OMAHA, NE. — Getting to the men’s College World Series wasn’t enough for Louisville.
The Cardinals’ baseball program had been there five times before but has yet to play in the national championship series. With their backs to the walls after falling to the elimination bracket, U of L rallied late for the 8-3 win over Arizona on Sunday at Charles Schwab Field.
The victory comes two days after Louisville (41-23) opened the CWS bracket with a 4-3 walk-off defeat against Oregon State. After the game, Jake Munroe vowed that the team would have a better offensive performance moving forward, and the Cardinals delivered.
Here are three takeaways from Louisville’s season-ending loss to Arizona:
Eighth inning eruption
Louisville had built some momentum in the seventh inning but its offense didn’t fully come together until the eighth inning. Down 3-2, the team scored six runs on six hits, highlighted by Zion Rose’s two RBI base hit. Munroe, Eddie King, Jr. and Tague Davis started the inning with consecutive hits to load the bases before Rose drove in Munroe and King.
The Cardinals also benefitted from two Arizona errors as Rose, Garret Pike, Kamau Neighbors and Lucas Moore rounded out the team’s scoring.
Moving around in the lineup
Louisville moved Alex Alicea to the top of the batting order against Arizona, shifting everyone down. Pike, who had been the No. 5 hitter against Oregon State, moved further down to the 8-hole spot. Alicea flew out during his first at bat but finished with a hit. Pike had a double in the seventh inning then scored on Moore’s sac fly.
Neighbors was the only Cardinal to stay in place at the 9-hole spot and led the team with a season-high four hits on the day.
Digging an early hole
Louisville got off to a slow start and gave up two runs to Arizona in the top of the first inning. Cardinals pitcher Ethan Eberle, who’s had a solid postseason, struggled to start. After striking out the leadoff batter, the freshman lefty hit back-to-back batters then gave up three consecutive hits. Adonys Guzman had an RBI single then scored on a hit for the Wildcats’ 2-0 start.
The Cardinals were unable to respond in the bottom half of the inning. Alicea and Matt Klein each flew out while Moore struck out for the 1-2-3 inning. U of L’s offense was quiet until its six-run, six-hit eighth inning.
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
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