LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Logan Wyatt homered and drove in five runs as the No. 24 Louisville baseball team claimed a 10-6 series-clinching win against Indiana State on Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
Wyatt was 2-for-3 at the plate highlighted by his third homer of the season while the five RBIs matched a career high for the sophomore first baseman. Saturday’s performance marked the second straight multi-hit outing for Wyatt, who leads the team in that category with 16 this season. Wyatt was among four different players with two hits for the Cardinals (29-13), who scored three or more runs in three different innings in Saturday’s victory over the Sycamores (20-19).
Danny Oriente finished 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Josh Stowers was 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored. Jake Snider went 2-for-3 with two walks and scored three runs, and Devin Mann chipped in with a single, two walks and scored twice.
On the mound, sophomore lefthander Nick Bennett earned the win to move to 5-1 on the season after allowing just two runs on six hits with five strikeouts in six innings. Graduate righthander Austin Conway earned his first save of the season and the 21st of his collegiate career registering two strikeouts without allowing a hit in 1.2 innings of shutout relief. A 2017 graduate of Indiana State, Conway accumulated 20 saves during his career for the Sycamores before transferring to Louisville for law school and a final season of eligibility.
Indiana State opened the scoring with a run in the top of the third inning on a RBI single from CJ Huntley scoring Clay Dungan, who doubled down the right field line earlier in the inning. Huntley followed the double by sending a 1-2 pitch through the left side of the infield for the 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals answered in the bottom of the third inning scoring four runs on Sycamores lefty starter Triston Polley. After Louisville loaded the bases with one out, Wyatt connected on a two-run single up the middle scoring Ethan Stringer, who doubled to start the inning, and Snider, who reached base with a walk. Stowers followed with a RBI double to center field allowing Mann to score the third run of the inning. Oriente added a RBI single to left field to score Stowers for the 4-1 lead.
ISU cut into the margin in the top of the fifth inning on a RBI double from Huntley. Max Wright started the inning with a single through the right side before scoring later in the inning on Huntley’s double off the left field wall.
Louisville increased its lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth on a three-run homer from Wyatt. Snider earned a one-out walk and Mann reached base with a single before Wyatt launched a 3-2 pitch from Polley over the right field wall.
The Cardinals continued their scoring ways with a three-run seventh inning. A throwing error by the Sycamores allowed Snider to score from third for the first run of the inning before Oriente’s RBI double to right field scored Wyatt. A passed ball later in the inning allowed Stowers to score from third for the 10-2 advantage.
The Sycamores rallied for four runs in the eighth inning. Luke Fegen and Brandt Nowaskie had RBI singles and Dungan added a two-run single to narrow the margin to 10-6. Conway then entered the game with two runners on base and one out before getting a strikeout and a groundball out to end the inning and hold the four-run cushion.
No. 24 Louisville and Indiana State will conclude the weekend series on Sunday at 1 p.m., ET.
