To say the Louisville baseball team met expectations this weekend would be an under-statement. All the #2 ranked Cardinals did was sweep a three game series from SIU-Edwardsville outscoring the Cougars, 43-5.

The Cardinals won 21-4, 12-0 and 10-1, Sunday as junior Drew Harrington pitched six innings allowing just two singles. He struck out nine and allowed one runner to reach second base.
Not bad for a pitcher a who didn’t start a game last season but worked mostly out of the bullpen. “I just tried to keep them off balance,” said Harrington. “I threw some fastballs in and out and some breaking balls.”

The Cardinals weren’t as explosive as they were on Friday and Saturday with an eight run inning in each of those games. But they were effective. The Cardinals never trailed in the series.
The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the first as Cory Ray and Logan Taylor singled. Nick Solak sacrificed and Brendon McKay’s ground out plate a rub.

In the third Ray led off with a towering home run to right field. Danny Rosenbaum had a sacrifice fly scoring Solak who walked. Blake Tiberi’s tripled into the right-center field
gap scoring McKay.

Louisville added two runs in the fourth, two more in the sixth and one in the seventh.
SIU-Edwardsville only run came in the seventh off reliever Jake Springer.

The Cards pounded out 39 hits, 12 were for extra bases.

Ray in the leadoff spot was seven of nine with seven runs scored, six hits and seven rbi. He had two home runs.

“The biggest thing, just go out and not try to do too much,” said Ray. “Just help the team win. I love leading off.”

Ray had a defensive gem as well in Sunday’s game. Aaron Jackson led off the fifth inning for Edwardsville lifting a high towering fly ball to deep left. Ray leaped and made the catch halfway up the fence.

“If somebody hits a ball to leftfield, I can’t let them score,” said Ray.”I got to the fence and jumped maybe a little early. I still got it. I didn’t know if it had a chance to go out or not.”

Harrington waited for Ray to come in from left and gave him a high five for the catch. Hitting was as plentiful as the pitching during the series. In the three games the Cards allowed just the five runs.

The Cardinals take Monday off before Eastern Kentucky comes to Jim Patterson Stadium on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. Louisville the goes on the road to Mississippi for three games beginning Friday at 5:00 p.m..  The Louisville vs. Ole Miss series will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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