Cards Swept Georgia Tech Over Weekend; Miami (OH) Tonight

Mark BlankenbakerMarch 31, 2015

Josh Rogers had six strikeouts and won his third straight start as No. 6 Louisville completed a series sweep of No. 28 Georgia Tech with Sunday afternoon’s 4-1 victory at Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Cardinals moved to 21-7 overall and 11-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference while winning their 10th straight league game overall. The 11-1 mark is the best 12-game conference record in school history for Louisville, which holds a two-game lead in the Atlantic Division following four weeks of ACC action.

A sophomore lefty from New Albany, Ind., Rogers allowed just one run on six hits in 6.0+ innings to improve to 4-1 on the season and 3-0 in four ACC starts. In his last five starts overall, Rogers is 4-0 with a 1.15 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 31.0 innings pitched.

Following Rogers on the mound was freshman righty Lincoln Henzman (Lexington, Ky.), who continued his stellar work this season with two strikeouts in two innings of shutout relief. Sophomore righthander Zack Burdi (Downers Grove, Ill.) closed things out striking out two in a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season.

At the plate, senior Mike White (East Orange, N.J.) doubled and drove in a run, while freshman Brendan McKay (Darlington, Pa.) chipped in with a hit, one RBI and scored once. Sophomore Nick Solak (Woodridge, Ill.) added an RBI single and a stolen base, while sophomore Corey Ray (Chicago, Ill.) stole two bases and scored once.

For the third straight game in the series, the Cardinals scored first plating three runs in the second inning against Yellow Jackets starter Brandon Gold. McKay started the inning with a leadoff single and advanced to second when sophomore Will Smith (Louisville, Ky.) was hit by a pitch. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior Danny Rosenbaum (Lafayette Hill, Pa.), McKay scored on a RBI groundout by White for the 1-0 lead.

The second run of the inning scored moments later when Smith scampered home from third on a wild pitch by Gold. Freshman Devin Hairston (Lexington, Ky.) extended the inning with a two-out walk and after moving to second on a single by senior Sutton Whiting (New Wilmington, Pa.), scored on a RBI single from Solak.

Georgia Tech cut into the deficit in the third inning on a RBI single by Daniel Spingola to score Ryan Peurifoy. However, the Cardinals pushed the margin to 4-1 in the fifth inning on a RBI sac fly by McKay to score Ray.

Gold suffered his first loss of the season and dropped to 3-1 overall after allowing four runs, including three earned, on five hits in six innings. Peurifoy finished the day 3-for-4 at the plate while scoring the only run for the Yellow Jackets.

Up next, No. 6 Louisville closes a four-game homestand with a visit from Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday at 6 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Louisville Postgame Notes

The Cardinals improved to 15-3 at home this season and are 263-85 all-time at Jim Patterson Stadium since its opening in 2005.
Louisville moved to 5-1 all-time in the series against Georgia Tech.
The Cardinals have won 10 of their last 11 games and are 16-3 in their last 19 games.
In 12 ACC games, the Cardinals have a 2.21 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 118.0 innings.
Including three shutout innings on Sunday, the Louisville bullpen has a 1.67 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 108.0 innings of work this season.
In ACC games, the Cardinals bullpen has a 1.29 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 42.0 innings.
The Cardinals have won 117 straight games when entering the ninth inning with a lead dating back to May 2012.
Sunday marked the first time this season Louisville has won when being out-hit (8-5) and moved to 1-5 overall in those games.
Sutton Whiting has reached base safely in all 12 ACC games this season and is hitting .438 overall in conference play.
For the season, Whiting leads the Cardinals with a .387 average and a .511 on-base percentage.
In the three-game series against Georgia Tech, Nick Solak was 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs scored, two RBI, two walks and two stolen bases.
In five relief appearances this season, Zack Burdi is 1-0 with three saves and six strikeouts without allowing a run in 8.2 innings.