Jack Payton, Louisville baseball storm past SEMO in NCAA Tournament regional opener
Early in its NCAA Tournament regional opener Friday, the Louisville baseball team couldn’t hit a fly right.
But as the game wore on, the Cardinals got their hits to straighten up.
A string of warning-track fly balls didn’t amount to any scoring, but Louisville’s line drives as the game wore on were enough for a 7-2 win against Southeast Missouri State at Jim Patterson Stadium.
More: Josh Heird approved as permanent University of Louisville athletic director
The Cardinals got a second-inning home run from Cameron Masterman but had four fly balls come up short of the wall in the opening four innings. Still, U of L turned a 2-0 deficit entering the bottom of the second into a 4-2 lead by the bottom of the fifth and never looked back in winning the opening game of the Louisville Regional.
Garrett Schmeltz (2-0) got the win for Louisville. Rackers (6-4) took the loss for SEMO.
Player of the game
Sophomore Jack Payton went 4 for 5 with two doubles and four RBIs, driving in a run in the fifth and another in the seventh with RBI doubles. His two-run single in the bottom of the eighth gave the Cardinals a 7-2 lead.
Turning point
Redhawk balks helped Louisville change the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Payton led off the inning with a single, then advanced to second on a balk by SEMO pitcher Jason Rackers. Payton moved to third on a flyout by Cameron Masterman and scored on a single by Levi Usher. Then Usher stole second, advanced to third on Rackers’ second balk of the inning, then scored on his third, putting U of L in front 3-2. The Cards never trailed from there.
More: Comeback Cards: Louisville baseball ready for return to NCAA Tournament
What it means
Louisville (39-18-1) advances into the winners bracket without having thrown ace starter Jared Poland and with minimal use of its bullpen. That puts the Cardinals in a strong starting position in the double-elimination event.
What’s next
The Cards will play at 4 p.m. Saturday against Michigan (33-26), the winner of Friday’s second game. SEMO (37-21) will face Oregon (35-24) at noon Saturday in the losers bracket.
How to watch Louisville vs. Michigan baseball Saturday
Mike Couzens and Roddy Jones will call the action on ESPN2. Qualified subscribers also can stream the game on ESPN+, available via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. The game will air on the radio on 93.9 The Ville with Sean Moth providing the play-by-play
What they said
“Every pitching staff, you only have so many guys, and if you gotta use four or five to win Game 1, that’s what you do. But I mean, it worked out about as good as it could.”
—Louisville coach Dan McDonnell on using two pitchers in Friday’s win
“Just getting the momentum, getting the fans on our side (in the fourth inning), that was a big part of this game. Obviously Levi making things happen on the bases, he always does that. That’s what he’s known for. That got the momentum on our side, and we just kind of took control from there and tried to win every inning after that.”
— Louisville DH Jack Payton on the Cardinals’ two-run fourth
“Those (balks) did seem like they kind of sucked the wind out of our sails a little bit. It helped them tack on and maybe led to a little bit of a cheap run. It is what it is. There’s not a game that’s been played that any team played it perfect. Our team set a school record for come-from-behind wins this year. We had 26 come-from-behind wins. We’re certainly used to dealing with adversity.”
— Southeast Missouri State coach Andy Sawyers on pitcher Jason Rackers’ three balks
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville baseball storms past SEMO, in NCAA Tournament regional
