Baseball Heartbreak: Louisville Scores 4 in 9th in Handing CMU 9-8 Loss

Saturday, February 28

Louisville, Ky. / Jim Patterson Stadium

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

5-4

Louisville

6-4

Central Michigan

Louisville

Cole Prout led off Saturday's game at Louisville with a home run, his second of the season.

Photo by: Lauren Verellen

Baseball Heartbreak: Louisville Scores 4 in 9th in Handing CMU 9-8 Loss

2/28/2026 5:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Andy Sneddon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville scored four runs on four hits and three walks in the ninth inning on Saturday in handing Central Michigan a heartbreaking 9-8 baseball loss at the Cardinals' Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Chippewas (5-4) and Cardinals (6-4) play the third and final game of their nonconference series on Sunday (1 p.m.).

Central Michigan overcame an early 4-1 deficit and built an 8- 5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Chippewa reliever Liam Stumpf walked the first three Cardinals in the inning and was replaced by Tyson Potts. Potts then surrendered a two-run single which drew the Cardinals to 8-7. After a strikeout, Potts allowed an RBI single which tied the game, and then another RBI single which gave the Cardinals the victory.

"You've got to play all nine, and we just fell short a little bit of that," CMU coach Jake Sabol said. "There was a lot of good – a lot of good. I know it's the last thing the guys want to hear right now because, you know, they had it in their hands.

"But there were so many bright spots. We're doing so many things that we've been trying to get these guys to do for the last two or three years. We're doing so many of them well right now and we're only nine games in, and we're doing it against high-level competition. That makes you feel really good."

The ninth-inning collapse spoiled a solid start by CMU freshman right-hander Luke Neiswonger, who struck out eight, walked two and allowed four runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Max Hammond surrendered one run on one hit and struck out three over 2 2/3 innings in relief of Neiswonger.

"They got to (Neiswonger) a little bit there and he fell behind a couple of times," Sabol said. "He's got the stuff to do it. He's fun to watch. It was impressive to see him control the ups and downs of the game in that environment. Handling it the way he did was super impressive.

"And (Hammond), I'm proud of him because he's tough. He made some big-time pitches against some really good hitters."

The Chippewas lost the opening game of the series, 16-2. The game was called after 6 ½ innings on the run rule.

Cole Prout led off Saturday's game with a home run, his second of the season, for the Chippewas, who collected nine hits.

Harrison Bowman, Logan Keilen and Joey Milto finished with two hits apiece. Prout finished with two RBI.

Down 4-1, CMU whittled away with a run in the fourth on a Milto RBI double and one in the fifth on a Bowman RBI double.

CMU went up, 5-4, with two runs in the sixth. Nathan Ball drew a bases-loaded walk to tie it and then Prout picked up an RBI with a groundout.

The Chippewas added two more in the seventh to make it 7-5 when Keilen doubled in a run and Brady Krzciok scored on a wild pitch.

CMU's final run came in the ninth when Greg Guzik scored from second on a wild pitch.

"After getting run-ruled (on Friday), to come back and bounce back and (then) be down early and fight our way back with a lead and put ourselves in that position, I was really proud of the way the guys played and competed today," Sabol said. "We're nine games in. We're doing a ton of really good things. If we continue to do this and we have a level head on our shoulders and guys play for one another, pick each other up, then we're going to be in a really good spot.

"I know they're hanging their heads because of the obvious, but I know if we play this way, more often than not, we're going to win baseball games."