May 18, 2018
By Michael Scholl
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The University of Notre Dame baseball team dropped a 5-0 decision to No. 25 Louisville in game two of the final ACC series of 2018 on Friday afternoon.
The contest was moved up to 2 p.m. from its original 6 p.m. start, with the Cardinals (38-16, 17-12 ACC) scoring single runs in the third, fifth and eighth to go along with two runs in the sixth to clinch the series against the Fighting Irish (24-27, 12-17 ACC).
Sophomore southpaw Cameron Brown turned in a quality start, allowing three earned runs in 6.2 innings while striking out four and scattering 10 hits. Jake Johnson and David LaManna had two hits apiece for the Irish.
How It Happened
Louisville scored the first run of the game in the third with a quick, two-out rally. Tyler Fitzgerald doubled into the left-field corner with two down before Jake Snider singled through the left side to score Fitzgerald. After Devin Mann singled up the middle, Brown got Logan Wyatt to fly out to left to limit the damage and keep the Cardinal lead at 1-0 after three innings.
UofL took advantage of free bases to double the lead in the fifth. Justin Lavey drew a leadoff walk on a seven-pitch at-bat before Fitzgerald’s sacrifice bunt attempt saw a throwing error by Brown put runners on the corners with no outs. Snider rolled into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring Lavey. After Mann doubled down the left-field line, Wyatt grounded out to Jung to end the frame with the score 2-0.
The Cardinals struck again in the sixth. Josh Stowers started the inning with a double to left-center. Danny Oriente then hit a chopper to Kavadas at third, but Jung couldn’t handle the throw and the error put runners at second and third with no outs. Stowers then scored on a wild pitch before Zach Britton grounded out. Ethan Stringer delivered a chopper over Kavadas into left field for a base hit, scoring Oriente. After Lavey singled up the middle, Brown sat Fitzgerald down looking before Snider grounded out to Jung to end the sixth with Louisville leading 4-0.
Fitzgerald added some insurance with an RBI single in the eighth, providing the final margin of 5-0.
Up Next
Notre Dame and Louisville are set to meet for the final game of the 2018 regular season on Saturday, May 19. First pitch at Jim Patterson Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
— ND —
Michael Scholl has been a member of the Fighting Irish Media communications staff at his alma mater since August 2016. He serves as the secondary contact for the Irish football and hockey teams while coordinating communications efforts for the women’s tennis program. Scholl has previously worked in communications at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Providence College, Vanderbilt University and the University of Cincinnati. The South Bend, Indiana, native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts and Letters in 2009.