Poor pitching once again dooms Louisville in 13-11 ACC Tournament loss to Pitt

 

In what has become the story of its season, poor Louisville pitching and timely hitting from its opposition doomed the Cardinals in a 13-11 loss to Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday in Durham.

U of L will now (hopefully) enter the NCAA Tournament having lost six of its last seven games.

The Louisville offense once again did its part, collecting five more hits than their counterparts and clawing all the way back from an 8-1 deficit to tie things at 11 in the 8th inning. First Team All-ACC selection Eddie King Jr. was the brightest star, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, two doubles, a walk and five RBI.

A dramatic home half of the 8th inning culminated with a two-out bases loaded single from Garrett Pike that evened the score at 11 apiece. The lead was short-lived, however, as Cardinal reliever Ty Starke — who replaced Brennyn Cutts for reasons unclear to everyone watching — surrendered a two-run homer to Pitt’s Luke Cantwell that set the game’s final margin.

Louisville’s offensive onslaught wasn’t enough thanks in large part to the U of L pitching staff’s inability (yet again) to locate the strike zone. Cardinal hurlers walked 13 Pittsburgh batters, and hit two more. Toss in three passed balls, and that’s how you give up 13 runs in a game where you only allow seven hits.

Louisville has now lost six consecutive games in the ACC Tournament. They haven’t won a contest in the tournament since their first game of the 2021 event.