Top-ranked baseball blasts Xavier 13-4

The Louisville Cardinal By Micah Brown–In their first game ranked as the top team in the country, No. 1 baseball (16-0, 3-0) cruised to victory by defeating Xavier 13-4.The added pressure that comes with being the top-ranked team in the country certainly showed. The Cards started off the game by surrendering three runs to the Musketeers (7-10)  in the second inning. Trailing 3-0, Louisville cut the lead to 3-2 with RBIs from juniors Brendan McKay and Drew Ellis.The fifth inning saw the bats come to life as the Cards singled three straight times to start off the inning, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Senior Collin Lyman put Louisville ahead with a two-RBI single, driving in juniors Colby Fitch and Devin Hairston.With the help of Xavier’s shaky bullpen, the Cardinals blew the game open in the seventh inning. Three wild pitches by Xavier’s Taylor Williams allowed Louisville to score three runs. Hairston doubled and singled in the inning, driving in two runs. The junior improved his stellar batting average to .387, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and scoring three runs.Junior Rabon Martin (2-0) was the winning pitcher for the Cards, surrendering one earned run over 2.1 innings with five strikeouts and just one walk. The bullpen closed the door on Xavier as they held the Musketeers hitless and scoreless for the final four innings, striking out three and walking three.With a game under their belt as the No. 1 team in the nation, Louisville will now look to improve on their undefeated record on March 17 as they start a series with ACC foe Boston College Friday at Jim Patterson at 6 p.m.Photo by Karen Nguyen / The Louisville Cardinal 


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