Louisville Takes Series Opener vs. Wake Forest
(Photo of Lucas Dunn: Justin Krueger via University of Louisville Athletics)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
UL | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 10 | 2 |
W: Michael Kirian (5-0), L: Ryan Cusick (1-1), S: Adam Elliott (2)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Returning home from a four-game road trip, the No. 5 Louisville baseball program kicked off a seven-game home-stand with a weekend series against Wake Forest, rebounding from their midweek loss at Cincinnati with a 5-3 win on Friday at Jim Patterson Stadium.
The Cardinals (17-7, 9-3 ACC) have now won all five of the series openers in conference play this season, including their last eleven overall. They have not lost game one of a three-game regular season series against ACC competition since Apr. 5, 2019 at Clemson.
Wake Forest (9-10, 4-8 ACC) was the first to strike in the game, plating a run in the opening frame, but Louisville responded quickly with five unanswered runs. Outfielders Trey Leonard and Cam Masterman each collected 2 RBI singles in the second and fourth innings, respectively, then catcher Henry Davis launched a solo home run in the fifth.
Left-hander Michael Kirian (6.0 IP, 11 K, 7 H, 4 BB, 3 ER) posted his third quality start of the season, though the Demon Deacons made him work for several outs, as he tossed 117 total pitches.
While the bullpen has struggled at time as of late, the Cardinals got solid relief innings out of left-handers Tate Kuehner (2.0 IP, 4 K, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER) and Adam Elliott (1.0 IP, 2 K, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER). The duo combined to retire all nine batter faced, including six strikeouts.
Next up for Louisville, they'll continue their three-game weekend series vs. Wake Forest with game two. First pitch is slated for Saturday, Apr. 3 at 1:00pm EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra & broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.
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