No. 8 Louisville Drops Season Opener to Michigan State Despite Out-Hitting Spartans
Opening Day didn’t go quite as planned for No. 8 Louisville, as the Cardinals fell 4-3 to visiting Michigan State in a tightly contested series opener. Despite out-hitting the Spartans 8-5, Louisville couldn’t overcome a flurry of hit batters, timely Michigan State homers, and missed opportunities in key moments.
The Cardinals were without catcher Zion Rose, sidelined with an ankle injury, and his absence was felt-particularly in a game where small margins made all the difference.
Michigan State made a habit of getting leadoff runners aboard, doing so in seven of the nine innings. That kind of consistent pressure eventually wore down Louisville’s pitching staff and helped the Spartans capitalize when it mattered most.
Early Momentum, Then Trouble
Louisville looked sharp early. Starter Ethan Eberle opened the season with a strikeout and a clean 1-2-3 first inning. The Cardinals then struck first in the second, thanks to back-to-back doubles from Kade Elam and Ben Slanker that gave them a 1-0 edge.
Eberle was solid through four innings, showing good command and swing-and-miss stuff. He finished with 4.1 innings pitched, six strikeouts, one walk, and three hit batters. But a leadoff single in the fifth ended his day, and the bullpen couldn’t hold the line.
Bullpen Falters in Middle Innings
Reliever Jack Brown inherited the fifth and struggled to find a rhythm. He hit a batter and surrendered a two-out RBI single to left, allowing Michigan State to jump ahead 2-1. Brown worked 1.2 innings in total, giving up one run on one hit while striking out one and hitting two batters himself.
Casen Murphy took over in the seventh and was greeted rudely-his first pitch was sent over the fence for a solo homer. That blast extended the Spartans' lead to 3-1, but Murphy bounced back with a strong finish to the frame, limiting the damage to just that one swing.
Cardinals Rally Late, But Can’t Close the Gap
Louisville showed some fight in the bottom of the seventh. Slanker sparked the rally with a leadoff homer, and Bayram Hot followed with a single to right. He eventually came around to score on a Lucas Moore RBI single, tying the game at 3-3 and injecting some life into the home crowd.
But the momentum didn’t last long. Murphy returned for the eighth and gave up another leadoff solo shot-Michigan State’s second homer off him in as many innings-which put the Spartans back in front, 4-3. To his credit, Murphy locked in after that, striking out the next three batters in dominant fashion.
Jack Schweitzer took the mound in the ninth and worked a clean inning, issuing just one walk. Louisville had one final chance in the bottom half, but stranded a runner as the Spartans closed out the upset win.
Looking Ahead
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 1:00 p.m., with Jack Bean slated to get the start for Louisville. After a frustrating opener, the Cardinals will look to bounce back and even the series. The bats showed signs of life, and the pitching had its moments-but they’ll need to tighten things up on the mound and limit free passes if they want to avoid another early-season stumble.