Louisville Holds Off Clemson to Clinch Series
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CU | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 1 |
UL | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 10 | 9 | 0 |
W: Tate Kuehner (5-3), L: Geoffrey Gilbert (3-2)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After capturing their series opener vs. Clemson the day before, the Louisville baseball program took care of business in game two, winning 10-8 Saturday at Jim Patterson Stadium to clinch the series.
The No. 10 Cardinals (30-12, 13-7 ACC) claim their 50th conference series win since joining the ACC in 2015, with only 18 conference series losses and one tie. They also push their win streak vs. the Tigers (28-16, 6-13 ACC) to three in a row.
Carson Liggitt (1.1 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, 3 H, 3 ER), normally a reliever for the Cardinals, made his first career start against the Tigers, and it could have gone a bit more smoothly. He allowed an RBI single and sacrifice fly in the first inning, then a solo home run in the second that got him pulled early.
Offensively, Louisville was able to match and exceed this early run by Clemson, also plating a pair of runs in the first inning, then a four-spot in the second. Cam Masterman (0-2, 2 RBI, BB, SF) tallied the first Cards RBI with a bases loaded walk, then Logan Beard (1-3, 2 RBI, 3B) followed that up with a bases loaded HBP.
In the second, Jack Payton (1-4, 2 RBI, 2B) started the four-spot with a 2 RBI double, then was followed by an RBI double from Dalton Rushing (2-3, RBI, 2B, 2 BB) and an RBI single from Levi Usher (1-4, RBI). Louisville then added two more runs in the fourth, with Christian Knapczyk scoring on a throwing error and Masterman collecting a sacrifice fly.
But Clemson wasn't going down without a fight. Tate Kuehner (3.0 IP, 4 K, 1 BB, 3 H, 2 ER) was able to pitch a pair of scoreless relief innings, but got chased out in the fifth inning after allowing a pair of runners on base with no outs. Ryan Hawks (0.2 IP, 1 K, 3 BB, 3 H, 1 ER) came in to replace him, and then immediately gave up an RBI single and double for three Tigers runs.
Fortunately for Louisville, Carter Lohman (2.0 IP, 3 K, 2 BB) came in and steadied the ship from the mound, giving the Cardinals a pair of scoreless innings. He also got some help from Usher, who robbed what would have been a game-tying two-run homer in the sixth.
Louisville later added some much needed insurance in the seventh inning, thanks to an RBI triple from Beard and an RBI single from Isaac Humphrey (1-4, RBI).
After Alex Galvan (1.0 IP, 1 K) pitched a scoreless eighth, Clemson made things interesting with a two-run home run in the ninth, but Michael Prosecky (1.0 IP, 3 K, 1 BB 2 H, 2 ER) was able to rebound and clinch the game and series.
Next up for Louisville, they'll conclude their weekend series vs. Clemson with game three. First pitch is slated for Sunday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.
(Photo via Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)
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