Louisville Takes Down Kentucky in Battle of the Bluegrass
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
#11 UL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 4 | 4 | 0 |
W: Kyle Walter (2-0), L: Seth Logue (1-3), S: Michael Prosecky (7)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kicking off an eight-game home stand at Jim Patterson Stadium, the Louisville baseball program hosted arch rival Kentucky for the home leg of the Battle of the Bluegrass, and came out with a 4-2 victory Tuesday night.
With the rivalry win, the No. 11 Cardinals (25-11, 9-6 ACC) snap a three-game losing streak after getting swept at Florida State this past weekend. They also move to 20-12 all-time against the Wildcats (21-16, 5-10 SEC) under head coach Dan McDonnell.
Louisville was supposed to travel to Lexington back on Apr. 5 for the first of two midweek games with Kentucky this season, but was rained out. The road leg of the annual home-and-home series has yet to be rescheduled.
Louisville's hitters largely struggled against Kentucky's pitching staff, but were still able to strike first. Cam Masterman (1-3, HR, RBI, BB) launched a 401-foot solo home run in the opening frame, then Jack Payton (1-4, 2 RBI) added a two-run single in the third. Levi Usher (1-4) and Isaac Humphrey (1-4) were the only other Cards in the game to collect a base hit.
While the bats had trouble getting going, the Cardinals' pitching staff had a much better performance than the past weekend at Florida State. Kyle Walter (1.0 IP, 1 BB) got the start, then Carson Liggitt (1.0 IP2 K, 2 H), Kade Grundy (0.2 IP, 2 K 1 H) and Tate Kuehner (1.1 IP, 1 K, 1 H) all pitched scoreless outings behind him.
Even though Alex Galvan (1.0 IP, 2 BB, 1 H, 1 ER) did give up the first run scored by Kentucky, it could have been much worse. The Wildcats had the bases loaded with no outs, but were limited to only a sacrifice fly.
Louisville was able to get some insurance in the seventh inning, courtesy of a bases loaded walk from Dalton Rushing (0-1, RBI, 2 BB). Then Ryan Hawks (2.0 IP, 3 K, 1 H), Kaleb Corbett (0.2 IP, 1 K, 1 H) and Michael Prosecky (1,1 IP, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 H, 1 ER) combined to pitch three strong innings down the stretch to seal the win.
Next up for Louisville, they'll continue their home stand with a weekend series vs. NC State. First pitch of game one is slated for Friday, Apr. 22 at 8:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network and broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.
(Photo via Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)
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