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Junior centerfielder drives in six in Louisville’s 10-2 win

DURHAM, N.C. (theACC.com) – Josh Stowers wasted little time in showcasing the talent that made him an All-ACC first-teamer.

Louisville’s junior centerfielder delivered a three-run homer, a three-run triple and added a double as the fifth-seeded Cardinals downed No. 9 Wake Forest, 10-2, in the first game of Wednesday’s 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship session at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Stowers drove in a half-dozen runs for the second consecutive game after also posting six RBI in last Saturday’s regular-season finale versus Notre Dame. He came a single shy of joining former Georgia Tech star Jason Basil in hitting for the cycle in an ACC Championship game (Basil accomplished the feat versus Duke in the Yellow Jackets 2000 tournament opener at Fort Mill, South Carolina). Stowers’ six RBI were two shy of the tournament single-game record set by Maryland’s Mike Murphy versus Duke in 1985.

The Demon Deacons (25-31)  are set for another 11 a.m. game on Thursday, when they continue Pool D play against fourth-seeded Duke (39-14). Louisville (41-16) has an 11 a.m. game against the Blue Devils on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s 1 p.m. semifinal game against North Carolina or Pitt.

In addition to bettering their chances of advancing in this week’s ACC Championship, the Cardinals further bolstered their NCAA resume. Wednesday’s win was Louisville’s fourth straight and 12th in the last 14 games.

After spotting Wake Forest a 1-0 lead through 3 ½ innings, the Cardinals went up for good on Stowers’ three-run homer. Stowers’ 362-foot blast that cleared the wall in left  – his eighth home run of the season – followed a leadoff double by Devin Mann and a walk to cleanup hitter Logan Wyatt.

Louisville made it 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Stowers led off with a double and eventually scored from third on a bunt by Drew Campell that Wake pitcher Tyler Witt had trouble fielding. Campbell then manufactured the Cardinals’ fifth run as he stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball.

The Demon Deacons scored their second run in the top of the eighth on a throwing error by Wyatt at first base, but the Louisville sophomore got the run back with a RBI single in the bottom of the frame. Stowers followed with a bases-clearing triple and then scored on a wild pitch for the final 10-2 margin.

Wyatt and Fitzgerald each added two hits for the Cardinals, while Logan Harvey had two of Wake Forest’s five hits. Reid Detmers (4-1) started on the mound for Louisville and worked 5.2 innings to earn the win. Colin Peluse (6-2) took the loss for the Demon Deacons.