University of Louisville
14-6, 2-1
Notre Dame
11-6, 3-3
Cards Win Offensive Shootout to Claim Weekend Series
March 15, 2026 | Baseball
Louisville (14-6, 2-1 ACC) rebounded after losing Friday's opener to win the final two games of the weekend and the series. The Cardinals have won nine of their 11 opening weekends of ACC play.
With the wind howling on Sunday, it was all about the offense.
Ben Slanker got the scoring started with a three-run homer in the second inning, his fourth of the week.
Notre Dame (11-6, 3-3) immediately responded with a three-run homer of its own in the third and then grabbed the lead with a two-run shot later in the inning.
Tague Davis doubled home Alex Alicea to get the Cards on the board in the bottom half of the third before Slanker delivered his second three-run swing of the day. With the bases loaded, the junior lined a ball into the right field corner to score all three runs and put the Cardinals back in front.
The back-and-forth continued in the fourth, with the Irish grabbing the lead back on a grand slam. Louisville's answer came via a two-run single from Davis to tie up the score at nine.
Kian Vorster came on and worked a scoreless fifth and the Cardinals capitalized in their half. Jimmy Nugent hammered a ball over the berm in left field to push the Cards back in front. A throwing error and sac fly pushed two more runs home before Griffin Crain launched a two-run shot to right-center to make it a 14-9 contest.
Notre Dame plated three runs in the sixth, but Louisville answered with three in the seventh and four more in the eighth to seal the win.
Crain had run-scoring doubles in each of the seventh and eighth innings, while Nugent doubled in a pair and Bayram Hot hit a towering homer inside the left field foul pole.
All nine Cardinals starters had at least one hit in the game. Crain was a perfect 4-for-4, reaching in all six plate appearances, scoring five times and driving in four. Alex Alicea added four hits of his own and scored three times. Davis and Nugent drove in three apiece.
Vorster earned the first win of his career with his scoreless inning in the fifth. The combination of Jake Schweitzer, Zane Stahl and Brandon Shannon combined to get the final eight outs of the game without allowing a run.
Louisville will round out its long homestand with a non-conference game against Northern Kentucky. The game is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, however the game may be moved to Wednesday due to weather.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on X, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleBSB.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vorster, Kian (1-0)
L: Eli Thurmond (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Mark Quatrani 1 ; Davis Johnson 2
RBI: Drew Berkland 1 ; Mark Quatrani 3 ; Davis Johnson 6 ; Jamie Zee 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Drew Berkland 1 ; Noah Coy 1 ; Mark Quatrani 2 ; Bino Watters 1 ; Jayce Lee 3 ; Davis Johnson 3 ; Mason Barth 1
CS: Noah Coy 1
HBP: Mason Barth 1
Batting:
2B: Davis, Tague 1 ; Crain, Griffin 2 ; Slanker, Ben 1 ; Nugent, Jimmy 1
HR: Crain, Griffin 1 ; Hot, Bayram 1 ; Slanker, Ben 1 ; Nugent, Jimmy 1
RBI: Moore, Lucas 1 ; Rose, Zion 1 ; Davis, Tague 3 ; Crain, Griffin 4 ; Hot, Bayram 2 ; Slanker, Ben 6 ; Nugent, Jimmy 3
SH: Hot, Bayram 1
SF: Moore, Lucas 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alicea, Alex 3 ; Moore, Lucas 2 ; Rose, Zion 2 ; Davis, Tague 3 ; Crain, Griffin 5 ; Hot, Bayram 2 ; Slanker, Ben 2 ; Nugent, Jimmy 1 ; Elam, Kade 1
SB: Alicea, Alex 1 ; Moore, Lucas 1
HBP: Moore, Lucas 1
PO: Alicea, Alex 1
