The 17th-ranked University of Louisville baseball team lost 7-6 on Thursday night in the series opener at No. 2 Clemson.
Louisville (27-10, 9-7 ACC) gave up a pair of three-run home runs, including one in the seventh inning that proved to be difference in the game.
The Cardinals jumped on the board early on Thursday night, taking advantage of two Clemson errors.
Lucas Moore doubled on the second pitch of the game to extend his hitting streak to 22 and reached base streak to 35. An error and walk loaded the bases and Eddie King Jr. scorched a ball that was mishandled by the shortstop allowing the first two runs to score.
Tague Davis followed with a sacrifice fly to centerfield that gave the Cardinals a 3-0 advantage.
Clemson (34-6, 12-4) had an immediate answer, getting a three-run homer in the bottom half of the frame to tie the game.
Louisville went right back to work at the plate in the second. Kamau Neighbors led off with a single and Moore registered his second double in as many innings to put two in scoring position. Zion Rose brought the first run home with a groundout and Garret Pike laid down a safety squeeze to stretch the advantage back out to two runs.
Casen Murphy put a pair of zeros on the board in the second and third innings before the Tigers got a run against Alex Gay in the fourth.
Ty Starke came on and limited to damage to keep the Cardinals in front before turning things over to Brennyn Cutts. The right-hander helped keep Clemson off the board in the fifth and sixth innings before exiting after an error on the infield in the seventh.
Clemson made the error hurt, getting a walk to put two on before its second three-run homer of the night that gave the Tigers their first lead.
Louisville wouldn’t go quietly though. Alex Alicea brought home a run with a fielder’s choice in the eighth inning that cut the deficit to one. The Cards then got a leadoff single in the ninth, but Pike’s flyball with two outs died at the fence and was caught for the final out.
Moore and Neighbors each had two hits on the night as the Cardinals lost for just the third time this season when out-hitting their opponent.
Louisville and Clemson hit the diamond for game two of the series on Friday at 5 p.m. ET.
