By Daniel Rankin —
On March 15, the University of Louisville Baseball team defeated one of their in-state rivals, the Northern Kentucky Norse, by 12-8.
While the rivalry is considered mild compared to the historic UK-U of L matchup, a large and energetic crowd was present at Jim Patterson Stadium. Fans in attendance were treated to some beautiful Louisville weather and an impressive offensive performance from both teams.
The Cardinals finished with 17 hits, with senior Cameron Masterman and sophomore Jack Payton contributing three hits each.
Junior Evan Webster recorded his first win of the season, finishing with two strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched. Fellow pitcher Evan Webster also recorded his first save of the year, pitching a scoreless 1.2 innings to finish the game for the Cards.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 12-4 on the season, with a tough ACC schedule looming.
The Cards jumped out to a two-run lead in the first inning thanks to a home run by Christian Knapczyk and RBI by Payton. However, NKU responded by jumping to a 4-2 lead in the second.
Louisville responded in the bottom half by putting up three of their own to retake the lead, 6-4.
The back and forth battle continued with NKU closing the lead to one in the third, but Louisville extended its lead again after outfielder Isaac Humphrey launched a 1-2 pitch over the right-field wall. Ben Metzinger added to the lead with a home run of his own in the fifth.
In the seventh, the Cards put up another two runs on the score sheet, which was all they needed to secure the Tuesday victory.
Up next for the Cards is inner-city rival Bellarmine University today at 11 a.m. Then the ACC will kick off this weekend when the No. 1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish visit for a weekend series against the Cards.
A reminder that for UofL Students, admission is free to all home games for UofL students with a valid student ID.
Photo by Daniel Rankin // The Louisville Cardinal
