It took nearly five hours to get the first pitch in, then there was another weather delay that pushed #10 Louisville and #12 Virginia into the early-morning hours.
The Cardinals (37-15, 17-10 ACC) ultimately notched the series-opening win over the ‘Hoos (37-14, 16-12 ACC), 4-1, with the game, scheduled for a 4 p.m. Thursday start, finally ending at 12:31 a.m. on Friday.
Louisville starter Jared Poland pitched seven innings of two-hit baseball and fanned eight Cavalier batters. He was charged with one run and recorded his fifth win of the season. It marked the third time this year he’s logged seven or more innings in ACC action.
Cavalier lefthander Brian Gursky fanned a career-high 11 batters in five innings pitched. He came back out after the near-hour delay and pitched the next 3.1 innings. Gursky stranded 10 Louisville runners on the night, including five in scoring position.
Gursky is the first Cavalier pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts since Nate Savino fanned 11 earlier this season against Cornell.
Louisville scored two runs in the first inning on back-to-back RBI hits from Dalton Rushing and Jack Payton. Gursky stranded two runners in the frame by fanning the final two batters.
After the lightning delay that halted play in the bottom of the second inning, Louisville’s Isaac Humphrey scored on a fielder’s choice by Ben Metzinger.
The Cardinals made it 4-0 in the fifth when Jack Payton came around to score on Humphrey’s sacrifice fly.
Virginia got on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Alex Tappen in the sixth inning. Jimmy Sullivan, who made his first start of the season, scored after drawing a lead-off walk earlier in the frame. The RBI for Tappen was his 67th of the season, tying him for the third most in a single season in UVA history.
Cardinal closer Michael Prosecky was credited with his 10th save, pitching the final two innings.
The two teams will reconvene on Friday afternoon for the middle game of a three-game set. The Cavaliers will have lefty Nate Savino (4-5) on the mound and he will be opposed by fellow southpaw Carter Lohman (1-1). First pitch at Jim Patterson Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
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