Friday, February 16
Tampa, Fla.
10:00 AM
University of Louisville
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Indiana State
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Indiana State
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Louisville
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Cardinals Drop Pair of One-Run Games on Opening Day
February 16, 2024 | Baseball
Louisville lost by one run to Indiana State and UConn on Friday.
TAMPA, Fla. – It was a rocky start to the season for the University of Louisville baseball team as the Cardinals lost a pair of one-run decisions on Opening Day in Tampa, Fla.
Louisville (0-2) suffered an 8-7 loss against Indiana State in the season opener and then took a 4-3 walk-off defeat at the hands of UConn in the second half of the doubleheader.
The first runs of the season belong to Indiana State in game one as the Sycamores plated a pair of runs against Sebastian Gongora in the top of the second inning. However, that was all Gongora would surrender in his five innings of work and the Louisville offense gave him some support at the plate.
JT Benson singled home Logan Beard with one out in the third to cut the deficit in half. Two batters later, Luke Napleton hit a high fly deep down the right field line that was misplayed into a triple and the throw back into the infield got away and allowed the senior to come around to score and give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.
Beard then tacked on another run in the fourth, lining a single into left that brought Eddie King Jr. across.
Gongora exited with a 4-2 lead having struck out seven over five innings in his Louisville debut.
Indiana State immediately capitalized with him out of the game, striking for three runs in the sixth to take the lead back.
The lead didn't last long though, as Ryan McCoy lined a triple off the left field wall that scored King to tie the game at five. Gavin Kilen hammered the next pitch off the right-centerfield wall for a run-scoring triple of his own to put Louisville in front and later scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Lucas Moore.
However, the Sycamores had another answer, this time launching a three-run home run to straightaway centerfield in the seventh that proved to be the difference in the game.
The Cardinals managed just one baserunner over the final three innings on their way to the 8-7 defeat.
Game two was a pitchers' duel as Evan Webster opened the game with a pair of strikeouts and kept the UConn bats quiet. The southpaw put four scoreless innings on the board, striking out four and surrendering just two hits.
Kaleb Corbett entered and allowed a solo home run in the fifth, but it would be the only blemish against him in 2.1 strong innings out of the bullpen.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals finally broke through in the seventh. A walk, single and hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out in the frame and Matt Klein came up huge with a double into the left-centerfield gap that plated two and pushed Louisville in front. Dylan Hoy followed with a line drive single to left that tacked on another and made it a 3-1 contest.
The Cardinals had a chance to continue adding on, but a double play with the bases loaded ended the threat.
For the second straight game though, the Cardinals couldn't hold onto a two-run lead late. UConn tied the game up on back-to-back home runs with one out in the eighth and then secured the win with a two-out walk-off single in the ninth.
Louisville will wrap up its opening weekend of play on Saturday, taking on host USF at 4 p.m. ET.
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Louisville (0-2) suffered an 8-7 loss against Indiana State in the season opener and then took a 4-3 walk-off defeat at the hands of UConn in the second half of the doubleheader.
The first runs of the season belong to Indiana State in game one as the Sycamores plated a pair of runs against Sebastian Gongora in the top of the second inning. However, that was all Gongora would surrender in his five innings of work and the Louisville offense gave him some support at the plate.
JT Benson singled home Logan Beard with one out in the third to cut the deficit in half. Two batters later, Luke Napleton hit a high fly deep down the right field line that was misplayed into a triple and the throw back into the infield got away and allowed the senior to come around to score and give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.
Beard then tacked on another run in the fourth, lining a single into left that brought Eddie King Jr. across.
Gongora exited with a 4-2 lead having struck out seven over five innings in his Louisville debut.
Indiana State immediately capitalized with him out of the game, striking for three runs in the sixth to take the lead back.
The lead didn't last long though, as Ryan McCoy lined a triple off the left field wall that scored King to tie the game at five. Gavin Kilen hammered the next pitch off the right-centerfield wall for a run-scoring triple of his own to put Louisville in front and later scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Lucas Moore.
However, the Sycamores had another answer, this time launching a three-run home run to straightaway centerfield in the seventh that proved to be the difference in the game.
The Cardinals managed just one baserunner over the final three innings on their way to the 8-7 defeat.
Game two was a pitchers' duel as Evan Webster opened the game with a pair of strikeouts and kept the UConn bats quiet. The southpaw put four scoreless innings on the board, striking out four and surrendering just two hits.
Kaleb Corbett entered and allowed a solo home run in the fifth, but it would be the only blemish against him in 2.1 strong innings out of the bullpen.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals finally broke through in the seventh. A walk, single and hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out in the frame and Matt Klein came up huge with a double into the left-centerfield gap that plated two and pushed Louisville in front. Dylan Hoy followed with a line drive single to left that tacked on another and made it a 3-1 contest.
The Cardinals had a chance to continue adding on, but a double play with the bases loaded ended the threat.
For the second straight game though, the Cardinals couldn't hold onto a two-run lead late. UConn tied the game up on back-to-back home runs with one out in the eighth and then secured the win with a two-out walk-off single in the ninth.
Louisville will wrap up its opening weekend of play on Saturday, taking on host USF at 4 p.m. ET.
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Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cutts, Brennyn (1-0)
L: Phillips, Riley (0-1)
S: Spencer, Jared (1)
Batting:
HR: Brown, Henry 1
RBI: Diaz, Randal 1 ; Magill, Grant 1 ; Brown, Henry 4 ; Stinson, Parker 1
SH: Urdaneta, Josue 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sears, Mike 1 ; Listi, Dominic 3 ; Magill, Grant 2 ; Brown, Henry 2
SB: Pottinger, Adam 1 ; Sears, Mike 1
HBP: Listi, Dominic 1
Batting:
2B: Humphrey, Isaac 1 ; Moore, Lucas 1
3B: Napleton, Luke 1 ; McCoy, Ryan 1 ; Kilen, Gavin 1
RBI: Benson, JT 1 ; Napleton, Luke 1 ; McCoy, Ryan 1 ; Kilen, Gavin 1 ; Beard, Logan 1 ; Moore, Lucas 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Benson, JT 1 ; Napleton, Luke 1 ; King Jr., Eddie 2 ; McCoy, Ryan 1 ; Kilen, Gavin 1 ; Beard, Logan 1
SB: King Jr., Eddie 1
CS: Moore, Lucas 1
HBP: King Jr., Eddie 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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