By Micah Brown–

After holding Pittsburgh (7-6, 0-2) scoreless in game one, fourth-ranked baseball (14-0, 3-0) defeated Pitt 8-2 in game two.

Junior Kade McClure started for the Cardinals, holding Pitt to four hits and held them scoreless for the six innings he pitched. McClure finished the game with a total of six strikeouts and two walks, lowering his ERA to 2.08.

Offensively, Louisville’s bats came alive as the Cards produced 13 hits. Sophomore Devin Mann opened up the scoring by singling in senior Logan Taylor. Taylor led the way on offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases.

“The bats are hot right now,” Taylor said. “Even the guys on the bench, I got confidence (in them) to go up, put a good swing on the ball, and stay with our approach.”

Two-out hitting for the Cardinals played a critical role early. In the second inning, sophomore Joshua Stowers and freshman Tyler Fitzgerald both singled, putting runners on first and third with two outs. Taylor continued the production with a two-out, two-RBI double to increase the lead to 3-0. The next inning also saw a two-out, two-RBI hit with junior Devin Hairston belting a double off the outfield wall, putting Louisville up 5-0.

Colby Fitch capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the eighth inning to stretch the lead to 8-0. The Panthers scored two runs in the ninth inning to avoid being shutout for the second game in a row.

With Harvard’s loss on Friday, Louisville is now the only undefeated team in Division I baseball. The Cards will look to sweep the series against Pittsburgh March 12 at 1 p.m.

Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal