(OMAHA, Neb.)—-Friday night’s College World Series contest between Vanderbilt and Louisville may have been the most intense of the tournament thus far.
Two foes who have already met once this CWS squared off in a rematch Friday night that pitted the undefeated Commodores against the comeback-kid Cardinals. Due to Louisville already having lost once, they had to beat Vandy twice to lock up a spot in the CWS Final. Vanderbilt just needed one win.
In the end, Vanderbilt pulled out an amazing 3-2 comeback win complete with a game-ending diving snag that is fit for posters. However, the preceding innings were the real story as tempers flared between these two heavyweights.
The game started on an odd note. Michigan and Texas Tech went long in the matinee of the doubleheader, resulting in Louisville and Vandy getting their start time pushed back 20 minutes. The stadium still had a sleepy vibe to it as fans were late filing into the stadium, likely coming back from an early departure from the first game or running late in Friday Omaha traffic.
From the get-go, the pitchers became the story. Louisville starter Luke Smith came out strong. It was easy to tell that early on, Vanderbilt really struggled to time his breaking ball, resulting in a lot of swings-and-misses from Vandy batters. Smith’s counterpart was just as effective in his work. Commodore starter Mason Hickman did not have as dazzling of strikeout pitches, but still was consistent in getting out batters. Through six innings, the only run came from Vanderbilt, who scored on an RBI-double play, a play at the time that left a sour taste in both fan’s mouths. The tempo of the game was remarkable.
It wasn’t until the seventh inning when things got offensive. Louisville plated two in the home-half of the seventh. Justin Lavey scored on a throwing error from Vanderbilt catcher Ty Duvall, followed by an RBI single from Lucas Dunn. Once again, Louisville put together a rally in the final three innings.
It was the eighth inning when things got heated. After Luke Smith struck out Julian Infante to end the top of the eighth, his second K of the inning, Infante and Smith exchanged words on their way back to their respective dugouts. The profanity-laced smack talk issued from Smith in-particular has since become a viral sensation. Both dugouts were warned, but it was clear: each team now had some extra motivation.
Louisville came up empty in the bottom half of eight, taking their one-run lead into the ninth. Louisville opted to leave Smith in the game for his ninth inning of work. Vanderbilt took advantage of Smith, whose pitch count now reached over 100. JJ Bleday walked with one out. Next to the plate came Ethan Paul who muscled a double into right field, allowing Bleday to score from first. After a Philip Clarke single, Pat DeMarco doubled to give Vandy a 3-2 lead, scoring Paul. An incredible turn of events somehow resulted in Vandy three outs from victory, not Louisville.
Vandy, as usual, was well-prepared for the changing situation. They called upon their closer Tyler Brown, who picked up the save to defeat Louisville.
Vanderbilt’s come-from-behind victory proved their adaptability, and how they can beat a team in a lot of different ways. Even in a night where the offense struggled, the Commodores found a way to get it done in the late innings and advance to the CWS Finals.
Lousiville now heads back home, ending their Omaha stint 2-2. Their only two losses came both against Vanderbilt. Due to the rain-altered game against Auburn, Louisville’s game last night marked a fourth straight day they were playing in a contest.
As for Vanderbilt, they head to the CWS Final, a place they haven’t been since 2015 where they lost to Virginia. They’ll match up against a red-hot Michigan team in a best of three series that begins Monday night. Vanderbilt last won the College World Series in 2014.
