By Trey McCurry.

CLEMSON, SC — Here is a look back at Clemson’s (24-22, 13-12 ACC) 5-3 loss to #3 Louisville (36-11, 20-3 ACC) on Sunday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

What happened?

The Cardinals jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first by scoring a run on three hits. The Tigers answered with a run in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 1-1 as Weston Wilson doubled in the right field gap with two outs and Glenn Batson drove him in with a single through the left side. Louisville took a 4-1 lead in the seventh behind two homers, a two-run shot and a solo homer. The Cardinals added another run in the ninth before Clemson tried to stage a late rally. Tyler Slaton led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a one-out single by Steven Duggar. After a groundout advanced both runners, Reed Rohlman singled through the right side to plate both runners and cut the lead to 5-3 but Chris Okey grounded out to end the rally, and the game.

Game-Changing Moment:

The game changed in the seventh inning as Louisville broke open a 1-1 tie with two homers to take a 4-1 lead. The Tigers would have the tying run at the plate in both the eighth and ninth innings, but could get no closer than the final margin of two runs.

What went right?

Clemson starter Zack Erwin battled for 7.0 innings, but ended up taking the loss. Seven different Tigers each had a hit while Rohlman had a team-best two RBI. Defensively, Wilson played a solid third base and Clemson did not commit an error in the contest. 

What went wrong?

The Tigers struggled to build innings throughout the game as five of the seven hits came with two outs in an inning. Louisville starter Brendan McKay did a nice job on the mound and the Cardinal bullpen shut down a couple of Clemson scoring chances. The Tigers stranded 11 runners in the contest, including four in scoring position.