Louisville Takes Down Indiana in Midweek Showdown
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
UL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | X | 7 | 8 | 2 |
W: Carson Liggitt (1-0), L: Ty Bothwell (1-0)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Fresh off of their series tie at Wake Forest, the Louisville baseball program found themselves back in the win column on Tuesday, taking down regional rival Indiana 7-2 at Jim Patterson Stadium.
The No. 6 Cardinals (34-13-1, 15-8 ACC) earn their third straight win over the Hoosiers (22-26, 8-10, Big Ten), who they had not faced since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since getting swept at Florida State in mid-April, Louisville has only lost two of their last 13 games.
Indiana struck first in the midweek affair, collecting an RBI single in the opening frame off of Ben Wiegman (2.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 H, 1 ER) in the first start of his collegiate career.
Louisville didn't waste much time responding, with Dalton Rushing (1-4, HR, 3 RBI) launching a two-run home run in the third inning. The Cardinals also got in a run an inning later, after Ben Metzinger (2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2B, SF) struck a double and a Hoosier fielding error brought home a runner.
Following a scoreless relief outing from Carson Liggitt (2.0 IP, 1 K, 1 BB), Louisville got in a bit of trouble during the sixth inning. Kade Grundy (1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER) tossed a clean fifth, but then allowed three straight no-out singles in the next frame, allowing IU to bring home a run.
After Grundy was pulled, Garrett Schmeltz (2.0 IP, 4 K, 1 H) pitched a masterful sixth. An immediate balk call put both runners in scoring position, but he then proceeded to strike out the side to limit the Hoosier damage. He also twirled a scoreless seventh.
The Cardinals immediately got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, with Metzinger blasting a solo homer. They also put up a trio of insurance runs in the eighth inning, thanks to a throwing error on a Brandon Anderson (0-3) sacrifice bunt, a Metzinger sacrifice fly, and a Rushing RBI groundout.
Tate Kuehner (1.0 IP, 1 H) and Ryan Hawks (1.0 IP, 3 K, 1 BB) each pitched an inning to close out the game. Jack Payton (0-2, 3 BB), Ben Bianco (3-4) and Levi Usher (0-2, 2 BB, 3 SB) all got on base multiple times as well.
Next up for Louisville, they'll head back on the road and travel to Blacksburg for a weekend series at Virginia Tech. First pitch of game one is slated for Friday, May 13 at 6:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.
(Photo of Ben Metzinger: Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)
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