Louisville Drops Battle for the Barrel vs. Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Hitting the road for their annual Battle for the Barrel rivalry showdown with Vanderbilt, the Louisville baseball program came up just short in the midweek matchup, falling 4-2 on Tuesday at Hawkins Field.

The Cardinals (29-19) have now dropped five of their last seven against the Commodores (33-16), and fail to capitalize on a big opportunity to boost their NCAA Tournament resume. Vanderbilt sported an RPI of 27th entering the matchup.

Like their series against Boston College this past weekend, Louisville’s hitting went cold for most of the evening, as they generated just six base hits and nine total base runners. Zion Rose (2-4, RBI, 2B) and Gavin Kilen (2-4, 2B) both had multi-hit days, while Isaac Humphrey (1-4, HR, RBI) launched a home run.

It spoiled a night where Louisville made a handful a web gems in the field, including a home run robbery from Eddie King Jr. in the second. The Cardinals’ pitching staff also built on their momentum from the Boston College series, combining to allow only five hits from the Commodores.

Louisville cracked the scoreboard almost immediately, with Rose collecting an RBI double just three batters into the game. Vanderbilt was quick to respond, launching a leadoff home run on the first pitch thrown by Justin West (0.0 IP, 2 BB, 2 H, 2 ER), then hitting an RBI single later in the opening frame.

Carson Liggett (3.0 IP, 2 K, 1 H) took over after West’s quick hook, rebounded by tossing perfect second and third innings, while Kaleb Corbett (1.0 IP, 1 K) did so in the fourth.

A lull at the plate from Louisville through the middle innings allowed Vanderbilt to pad their lead. The Commodores added two runs in the fifth: one courtesy of a stolen base and throwing error, and the other on an RBI single off of Parker Detmers (0.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 H, 1 ER).

Kayden Campbell (1.1 IP, 2 K, 1 H) closed out the fifth and pitched a perfect sixth, Jared Lessman (0.2 IP, 2 BB) split a scoreless seventh with Tucker Biven (0.1 IP, 1 K), while Josh Klug (0.1 IP) and Riley Phillips (0.2 IP) combined to put up a zero in the eighth.

While the Cardinals were quiet at the plate for most of the game, things did get interesting in the ninth. Humphrey launched a solo home, and Louisville was able to load the bases with two outs. Unfortunately, they would strand the bases loaded, putting the nail in the coffin for their comeback bid.

Next up for Louisville, they’ll conclude their seven-game road trip and head to North Carolina for their final road ACC series of the regular season. First pitch is slated for Friday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m. EST, and will be televised on ACC Network Extra and broadcast on 93.9 The Ville.

(Photo via Jared Anderson – Louisville Report)