Louisville Takes Down No. 2 Vanderbilt in Battle of the Barrel Matchup
(Photo of Henry Davis, Kaleb Corbett: Justin Krueger via University of Louisville Athletics)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
UL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 7 | 5 | 1 |
W: Carter Lohman (2-1), L: Christian Little (2-1), S: Adam Elliott (3)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hosting No. 2 Vanderbilt for the annual 'Battle of the Barrel' rivalry matchup, the No. 11 Louisville baseball program was able to snap their three-game losing streak with a crucial midweek victory, winning 7-2 on Tuesday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
While the Cardinals (24-14, 14-9 ACC) trail 11-27 in the overall series against the Commodores (32-10, 14-7 SEC) and 9-14 since head coach Dan McDonnell's arrival, they now have a 5-4 lead in the 'Battle of the Barrel' since its inception in 2012.
Vanderbilt struck first with a home run in the fourth inning, but Louisville was not far behind. After the solo shot, third baseman Lucas Dunn (0-4, RBI) hit a groundout RBI to tie the game in the bottom of the inning, then corner infielder Alex Binelas (1-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R) scored on a wild pitch to take the lead.
In the fifth, Louisville blew open the game with a four-spot. Binelas and outfielder Luke Brown (2-4, 2 RBI, 2B, R) each drove home a pair of runs - with Binelas doing so on a monstrous home run to right field, and Brown on an infield single.
Struggling this past weekend in the sweep at Clemson, the Louisville pitching staff rebounded nicely against the Commodores. Starter Carter Lohman (4.0 IP, 4 K, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER) looked solid to start the game, with subsequent relievers Evan Webster (1.2 IP, 2 K, 1 H) and Tate Kuehner (1.1 IP, 2 K, 1 H) each having scoreless outings.
Vanderbilt chipped into Louisville's lead with a home run in the top of the eighth off Kaleb Corbett (1.2 IP, 1 K, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER), but catcher Henry Davis (2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R) responded with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the inning.
Things got interesting in the ninth, as the Commodores loaded the bases with two outs. McDonnell made one final pitching change, inserting Adam Elliott (0.1 IP) to record the final out, in which he induced a flyout to clinch the win and record a save.
Next up for Louisville, they'll host a three-game weekend series with Duke. First pitch of game one is slated for Friday, May. 7 at 6:00pm EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra & broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.
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