Louisville Defeats Oregon, Blasts Michigan to Force Regional Winner-Take-All

The Cardinals play their way out of the loser's bracket, and are now one win away from a Super Regional.

Louisville Regional Game Five:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
UO	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	5	9	0
UL	1	0	0	2	0	3	1	1	X	8	9	0

W: Carson Liggitt (3-0), L: Jace Stoffal (1-3), S: Tate Kuehner (4)

Louisville Regional Game Six:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
UL	4	3	0	2	3	0	0	6	2	20	19	0
UM	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1

W: Riley Phillips (5-1), L: Angelo Smith (1-3), S: Evan Webster (1)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With their backs firmly against the wall after their loss to Michigan on Saturday, the Louisville baseball program lived to fight another day in the Louisville Regional, taking down Oregon 8-5 and following that up with an 20-1 blowout win in a rematch with the Wolverines Sunday at Jim Patterson Stadium.

The top-seeded Cardinals (41-19-1) work their way out of the loser's bracket with the Sunday sweep, and force a regional winner-take-all game against Michigan (34-27) on Monday with a trip to a Super Regional on the line. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST, moving up from 6:00 p.m. to accommodate potential inclement weather.

The two wins on the day move Louisville to 6-1 in home regional games when facing elimination, with the lone loss coming in 2010. It also secures their 13th 40-win campaign in school history, all coming under head coach Dan McDonnell.

Oregon struck first with an RBI single in the top of the first, but Louisville immediately responded with an RBI groundout from Jack Payton (0-3, RBI, BB) in the bottom of the frame. Louisville then jumped in front in the fourth, courtesy of a two-run home run from Cam Masterman (1-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB).

Cardinals starter Carson Liggitt (4.0 IP, 2 K, 2 BB, 4 H, 2 ER) had a solid outing, tying his career-high in strikeouts while setting a new high in innings pitched. A controversial balk call in the fifth inning eventually led to him getting pulled, and the Ducks getting an RBI groundout off newly-inserted reliever Michael Prosecky (3.1 IP, 1 K, 3 BB, 4 H, 3 ER).

An inning later in the sixth, Louisville received a favorable balk call that served as the start of a three-spot to extend their lead. Payton scored as a result of the balk, Logan Beard (1-2, RBI, 2B, BB) followed that up with an RBI double, then Ben Bianco (1-4, RBI) capped off the frame with an RBI single.

But Oregon was not going to go away quietly, plating a three-spot in the eighth. An RBI single knocked Prosecky out of the game, with newly-inserted Tate Kuehner (1.2 IP, 2 K, 1 H) immediately giving up a two-run double.

Fortunately, Louisville added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to an RBI single from Christian Knapczyk (2-5, RBI, 2B), and Kuehner was able to pitch a scoreless ninth to survive and set up the rematch with Michigan.

The Cardinals carried the momentum from the first game of the day into the second, plating seven runs in their first two innings against the Wolverines. Following a quiet third inning, one where Michigan broke the shutout with a single run, Louisville got right back to work at the plate and scored five unanswered in the fourth and fifth innings.

Even in the late innings with most of the reserves in, Louisville didn't take their foot off the gas, putting up a six-spot in the eighth and two runs in the ninth. Their 20 runs tied the Louisville postseason record (20-2 vs. Oklahoma State in the 2007 Super Regional final), and their 19 hits set a new season-high.

Ben Metzinger (3-6, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2B, BB) launched two home runs in the game, Masterman (2-2, HR, 3 RBI, 2B, BB) also struck a home run, and Levi Usher (3-5, 2 RBI) logged a three-hit day.

Beard (1-5, 2 RBI, BB), Austin Bode (1-2, 2 RBI, 2B) and Isaac Humphrey (2-6, 2 RBI, 2B) also drove in multiple runs, with Knapczyk (1-1, 4 BB), Rushing (2-4, RBI, 2B, BB, 2 HBP) and Payton (1-3, RBI, 2 BB) reaching base multiple times as well.

Over on the mound, Louisville was equally as dominant. Starter Riley Phillips (5.0 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 2 H, 1 ER) not only set a career-high in strikeouts, but also tied Reid Detmers (2019 vs. Illinois State) for the most strikeouts by a Cardinal in the regionals round.

Right behind him in relief, Evan Webster (4.0 IP, 3 K, 1 H) was lights out as well, setting a career-high in innings pitched and tying his career strikeout mark to close the door and earn his first career save.

(Photo of Christian Knapczyk: Jared Anderson - State of Louisville)

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