Colin Lyman had career highs with four hits and five RBI while Brendan McKay connected for a pair of home runs to pace the way in the No. 2 Louisville baseball team’s 17-2 victory over Toledo on Sunday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.
The Cardinals (38-6) clinched their sixth series sweep of the season while extending their winning streak to seven games overall with Sunday’s triumph. Louisville has won 33 straight regular season series at home dating back to the 2013 season. During their 5-0 week, the Cardinals hit .324 as a team with 14 home runs, 10 doubles, two triples and 32 free bases (22 walks, 10 hit-by-pitch).
Lyman reached base safely in all six plate appearances on Sunday finishing 4-for-4 with a double, triple, one walk and one hit-by-pitch while also scoring twice as nine of the Cardinals’ 13 hits went for extra bases. The five RBI for the senior outfielder surpassed his previous career-high of four at Western Kentucky last season. In Louisville’s five games this week, Lyman had a .429 batting average (6-for-14) and .579 on-base percentage.
McKay delivered his second multi-home run game of the week finishing 2-for-5 overall with three RBI. The junior two-way standout finished the week with a .429 average (9-of-21) with six home runs, 12 RBI and 1.286 slugging percentage at the plate while also earning a win on the mound in Friday’s series-opener. For the season, McKay has a .394 average with 13 home runs, 42 RBI and .514 on-base percentage.
Devin Mann closed Sunday’s game with two doubles, three walks, three RBI and three runs scored, while Drew Ellis was 2-for-3 with a double, triple and four runs scored. Ellis had a terrific week at the plate hitting .611 with four home runs, two doubles, one triple, seven RBI and a 1.500 slugging percentage. Overall this season, Ellis leads Louisville with a .403 batting average, 13 home runs and 44 RBI.
On the mound, senior righthander Jake Sparger allowed just one hit in two scoreless innings of relief to register the win and improve to 4-0 on the season. Senior righty Chandler Dale, sophomore lefty Adam Wolf and junior righthander Lincoln Henzman turned in scoreless relief outings working one inning each.
The Cardinals gained command early on Sunday plating three runs on two hits in the second inning against Toledo starter Sam Shutes. Lyman started the scoring with a two-run double to left center to send Ellis and Mann home. After advancing to third on a flyout to right center, Lyman scored on a RBI sacrifice fly to left by Zeke Pinkham for the 3-0 lead.
Louisville added to the lead with a pair of runs in the third inning, starting with a solo home run to left center from McKay. The junior connected on a 1-0 offering sending it over the College World Series sign for his 22nd career homer. Lyman added the second run with his third RBI of the game delivering a single through the left side to score Mann for the 5-0 cushion.
The Rockets cut into the margin with a run in the top of the fourth on a RBI single to right by Ross Adolph to score Dalton Bollinger. The Cardinals answered in the bottom of the inning with a trio of runs on a bases-clearing double down the left field line from Mann. Colby Fitch earned one of his four walks, Devin Hairston was hit by a pitch and Ellis was intentionally walked before Mann belted a 3-2 offering from Joey Prechtel for a two-out, two-bagger and an 8-1 advantage.
Toledo added its second run of the game in the top of the fifth as the first four batters of the inning reached base, capped by a bases loaded walk to Riley Campbell from Nick Bennett to send Malave Bettinger home. Following the walk, Sparger entered from the Louisville bullpen to get an out at the plate on a groundball and an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play to shut down the threat.
The Cardinals kept the pedal down in the bottom of the fifth scoring six runs for a 14-2 lead. Taylor doubled and stole third before scoring on a ground ball from Hairston. Fitch, who walked and stole second, scored behind Taylor on a throwing error by the Rockets on Hairston’s groundball. McKay followed by crushing a 1-2 pitch from Jordan Kesson over the center field wall for his 24th career bomb. Louisville added two additional runs later in the inning on another Toledo error.
Louisville pushed across two more runs in the sixth inning on a RBI single up the middle by Lyman to send Fitch and Ellis home. Jake Snider added a RBI single to right in the eighth inning to plate Lyman for the final run of the afternoon.
Up next, No. 2 Louisville concludes its homestand with a midweek visit from Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday at 6 p.m., ET at Jim Patterson Stadium.
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Garett Wall
Assistant Sports Information Director