Louisville Blasts Western Michigan in Home Opener

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Making a triumphant return to Jim Patterson Stadium for their first home game of the 2024 season, the Louisville baseball program kicked off their weekend series vs. Western Michigan in style, winning 14-3 via seven-inning run-rule on Saturday.

The Cardinals (3-1) plate their most runs in a home opener since putting up 19 against Eastern Kentucky back on Feb. 22, 2017. They also move to 8-1 against the Mustangs (0-5) under head coach Dan McDonnell despite trailing the overall series 9-22.

Louisville exploded at the plate, collecting 18 base hits and seven extra base hits, with six Cardinals logging multi-hit days. They were led by a spectacular performance from true freshman Tague Davis (4-4, HR, 5 RBI), who drove in UofL's first home run of the 2025 season.

Both Lucas Moore (2-5, 2 RBI, 2B) and Zion Rose (2-3, 2 RBI, 2 2B, BB) also had multi-RBI and multi-hit afternoons; while Alex Alicea (3-3, 2B, BB), Matt Klein (2-3, RBI, 2B, BB) and Jake Munroe (2-4, BB) joined Davis, Moore and Rose in the latter category.

Louisville was quick to strike against Western Michigan, putting up a quartet of runs in the opening frame. Klein and Davis each struck RBI singles, Munroe drew a bases loaded walk, and King collected a sacrifice fly.

After Rose hit a sac fly of his own in the second, the Cardinals' bats exploded with a seven-spot in the fourth inning. Davis blasted a three-run homer, Moore struck a two-run single, Rose hit an RBI double, and Garret Pike (1-2, RBI. BB) added Louisville's third sac fly of the game. Add in an RBI single by Davis in the fifth, Louisville plated 13 unanswered runs.

On top of the onslaught of runs, right-hander Patrick Forbes (5.0 IP, 9 K, 2 H) delivered another masterful start on the mound. Of the 16 batters faced in his five-inning start, he allowed only two of them to reach base.

The bullpen did run into a little bit of trouble in the sixth against Western Michigan. Right-hander Alex Gay (0.1 IP, 1 K, 2 BB, 1 H, 3 ER) was the first reliever inserted, allowed an RBI single, and was on the hook for a pair of RBI singles given up by lefty Casen Murphy (1.2 IP, 3 H) after his early hook.

That would be the only adversity faced by the Cardinals. George Baker (1-1, RBI, 2B) added an insurance RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, then Murphy tossed a scoreless seventh to clinch the run-rule win.

Next up for Louisville, they'll continue their weekend series against Western Michigan with game two. First pitch is slated for Sunday, Feb. 13 at 1:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on 970 WGTK.

(Photo via Chris Jones - Imagn Images)

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