Louisville baseball’s Dan McDonnell discusses UofL win over Kentucky
Louisville Cardinals baseball coach Dan McDonnell discusses his enjoyment of UofL’s rivalry with Kentucky after a 14-10 home win over UK.
- Louisville baseball’s 2026 season came to a close with a 16-8 loss to Pittsburgh in the ACC Tournament first round.
- The No. 11-seed Cardinals allowed 10 unanswered runs across the fourth and fifth innings as the 14th-seeded Panthers broke it open.
- Dan McDonnell’s team finished 30-27, a year removed from a College World Series appearance.
Louisville baseball’s ACC Tournament appearance and season ended with a 16-8 loss to Pitt on Tuesday night at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The 11th-seeded Cardinals (30-27) shook off a slow start after giving up five runs in the first inning, but their pitching continued to falter as the 14th-seeded Panthers (31-23) totaled 10 runs between the fourth and fifth innings.
Louisville’s best inning was a five-run second. Tague Davis continued his phenomenal season by collecting his 97th RBI of the season, scoring Alex Alicea on a single for the 5-4 score. Griffin Crain later scored on a fielder’s choice to tie the game.
But after that, the Cardinals were held scoreless over the next four innings, with Pitt retiring 10 straight batters between the third and sixth. David Leslie struck out the side in the fifth inning and earned the win after totaling nine strikeouts over 6⅓ innings to help the Panthers’ victorious performance. Starter Antonio Doganiero allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts in 1⅓ frames. Chase Kriebel recorded the final four outs for Pitt.
Davis had one hit in the first-round ACC Tournament game, added an RBI groundout in the seventh and closed out the campaign with single-season school records in RBIs (98) and home runs (34).
UofL threw six pitchers in the game, with starter Wyatt Danilowicz (4-3) taking the loss. He gave up seven earned runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 3⅓ innings.
“We came up really short on the mound,” Louisville coach Dan McDonnell said to Inside Louisville Baseball after the game. “Most importantly, we didn’t throw enough strikes. We weren’t in the strike zone. I think we walked more guys, as a pitching staff, than our offense walked (this season). I’ve never been a part of a staff that I can recall where our pitching staff walked more than opposing pitchers walked that lineup that we have. That’s just something that just has to be addressed, because you cannot win in college baseball when you don’t throw the ball consistently in the strike zone.”
The Cardinals are expected to miss the NCAA Tournament after reaching the College World Series in 2025 and beginning this season ranked No. 11 nationally. Louisville averaged 8.6 runs per game on offense, led by Davis’ historic season, but posted a collective 6.81 ERA across 57 contests.
The Courier Journal brought you live updates throughout the game. Follow along:
The Panthers beat the Cardinals and move on to play sixth-seeded Wake Forest in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Louisville ends the season with a 30-27 record.
The Cardinals held off more scoring from the Panthers, leaving one batter stranded after giving up a single.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Zane Stahl will throw the ninth inning and relieve Aaron England, who gave up one earned run on three hits and fanned two over 2 1/2 innings of work.
Zion Rose keeps the game going with a two-out, 2 RBI hit but is left stranded after the Panthers get the final out.
2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Zion Rose hit a 2 RBI single to eliminate the Panthers’ double-digit lead and end David Leslie’s outing. He gave up three runs – two earned – one four hits with nine strikeouts and two walks over 6 1/3 innings before being relieved by Chase Kriebel. Pitt still leads, 16-8.
The Panthers get a run back to regain the double-digit lead.
1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Tague Davis keeps the Cardinals’ season alive with his 98th RBI of the season, scoring Griffin Crain.
1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 LOB
The Cardinals retire the side for a 1-2-3 inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Alex Alicea is left stranded after hitting a two-out single, the Cards’ first hit since the second inning.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB
The Cardinals get the final out on the 4-3 play, leaving two Panthers stranded.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB
Jack Brown is relieved by Aaron England after one inning on the mound. He gave up one unearned run on one hit, walked one and fanned two during his appearance. Pitt maintains the 15-5 lead.
The Panthers retire the side to keep the Cardinals to only one inning of scoring.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Lorenzo Carrier added a bases-clearing, three RBI double to the Panthers’ four-run inning to send the team up by double digits.
4 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB
Ty Starke walked three batters to load the bases while also recording one strikeout during his brief appearance on the mound. Jack Brown will look to work out of the jam and get the final out, facing Panthers 3-hole hitter Lorenzo Carrier.
Ty Starke will head to the mound to start the fifth inning to end Brandon Shannon’s outing. He walked three and gave up four earned runs on one hit over 2/3 of the fourth inning.
The Cardinals go down in order to end the inning.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Trey Fenderson’s two-out grand slam and Mason Ligenza’s one-out, two-run homer put the Panthers back in front.
6 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Wyatt Danilowicz gave up a two-run home run before being replaced by Brandon Shannon. Danilowicz ended the night with seven strikeouts and two walks while allowing seven earned runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings. Pitt now leads, 7-5.
Lucas Moore drew a one-out walk but was left stranded after the Panthers got the next two out.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Wyatt Danilowicz is up to seven strikeouts to keep the Panthers’ offense in check.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB
Tague Davis collected his 97th RBI of the season to score Alex Alicea during the Cardinals’ five-run inning to tie the game.
5 runs, 5 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB
Antonio Doganiero gave up four earned runs on six hits and only got one out before being replaced by David Leslie in the third inning. Pitt still leads, 5-4.
The Cardinals retire the side with Danilowicz picking up his fourth strikeout of the night.
0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Zion Rose had a leadoff single, advanced after Griffin Crain walked and stole third but was stranded there after the next three batters struck out.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB
Trey Fenderson’s 3 RBI home run highlighted the Panthers’ game-opening, five-run inning with the team going through the whole lineup. Wyatt Danilowicz struck out the final three batters to end the inning.
5 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB
Wyatt Danilowicz (4-2) will pitch for the Cardinals in the ACC Tournament opener against Pitt. Danilowicz has a 5.35 ERA and team-best 77 strikeouts.
Eleventh-seeded Louisville plays Pitt, the No. 14 seed, in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
First pitch between the Cardinals and Panthers is set for 9:35 p.m. today at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The first-round game will be broadcast on the ACC Network. If you subscribe to a cable package, you’ll be able to livestream the game via ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
If you don’t have cable, you can livestream the game via ESPN+ (subscriber only).
The radio broadcast for the game will be on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9-FM and WGTK 970-AM in Louisville). You can also listen online via GoCards.com.
All games will be broadcast on ACC Network unless otherwise noted.
Tuesday, May 19
First Round
Session 1
Game 1: No. 16 Duke 21, No. 9 N.C. State 12
Game 2: No. 12 Stanford 11, No. 13 California 4
Session 2
Game 3: No. 10 Notre Dame 5, No. 15 Clemson 4
Game 4: No. 14 Pitt 16, No. 11 Louisville 8
Wednesday, May 20
Second Round
Session 3
Game 5: No. 8 Virginia vs. Game 1 winner, 9 a.m.
Game 6: No. 5 Miami vs. Game 2 winner, 1 p.m.
Session 4
Game 7: No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. Game 3 winner, 5 p.m.
Game 8: No. 6 Wake Forest vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.
Thursday, May 21
Quarterfinals
Session 5: No. 1 Georgia Tech vs. Game 5 winner, 3 p.m.
Session 6: No. 4 Boston College vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m.
Friday, May 22
Quarterfinals
Session 7: No. 2 North Carolina vs. Game 7 winner, 3 p.m.
Session 8: No. 3 Florida State vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 23
Semifinals
Session 9: Session 5 winner vs. Session 6 winner, 1 p.m.
Session 10: Session 7 winner vs. Session 8 winner, 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 24
Championship
Session 11: Session 9 winner vs. Session 10 winner, Noon (ESPN2)
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
