Stanford defeated Louisville 12-2 in the opening game of a three-game baseball series on April 10, holding Louisville hitless over the final seven innings. The win brings Stanford’s record to 15-15 overall and 5-8 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, while Louisville falls to 19-15 overall and also stands at 5-8 in conference games.
The result is significant as it marks a strong performance for Stanford both on the mound and at the plate. After giving up two runs early, five Cardinal relievers combined to pitch eight scoreless innings, shutting down Louisville’s offense for the remainder of the game.
Freshman Colt Peterson earned his second win of the season after coming out of the bullpen in the second inning. He was followed by Brock Ketelsen, Kassius Thomas, Cohen Gomez—who retired all nine batters he faced—and Toran O’Harran who closed out the ninth inning. At bat, Stanford overcame an early deficit with a five-run rally in the third inning led by JJ Moran’s two-RBI single and Brady Reynolds’ three-run home run. Cort MacDonald contributed a two-run single in the fifth before Rintaro Sasaki hit his first career grand slam—his tenth home run this season—in the ninth inning.
Sasaki’s grand slam was only Stanford’s second this year; Moran previously hit one against Utah Valley on March 22.
The teams are scheduled to continue their series on Saturday with an early afternoon start time. The Cardinal will aim to secure another victory as they look ahead to closing out their weekend set.
