Louisville Mounts Late Inning Comeback, Evens Series vs. Notre Dame

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One day removed from dropping their series and conference opener against Notre Dame, the Louisville baseball program was able to bounce back in game two of the weekend series, winning 8-7 on Saturday night at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Trailing by a pair of runs through seven innings, the Cardinals (13-6, 1-1 ACC) put up a three-spot in the eighth to rally past the Fighting Irish (11-5, 3-2 ACC). Outfielder Griffin Crain (3-4, 2 RBI) scored on a passed ball, shortstop Alex Alicea (2-5, RBI, 3B) tied the game on an RBI triple, then first baseman Tague Davis (2-5, RBI, 2B) legged out a go-ahead infield RBI single.

Louisville responds after losing 14-11 the day before, which snapped their their 15-game home winning streak against Notre Dame and marked their first loss in an ACC opener since joining the conference.

Clutch hitting is what ultimately what won Louisville the game. They collected 15 base hits on the evening with every starter tallying a hit, and were 9-for-16 with two outs plus 9-of-21 with runners on base.

Pitching wasn't as bad in game two against the Fighting Irish (12-4, 4-1 ACC), but it still wasn't ideal. Notre Dame collected 12 base hits, five of which came with two outs, and generated 17 base runners overall.

Alicea, Crain and Davis were one of three players to have multi-hit days, joining second baseman Kade Elam (2-4, RBI) and third baseman Bayram Hot (2-4, RBI). All five players were responsible for Louisville's runs driven in.

Wyatt Danilowicz (5.1 IP, 6 K, 1 BB, 8 H, 4 ER) didn't get roughed around like yesterday's starter was, but he was a little rocky early in his start on the mound. The left-hander allowed Notre Dame to hit a two-run home run in the second, then a two-run double in the third. That being said, he did bounce back, posting zeroes in fourth and fifth.

That allowed the Cardinals to slowly chip into Fighting Irish's advantage and get back in the game. Hot grounded out for an RBI to get on the board, then UofL posted back-to-back crooked numbers through the middle innings. In the fourth, Hot and Elam both struck RBI singles, then Crain hit a go-ahead two-run single in the fifth.

Louisville's first lead didn't last long. Thanks to a collision in the outfield, Notre Dame immediately tied the game in the sixth. An inning later, right-hander Jake Schweitzer (0.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 ER) was pulled after allowing the first two runners to reach base, and then lefty Aaron England (3.0 IP, 1 K, 2 BB, 4 H) allowed a two-run double to give the lead back to the Irish.

Fortunately, England was able to respond. While things certainly got hairy in the final two innings, he was able to put up zeroes in both the eighth and ninth, allowing the comeback effort at the plate to unfold and earning the save in the process.

Next up for Louisville, their series with Notre Dame heads to the game three rubber match. First pitch is slated for Sunday, Mar. 15 at 1:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on 970 WGTK.

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