Louisville Mounts Comeback, Downs St. Bonaventure in Finale to Clinch Series
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SBU | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 11 |
UL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | X | 18 |
W: Kayden Campbell (1-1), L: Gabe Watts (0-2)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Capping off their first home weekend series of the 2024 season, the Louisville baseball program ended their four-game set with St. Bonaventure on a strong note, mounting a comeback to win 18-11 in the series finale Sunday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Trailing by a run heading into the bottom of the eighth, Louisville plated a whopping eight runs in the frame to take the lead for good. Logan Beard, Gavin Kilen and Lucas Moore each had RBI singles, Alex Alicea and Luke Napleton both collected two-run doubles, and Ryan McCoy hit a sacrifice fly.
After opening up the season at 0-4, the Cardinals (3-4) have now won three consecutive games, plating 54 runs during that span. They also claim the four-game series against the Bonnies (2-5), dropping the opener but then winning the next two games in blowout fashion.
Moore (4-5, RBI, 2B) and Napleton (3-6, 4 RBI, 2 2B) led Louisville's red-hot on the day. Moore became the first Cardinal with a four-hit day since Christian Knapczyk on June, 11, 2022 at Texas A&M, and the first with three stolen bases since Knapczyk on May 9, 2023 vs. Vanderbilt.
Beard (2-4, 3 RBI, BB), J.T. Benson (2-4, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 BB), Eddie King Jr. (2-4, RBI) and Kilen (2-5, RBI) also had multi-hit days for the Cardinals. Alicea (1-5, 2 RBI, 2B) Beard, Benson, Napleton and Zion Rose (1-4, HR, 2 RBI) drove in multiple runs.
Louisville struck first in the series finale, plating a pair of runs in the opening frame. Benson got the scoring started with an RBI double, then Matt Klein (0-4, RBI) followed that up with an RBI groundout.
Patrick Forbes (3.0 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, 3 H, 2 ER) looked sharp over the first two innings of what was his first career start on the mound, but then loaded the bases in third and eventually allowed a game-tying two-run double. Kaleb Corbett (1.0 IP, 2 K, 4 H, 2 ER) looked just as shaky in the fourth as the first reliever out of the bullpen, giving up a go-ahead two-RBI double.
Louisville was quick to respond, plating seven runs over the next three innings. Beard collected a sacrifice fly in the fourth, Napleton struck a go-ahead two-RBI double and King Jr. added an RBI single in the fifth, then Rose launched a 396-foot, two-run home run for his first career homer and Benson added an RBI single in the sixth.
Ty Starke (2.0 IP, 1 K, 1 BB) twirled a pair of scoreless middle innings to help stabilize Louisville's pitching efforts some, but St. Bonaventure was not going to go away quietly. The Bonnies took advantage of a fielding error and jumped on Will Koger (1.0 IP, 2 H) in the seventh, collecting an RBI groundout and RBI single to chip into their deficit.
Beard collected an RBI single in the seventh for some insurance, but then in the eighth, the Cardinals then proceeded to allow five runs to surrender their lead. Jake Karaba (0.1 IP, 1 K, 3 H, 3 ER) allowed an RBI single, then Kayden Campbell (0.2 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, 3 H, 2 ER) gave up three RBI singles including a two-run go-ahead hit.
After the eight-run scoring barrage, Tucker Biven (1.0 IP, 1 K) came in to pitch the ninth, and shut the door on the Bonnies.
Next up for Louisville, they'll continue their 18-game homestand with a midweek matchup against Eastern Kentucky. First pitch is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 3:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on 970 WGTK.
(Photo of Lucas Moore: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)
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