Nick Solak doesn’t hit many homers but when he does they are worth savoring.
The University of Louisville baseball team is headed back to its fourth consecutive Super Regional this weekend, thanks largely to Solak’s fifth home run of the season — a two-run blast in the fourth inning.
Providing the margin of victory in a 3-1 win over Wright State. He would, in fact, drive in all three of UofL’s runs in the Regional Final in front of 4,295 fans at Jim Patterson Stadium.
A couple of seasons ago, remember, Solak was the guy with the two-run home run that lifted UofL past Kennesaw State and into the College World Series for a second consecutive season.
Left hander Drew Harrington badly needed a good game and he got it. After being chased from the mound in his last outing, he was back to his ACC Pitcher of the Year form. He would pitch into the eighth inning, strike out five batters, allow only five hits, and earn his 12th win against two losses.
Nice game for Will Smith, too, collecting three hits, scoring a run on Solak’s decisive four-bagger.
And another Dan McDonnell team is back in the Super Regionals. That would be six of them, starting in 2007.
Super Regional opponents will be announced Tuesday but Louisville is a lock and UofL is already selling tickets. At a fast pace. As of early Sunday evening, only tickets on the berm were available.
Photos by Cindy Rice Shelton and Charlie Springer: