Brendan McKay badly needed to rebound from a dismal performance that capped a three-game losing streak at the end of the regular season. And he got it, getting the University of Louisville baseball team off to a good start in the ACC championship tournament.
McKay got exactly what he wanted, his ninth win of the season as UofL walloped Notre Dame 10-3 before a predominantly UofL crowd of 6,945 fans at Louisville Slugger Field on Thursday.
McKay (9-3) worked six innings in his 14th pitching start of the season, allowing seven hits while walking four batters and striking out eight batters. He has now posted eight or more strikeouts in 27 of his career collegiate pitching appearances.
The big blow was McKay’s two-out bases-loaded home run in the third inning, putting UofL on top 5-0, his 16th four bagger of the season. Drew Ellis got the the Cardinals on the board in the second inning with a blast of the left field wall.
Still another memorable game, too, for Josh Stowers, with four hits in five at-bats, scoring three runs and driving in another.