Louisville Cardinals News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Louisville Sputters Early, Comeback Effort Spoiled for Upset Loss vs. Pitt

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated May 20, 2025 9:38 PM ET

DURHAM, N.C. - Kicking off their run in the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship, Louisville's time down at Durham Bulls Athletic Park proved to be short lived, getting upset by Pitt 13-11 in the first round on Tuesday.

The 10th-seeded Cardinals (35-21, 15-15 ACC) fell behind the eight ball early, allowing the 15th-seeded Panthers (28-26, 10-20 ACC) to take an 8-1 lead through 4.5 innings. Louisville was able to mount a furious comeback and tie the game in the eighth, overcoming an 11-6 deficit in the process, but gave up a go-ahead two-run blast in the ninth to Pitt.

Louisville now heads back home where they will await their draw for the NCAA Tournament, while the Pitt is now set to face No. 7 Duke in the second round. The selection show will take place on Monday, May 26 at 12:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ESPN2.

No matter who took the mound for Louisville, they struggled to find the strike zone. By game's end, the Cardinals stuck out just seven batters and had issued 13 walks, with seven of those baserunners coming around to score. Making matters worse, they also had three passed balls, with Pitt scoring on two of them.

It spoiled a fantastic performance from Eddie King Jr. (3-4, HR, 5 RBI. 2 2B, BB), who drove in nearly half of Louisville's runs on the evening, and also hit his 14th home run of the season to tie his career-high. Garret Pike (2-5, 2 RBI) and Bayram Hot (2-5, 2 RBI) drove in multiple runs as well.

Pitt wasted zero time doing damage, putting up three runs in the opening frame. Louisville starter T.J. Schlageter (0.1 IP, 3 BB, 1 H, 3 ER) was yanked after allowing a bases loaded walk, then Ethan Eberle (2.0 IP, 3 K, 3 BB, 3 H, 2 ER) gave up a two-run double in his first batter faced.

King got the Cardinals on the board in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double, but the Panthers added two more runs in the next inning. They scratched across one run on a passed ball, then Eberle surrendered the other on an RBI single.

Eberle would also give up a solo shot in the third before Jake Schweitzer (1.2 IP, 3 BB) took over. Schweitzer nearly put up Louisville's first zero in the fourth, until a fielding error brought home a run. Tucker Biven (1.0 IP, 3 BB) took over in the fifth, but even he was at the mercy of the Panthers, with a passed ball plating Pitt's fifth straight run.

In the bottom of the fifth, Louisville finally got back on the scoreboard, and they did so in a big way - putting up a four-spot. Lucas Moore (1-4, RBI) collected a infield RBI single, then King blasted a 431-foot, three-run blast down the left field line.

Following five innings of woeful pitching, Wyatt Danilowicz (2.2 IP, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 H, 3 ER) gave the Cards exactly what they needed, as he twirled scoreless sixth and seventh innings. Add in an RBI groundout by Hot in the sixth, and Louisville was able get within two runs of the Panthers heading into the late segment.

That being said, Pitt eventually caught up to Danilowicz, seemingly breaking Louisville's momentum with a three-run homer in the eighth. But despite facing a five-run deficit, the Cardinals did not quit, instead answering with five runs in the bottom of the frame.

Hot got the rally started with an RBI single, Tagger Tyson (0-3, RBI) followed him up with a fielder's choice RBI, King drew a bases loaded walk, and then Pike tied the game with a two-run single.

Unfortunately, the game did not remain tied for long. Brennyn Cutts (0.2 IP, 1 K, 1 HBP, 1 ER), who had to finish the eighth after Danilowicz's day was done, was pulled in favor of Ty Starke (0.2 IP, 1 K, 1 H, 1 ER) with one out in the ninth and one man on base. Starke then immediately surrendered a two-run blast, which proved to be difference in the game.