Louisville baseball: Bullpen shines in sweep against Dayton

Game 3: LOU 5, DAY 1

Louisville heads into Sunday looking to finish the sweep of Dayton as they came in with a two game lead over the Flyers. Carson Liggett received the starting nod from Coach McDonnell, but his time on the mound was cut short due to being hit by a comebacker in the second inning.

Liggett kept a zero on the board for the Flyers through two innings, struck out two, and walked one batter. Right-hander Tucker Biven came in to relieve Liggett, but struggled in the sixth innings he had on the mound. He allowed two hits and was unable to get a runner out when the Flyers bunted in an attempt to advance runners. This resulted in the bases being loaded.

Once Biven stepped off the mound, Riley Phillips was given the ball to get out of this jam. Phillips was able to get out of the jam and only allowed one run. Granted, he has had trouble in the beginning of the season, but was able to bounce back with five strikeouts in two innings.

The Cardinals bats didn’t wake up until late in the game but were still able to get the job done scoring five on Sunday. Base running played a part in this due to the Cardinals stealing seven bags. Key performers in the lineup were Eddie King Jr. who had one hit and recorded two stolen bases. JT Benson continued his hot streak hitting two triples on Sunday and stealing a base. The continued success at the plate led to Louisville’s sweep with a 5-1 victory over Dayton.