennett (7-3) started slow for the Cardinals, but retired 12 straight between the second and sixth innings to earn the victory. The junior allowed three runs in 5.2 innings to move into ninth place on Louisville's career wins list with the 20th of his career.
Bryan Hoeing recorded the final out of the sixth and pitched a clean seventh before turning the ball over to Michael Kirian. The sophomore pitched a perfect eighth, but allowed a walk and a double to lead off the ninth to put the tying runs in scoring position with nobody out.
McDonnell then handed the ball to McAvene, and the UofL closer handled the rest. The right-hander blew away the first two hitters he saw and put an exclamation mark on the night by hitting triple digits on his final pitch that secure his seventh save.
Despite the final score, it was UIC (29-22) that jumped out to the early advantage. The Flames launched a solo home run on the fourth pitch of the game and added two more runs in the second to lead the home team 3-0 after one-and-a-half.
Louisville stole some of the momentum in the bottom half of the second though, as Oriente connected on a two-run homer to straightaway centerfield to bring the Cardinals back within one. The long ball was the first of the year for the junior and just the second of his career.
Later in the inning, Lucas Dunn scalded a ball down the first base line that got through the legs of the first baseman, allowing Zach Britton to score and knotting the game up at three apiece.
The Cardinals surged in front for the first time in the very next inning. Tyler Fitzgerald doubled up against the wall in left to open the frame and a check swing from Alex Binelas turned into a thing of beauty. The dribbler up the third base line netted the freshman a base hit, but the catcher's attempt to throw him out bounced into right field, bringing Fitzgerald home to give the Cardinals the lead.
While Bennett was in the process of retiring 12 straight, Oriente doubled Louisville's advantage with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and the pitching staff made the two-run lead stand up the rest of the way.
Fitzgerald had the only multi-hit performance of the night for the Cardinals, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. Oriente had the home run and drove in three.
Louisville (44-15) advances to take on third-seeded Illinois State on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium. The Redbirds hung on for an 8-7 victory over Indiana in the first game of the day Friday.
"You have to earn everything in the postseason," head coach Dan McDonnell said. "It wasn't easy tonight, but we earned it, and we did enough to win. It's not about being pretty, and it's not about playing perfect baseball at this time of year. You just compete, and grind it out, and do enough to win, and survive and advance.
Bennett (7-3) started slow for the Cardinals, but retired 12 straight between the second and sixth innings to earn the victory. The junior allowed three runs in 5.2 innings to move into ninth place on Louisville's career wins list with the 20th of his career.
Bryan Hoeing recorded the final out of the sixth and pitched a clean seventh before turning the ball over to Michael Kirian. The sophomore pitched a perfect eighth, but allowed a walk and a double to lead off the ninth to put the tying runs in scoring position with nobody out.
McDonnell then handed the ball to McAvene, and the UofL closer handled the rest. The right-hander blew away the first two hitters he saw and put an exclamation mark on the night by hitting triple digits on his final pitch that secure his seventh save.
Despite the final score, it was UIC (29-22) that jumped out to the early advantage. The Flames launched a solo home run on the fourth pitch of the game and added two more runs in the second to lead the home team 3-0 after one-and-a-half.
Louisville stole some of the momentum in the bottom half of the second though, as Oriente connected on a two-run homer to straightaway centerfield to bring the Cardinals back within one. The long ball was the first of the year for the junior and just the second of his career.
Later in the inning, Lucas Dunn scalded a ball down the first base line that got through the legs of the first baseman, allowing Zach Britton to score and knotting the game up at three apiece.
The Cardinals surged in front for the first time in the very next inning. Tyler Fitzgerald doubled up against the wall in left to open the frame and a check swing from Alex Binelas turned into a thing of beauty. The dribbler up the third base line netted the freshman a base hit, but the catcher's attempt to throw him out bounced into right field, bringing Fitzgerald home to give the Cardinals the lead.
While Bennett was in the process of retiring 12 straight, Oriente doubled Louisville's advantage with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and the pitching staff made the two-run lead stand up the rest of the way.
Fitzgerald had the only multi-hit performance of the night for the Cardinals, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. Oriente had the home run and drove in three.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bennett, Nick (7-3)
L: KEY, Jacob (7-9)
S: McAvene, Michael (7)
Batting:
2B: SMART, Thomas 1
HR: PATRICK, Derrick 1 ; FIGUEROA, Joshua 1
RBI: PATRICK, Derrick 1 ; LIN-PEISTRUP, Ryan 1 ; FIGUEROA, Joshua 1
Base Running:
RUNS: PATRICK, Derrick 1 ; FIGUEROA, Joshua 1 ; SMART, Thomas 1
Batting:
2B: Fitzgerald, Tyler 1
HR: Oriente, Danny 1
RBI: Oriente, Danny 3
SF: Oriente, Danny 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fitzgerald, Tyler 2 ; Wyatt, Logan 1 ; Oriente, Danny 1 ; Britton, Zach 1
SB: Fitzgerald, Tyler 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
LHP
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C/OF
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RHP
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LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
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