By Matt Bradshaw —

Baseball (29-14) missed the chance to achieve 30 regular season wins with a Sunday loss to Indiana State (21-19). After dropping games one and two, the Sycamores defeated the Cardinals 3-1 in game three.

Despite batting an overall 3-for-29 at the plate, Louisville led Indiana State 1-0 for the entire game. Entering the top of the ninth with the lead, the Cardinals had two crucial errors and allowed three Sycamore runs.

Freshman Bobby Miller carried the team with a strong start on the mound, allowing five hits and shutting out the Sycamores through seven innings.

Sophomore Adam Elliot (0-1) got the loss on the mound after allowing the three-run ninth inning from Indiana State.

Junior Devin Mann got the scoring going with a RBI groundout in the bottom of the first. Tyler Fitzgerald walked and Jake Snider singled, moving to first and second base. The sophomores stole second and third base, then Mann brought in Fitzgerald for a 1-0 lead.

Miller ran into trouble in the top of the third and fourth. Indiana State loaded the bases both innings, but the righty escaped both jams unscathed by forcing key groundouts.

After their two-hit first inning, Louisville remained hitless until the eighth inning. Ben Bianco singled, but the Cardinals left the freshman stranded on first base.

Junior Bryan Hoeing (5-1) entered to pitch for the Cards in the eighth, keeping Miller’s shutout alive with a scoreless inning.

Elliot took the mound in the ninth inning. The lefty botched the chance for a save and Louisville victory by quickly allowing Indiana State to place runners on first and second.

Head coach Dan McDonnell then replaced Elliot with sophomore Shay Smiddy. Indiana State answered with a bunt that loaded the bases with no outs.

Smiddy kept hope alive with a strikeout. The Sycamores followed with a two RBI single for their first lead of the game.

With runners on first and second, Smiddy forced an infield grounder. While sophomore Logan Wyatt got the putout, Indiana State’s runner came all the way home from second base for a 3-1 lead.

The Cardinals failed to score in the bottom of the ninth, clinching their defeat.

Baseball has 14 games left on the regular season schedule before the ACC Championship. They have won nine of their last twelve contests, but remain 10-11 in ACC play.

Louisville travels to Vanderbilt for a matchup on Tuesday, May 1 at 7 p.m.

You can follow Matt Bradshaw on Twitter @bradmatt8.

Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal