Louisville Holds Off TCU in Midweek Showdown

The Cardinals capture a victory in their first matchup against a ranked team this season.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
No. 21 TCU	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	4	0	8	8	1
UL	0	2	0	1	5	1	0	0	X	9	13	0

W: Jared Poland (1-1), L: Cam Brown (2-1), S Michael Prosecky (3)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Taking on their first ranked opponent of the 2022 season, the Louisville baseball program took advantage of a strong start from both the mound and the batters box, holding on for dear life against No. 15 TCU to come away with a 9-8 victory Tuesday at Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Cardinals (9-3) extended out to a 9-0 lead over the first six innings, but struggled to put away the Horned Frogs (8-4) down the stretch. Louisville allowed TCU to plate eight runs in the seventh and eight innings, having to cycle through seven bullpen arms to secure the win.

Ben Bianco (2-4, 2 RBI, 3B), Levi Usher (2-3, 2 RBI, BB) and Logan Beard (2-3, 2 RBI, BB) all had two hit and two RBI days, while Jack Payton (3-5, 3 R) had another three hit day. Rushing (1-5, HR) and Masterman (1-5, RBI) also drove in runs.

Right-hander Jared Poland (6.0 IP, 7 K, 2 BB, 2 H, 0 ER) had a great start on the mound for the Cardinals. He set the tone early by retiring the first six batters he faced, eventually setting a career-high in inning pitched while tying his high in strikeouts.

Louisville struck first in the midweek affair, putting up a pair of runs in the second inning courtesy of RBI singles from Ben Bianco and Logan Beard. Beard would add another RBI single two innings later.

The Cardinals then blew the game wide open in the fifth, putting up a five-spot. Rushing launched a 392-foot home run, Bianco added an RBI triple, Masterman collected an RBI single, and Usher did the same while also scoring on a wild pitch. Usher also had an RBI groundout in the sixth.

When Poland exited the game for Louisville, TCU jumped all over the pitching change, plating four runs in the seventh. Right-hander Seamus Barrett (0.1 IP, 1 BB, 3 H, 4 ER) gave up a bases loaded single, was replaced by left-hander Evan Webster (0.2 IP, 1 H), who then allowed a run on a wild pitch and a two-run double.

Things didn't get much better for the Cardinals pitching staff in the eighth. They surrendered another four-spot to the Horned Frogs, and needed five pitchers to get three outs.

Left-hander Luke Seed (0.1 IP, 2 BB, 2 ER) and right-hander Cam Robinson (0.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 ER) got the first two outs, lefty Garrett Schmeltz (1 BB, 1 ER) and righty Kaleb Corbett (1 H) were both pulled without recording an out, with southpaw Michael Prosecky (1.1 IP, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 H) securing the last out.

Fortunately, the final frame had very little drama, as Prosecky only allowed a single base runner and tossed a pair of strikeouts to secure the win and the save.

Next up for Louisville, they'll kick off their three-game weekend series against Michigan. First pitch is slated for Friday, Mar. 11 at 3:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.

(Photo of Michael Prosecky: Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter