Louisville sweeps SIUE's baseball team with Sunday win

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 2 Louisville completed the sweep of SIUE with a 10-1 win in Sunday's finale at Patterson Stadium.

The Cougars are now 0-3. Louisville is 3-0.

"The talent and level of play of Louisville is superior," SIUE Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "We played against that talent and we didn't back down and I'm proud of that. We didn't show any fear."

Preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference selection P.J. Schuster (0-1) made his first start of the year allowing five runs on five hits and a walk. The Cardinals scored a pair of runs in the first inning before adding three in the third against Schuster.

"P.J. threw better than the box score would indicate," Stoecklin said. "He made a couple of mistakes with his changeup, but overall he threw pretty well."

Zach Malach allowed two runs, one earned, on two hits in two innings. He struck out two hitters. Ryan Agnitsch finished the game and surrendered three runs, two earned, on three hits over the final three innings. He struck out two but walked four.

"They went out there and competed well," Stoecklin said of his pitchers.

Louisville lefthander Drew Harrington (1-0) struck out nine over six shutout innings. He allowed three hits.

Louisville left fielder Corey Ray led the Cardinals offense. He was 2 for 3 with a solo home run in the third inning and a drove in another run with a fielder's choice in the fourth inning. He scored four runs. Cardinals' second baseman Nick Solak was 1 for 2 with a two-run single and a sacrifice fly.

SIUE managed just four hits against four Louisville pitchers. Freshman Logan Andersen picked up the first two hits of his collegiate career. He drove in the only Cougar run in the seventh inning with a single to score Jacob Stewart, who had walked. Andersen finished the game 2 for 3.

Fellow freshman Aaron Jackson was 1 for 3. He singled in the second inning before flying out to deep left field in the fifth, where Louisville Ray took away a probable home run. Dustin Woodcock was 1 for 4.

"Aaron Jackson was robbed of a home run," Stoecklin said. "I thought both of them (Andersen and Jackson) went up there and had a good approach at the plate."

Stoecklin added that SIUE will benefit from opening the season at Louisville.

"We wanted then to draw off of this experience," he said. "Guys know what they have to work on and how to get better. We will do that this week."

SIUE returns to the road Friday to begin a three-game series at Memphis.