After a doubleheader on Friday, Louisville and Wake Forest took Saturday off in lieu of a rainy day. The Cards and the Deacons took the field again on Sunday to close the series.
Using three homers throughout the game, Louisville (22-6, 9-3 ACC) survived a late-game rally by Wake Forest (15-14, 5-7), closing the series with a sweep and a 5-4 victory.
A passed ball in the first inning allowed Jake Snider to reach home, and score the first run of the game for Louisville.
The Cards then got three runs in the fourth inning, two on back-to-back home runs from Logan Wyatt and Zach Britton. The other run was plated after a fielding error allowed Tyler Fitzgerald to reach base, and also score Henry Davis in the process.
Alex Binelas also chipped in with his third homer of the season, coming in the sixth inning.
Bobby Miller, who was making his second start of the 2019 season, managed to keep Wake Forest’s offense down for seven whole innings. He finished with seven shutout innings, only allowing two walks and striking out eight batters.
Once he left though, Wake Forest was finally able to get a couple of runs in the eighth. Bruce Steel drove in an RBI double to left field to get the Deacons on the board, then Chris Lanzilli squeezed an RBI single that scored another. Wake Forest had the runners at the corners — and the tying run at the plate — with two outs in the top of the eighth, but Lanzilli was picked off at first to close the inning.
A two-run homer in the ninth inning from Wake Forest’s Brandon Tinsman closed the gap to just 5-4. But Michael McAvene was able to close it with a save, his
Louisville had one of its best outings as a power-hitting club this season, tying a season-high with three home runs. Logan Wyatt (2-for-4) and Alex Binelas (2-for-3) had multi-hit games at the plate, with Binelas also recording a double. Zach Britton had the third homer for the Cardinals, finishing 1-for-4. Justin Lavey (1-for-3) and Drew Campbell (1-for-3) also gave the bottom of Louisville’s batting order some production. The 4-through-9 batters finished a combined 7-for-20 with three homers, three RBIs, and one double.
Up next, the next installment of Louisville v. Kentucky on the diamond is happening on Tuesday. The Cards and the ‘Cats are due for a 6 p.m. EDT showdown at Jim Patterson Stadium.
