Louisville beats Cal State Fullerton, 9-3, to force decisive game

Danny Rosenbaum had four hits, Corey Ray and Logan Taylor each had three hits and three runs batted in and Louisville beat Cal State Fullerton, 9-3, on Sunday to even the best-of-three super regional at a game apiece.

The third game is Monday night with a trip to the College World Series at stake.

The Cardinals had 16 hits for more than enough offense for freshman starter Brendan McKay (9-3). The left-hander gave up two earned runs and eight hits while walking two and striking out nine in seven innings for Louisville (47-17), the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

“They came out and they attacked pretty good, [and] McKay was as good as advertised,” Fullerton Coach Rick Vanderhook said.

Fullerton starter John Gavin (7-3) took the loss. The freshman left-hander gave up two earned runs and five hits while walking one and striking out two in 2 1/3 innings.

“I thought John Gavin got caught way up in it,” Vanderhook said. “He just couldn’t do much early, then they took advantage of a lot of things.

“I think his tail’s probably between his legs, let’s be honest, he didn’t get out of the third inning. He was tired, he was racing, he had no command, those aren’t the things that mix very well.”

David Olmedo-Barrera led the Titans (38-23) with three hits.

Louisville, which was winless in four previous games against Fullerton, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Zach Lucas singled with one out, moved to third on Rosenbaum’s single, then scored when Colby Fitch hit into a fielder’s choice.

Fullerton, a four-time national champion that hasn’t been to the College World Series since 2009, tied it on Timmy Richards’ RBI single in the bottom of the inning.

The Cardinals retook the lead on a two-out, RBI single by Rosenbaum, a junior first baseman who didn’t play in Game 1 because McKay occupied that position, in the top of the third.

“We weren’t ready to be done,” said Rosenbaum, who finished four for five.

Louisville broke it open with a four-run sixth.

Rosenbaum led off with a double to right-center, advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on an RBI-single by Devin Hairston, who had with three hits. That set the stage for Taylor. The sophomore center fielder, who entered the game in the fourth, ducked out of the way of the first pitch from reliever Chad Hockin before hitting his second offering over the left-field fence for his first career home run.

“The first pitch was high and I got out of the way, I didn’t want to get hit in the head,” Taylor said. “Then I just stayed locked in and ready and tried to put a good swing on the ball and made good contact.”

Ray added a two-run single in the eighth.

Louisville sophomore left-hander Josh Rogers (8-1, 3.53 earned-run average) is scheduled to face Fullerton freshman right-hander Connor Seabold (5-3, 2.92 ERA) in the decisive game. The Titans handed Rogers his lone loss this season, beating the Cardinals, 8-6, on Feb. 15 in Clearwater, Fla.