Louisville Claims Season Opener vs. Bellarmine
(Photo of Cam Masterman: William Caudill via University of Louisville Athletics)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
UL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 9 | 0 |
W: Glenn Albanese (1-0), L: S. Barringer (0-1)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Playing their first competitive baseball in 346 days, the Louisville baseball program picked up where they left off before last season's cancellation, and defeated Bellarmine 5-1 in their 2021 season opener at Jim Patterson Stadium on Saturday.
Beginning the season at home for the first time since 2016, the No. 2 Cardinals move to 11-4 in season opening games under head coach Dan McDonnell, and 81-6 in home non-conference games over the past six seasons.
Taking over as the ace following the departure of Reid Detmers & Bobby Miller, junior right-hander Glenn Albanese turned in a solid start. In 5.0 innings of work, he struck out a career-high seven batters, while surrendering just four hits and one run that came in the top of the first inning.
Bellarmine's lead over Louisville was short lived, as the Cardinals wasted no time responding. Junior outfielder Luke Brown tied things up in the first thanks to a Knights fielding error, then junior outfielder Cam Masterman & freshman first baseman Dalton Rushing hit back-to-back home runs in the second.
Sophomore second baseman Tim Borden also chipped in with an RBI single in the second, as did junior shortstop Lucas Dunn with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Freshman left-hander Tate Kuehner was the first pitcher out of the bullpen for the Cardinals this season, twirling a pair of shutout innings and striking out two. Sophomore right-hander Jared Poland and freshman right-hander Kaleb Corbett each pitched a scoreless frame to end the game.
Next up for Louisville, they'll finish the three game series against Bellarmine with a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch is slated for Sunday, Feb. 21 at 12:00pm EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra & broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.
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