Redbirds Fall To Cardinals; Teams Play For Regional Title Monday

LOUISVILLE – No. 7 seed and host Louisville (46-16) jumped out to an early lead, and Illinois State (36-25) was limited to just three hits and two runs in the contest Sunday at Jim Patterson Stadium, as the Cardinals forced a deciding game on Monday with the Redbirds to decide the Louisville Regional title after an 11-2 win over the Redbirds.

Top Hitters:
•    Joe Butler: 1-for-4, 1 Run
•    Joe Aeilts: 1-for-3, 1 Run, 1 3B, 1 BB

Pitching Breakdown:
•    Jeff Lindgren (Starter: L, 5-5): 3.2 IP, 5 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
•    Dalton Harvey: 3.2 IP, 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
•    Jackson Bronke: 0.1 IP, 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 ER, 1 BB
•    Rhett Rapshus: 0.1 IP, 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 ER, 1 BB
•    Michael Sebby: 1.1 IP, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 K

Scoring Breakdown:
•    Louisville struck first with a pair of runs on three hits in the top of the second inning to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
•    The Redbirds answered right back and cut the lead in half at 2-1 on a sacrifice fly by Nick Zouras that plated Joe Butler.
•    A long home run over the right field wall off the bat of Louisville's Jake Snider in the top of the fourth inning increased the Cardinals' lead to 3-1 and they would add two more runs later in the frame to widen the advantage to 5-1.
•    Louisville broke the game open in the top of the eighth, scoring six runs on five hits with the benefit of a couple Illinois State errors to make the score 11-1.
•    A leadoff triple by Joe Aeilts led to him scoring on a balk to bring the score to its final at 11-2.

Quote from Coach Holm 
"Obviously that wasn't the way we drew it up, but we've done a good job this year as a team when we take a lump like that and usually respond the next day. I think six months ago if you would've asked these guys if they would take this opportunity, they would've jumped on it. Both teams are going to play for all the marbles tomorrow, and you got to love where you are at." 

Up Next:
The Redbirds and the Cardinals will face off for the third time in as many days on Monday in the winner-take-all game to decide the regional championship. First pitch is scheduled for Noon CT. For continued updates on Illinois State Baseball at the NCAA Regional, follow the Redbirds on Twitter (@RedbirdBaseball) and Instagram (@isuredbirdbaseball).

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