The Louisville Cardinals saw their hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth evaporate on Thursday night as they dropped a 16-8 decision to the Pitt Panthers in the opening round of the ACC Baseball Championship.
The Game Unfolds
Pitt jumped out to an early lead, capitalizing on a shaky start by Louisville’s rotation that saw five batters reach base in the first inning. The Panthers’ offense continued to press, and a grand slam by Brandon Shannon in the fourth inning stretched their advantage.
Louisville answered with a five-run second inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Zion Rose and a run-producing fielder’s choice by Tague Davis that kept the Cardinals within striking distance.
Despite the rally, the Cardinals’ pitching staff struggled throughout, surrendering 12 hits and nine walks while striking out 13 batters. Reliever Ty Starke was pulled after loading the bases with two outs in the fifth, but Aaron England and Jack Brown combined for a scoreless sixth, and England later delivered a perfect seventh.
Zane Stahl closed the game with a scoreless ninth, but a two-run single by Rose in the eighth could not erase the deficit. The loss ended Louisville’s quest for an automatic NCAA Tournament bid, leaving the team to await selection decisions.