University of Louisville
20-5
Western Kentucky
9-15
Cardinals Roll Past Western Kentucky
March 29, 2022 | Baseball
Louisville picked up a 16-6 road victory on Tuesday night.
Louisville (20-5) has now won four straight and 10 of its last 11.
The Cardinals ran up double digits in the run column for the 11th time this season on Tuesday night. UofL has scored at least 10 runs in three consecutive games and seven of the last 11.
Louisville's offense got rolling early and often in the midweek contest, plating four runs in the opening inning. Jack Payton started the scoring with a bases loaded single that brought two across and Isaac Humphrey added two more with a double later in the inning.
Western Kentucky (9-15) scratched an unearned run across in the bottom of the first, but the Cardinals answered back in the third. Payton struck again with another run-scoring single and Logan Beard added one of his own.
UofL appeared to be running away, but the Hilltoppers wouldn't go away quietly. A pair of home runs in the bottom half of the third cut Louisville's lead down to just one.
As it has done many times this season, Louisville had an immediate response. The Cardinals sent 12 men to the plate with six coming across to score. Payton forced across the first run with a bases loaded walk before Levi Usher picked up a RBI. Beard drove in two with a single to centerfield and Humphrey roped a RBI double to the wall in right. Ben Metzinger capped off the frame with a hit by pitch the made it a 12-5 contest.
Payton continued his strong night in the fifth, going the other way and sending the ball into the Louisville bullpen for his first career home run.
Three innings later, it was another first career blast for the Cardinals, as Drake Westcott launched a towering shot over the batter's eye in centerfield.
Jack Payton (3-for-5) and Isaac Humphrey (3-for-6) led the Louisville offense, with Payton setting a career high with five RBIs and Humphrey matching his career-best total of three. Masterman and Beard each had two hits.
Kade Grundy (1-0) secured his first career victory in a short start, allowing just an unearned run in his two innings of work. Evan Webster had a scoreless inning of work, while Jacob Ferris pitched two scoreless innings. Bowling Green native Ryan Hawks struck out the only two batters he faced in the return to his hometown and Carter Lohman recorded the final four outs of the night.
Louisville hits the road again this weekend for a three-game series at Pitt. The series begins at 3 p.m. ET on Friday in Pittsburgh.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grundy, Kade (1-0)
L: Hellman, C. (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Rushing, Dalton 1 ; Humphrey, Isaac 2
HR: Payton, Jack 1 ; Westcott, Drake 1
RBI: Metzinger, Ben 1 ; Payton, Jack 5 ; Usher, Levi 1 ; Beard, Logan 3 ; Humphrey, Isaac 3 ; Westcott, Drake 3
SH: Usher, Levi 1
SF: Westcott, Drake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knapczyk, Christian 1 ; Metzinger, Ben 1 ; Masterman, Cameron 2 ; Rushing, Dalton 3 ; Payton, Jack 3 ; Anderson, Brandon 1 ; Usher, Levi 1 ; Beard, Logan 1 ; Humphrey, Isaac 2 ; Westcott, Drake 1
SB: Knapczyk, Christian 2 ; Masterman, Cameron 1 ; Usher, Levi 1
HBP: Metzinger, Ben 1
Batting:
2B: Delaney, A. 1
3B: Crittenberge 1
HR: Batusich, T. 1 ; McAuliffe, B 1
RBI: Batusich, T. 3 ; Delaney, A. 1 ; McAuliffe, B 1 ; Carlin, J. 1
SF: Carlin, J. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Garcia, T. 1 ; Batusich, T. 2 ; Delaney, A. 1 ; McAuliffe, B 1 ; Crittenberge 1
CS: Gray, J. 1
HBP: Garcia, T. 1 ; Carlin, J. 1
