LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Logan Wyatt's ninth inning RBI single plated Josh Stowers and lifted the No. 10 Louisville baseball team to an 8-7 walk-off win against visiting Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium.

After the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning and the score even at 7-7, Wyatt sent a 2-1 offering from Catamounts righthander Zach Franklin up the middle and into center field allowing Stowers to score from third to clinch the first walk-off win for Louisville since May 2, 2017 (6-5 in 10 innings vs. Miami, Ohio). Saturday's victory moved the Cardinals to 10-0 overall, the third best start in head coach Dan McDonnell's 12 seasons at the helm.

Stowers paced the way offensively for Louisville as the junior outfielder finished 2-for-3 with a triple, one RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. The native of Westchester, Illinois has reached base safely in a career-best 24 straight games overall dating back to last season. Junior Pat Rumoro finished 2-for-4 with one RBI, one stolen base and a run scored, while junior Devin Mann was 2-of-4 with a double and scored once. Freshman Lucas Dunn chipped in with a double, one RBI and two runs scored.

On the mound, junior righthander Sam Bordner had two strikeouts in 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn his first win of the season. The Baltimore, Ohio native has seven strikeouts in 4.0 scoreless innings this season and three saves to go with his 1-0 record. The Louisville closer also extended his scoreless streak to 17.0 innings dating back to last season.

Bordner was preceded on the mound Saturday by sophomore righty Shay Smiddy, who accumulated a career-high five strikeouts in 3.1 scoreless innings of relief. Smiddy, who extended his career-long scoreless streak to 14.0 innings dating back to last season, has 13 strikeouts and just two walks in 9.2 innings of shutout relief in 2018.

Louisville broke through first on Saturday with a run in the third inning on a two-out RBI single from Stowers to score Rumoro. The Cardinals extended the advantage to 4-0 in the fourth inning after scoring a trio of unearned runs. After two Western Carolina (1-9) errors allowed Mann and sophomore Ethan Stringer to score, Rumoro drove in the third run sending Dunn home with a two-out RBI single.

The Catamounts bounced back for their first lead of the afternoon thanks to a seven-run fifth inning. Andrew Robinson started the scoring with a two-run double and Caleb Robinson plated the third run with his RBI groundout. The tying run scored following an error by the Cardinals on a groundball off the bat of Luke Robinson before Matthew Koehler pushed Western Carolina ahead with his two-run triple. The final run of the inning scored on Cameron Blaquiere's RBI infield single.

The Cardinals started their comeback with a run after Stowers tripled to right center and scored on a RBI sacrifice fly to center by sophomore Jake Snider. An inning later, Louisville plated a pair of runs to even the score at 7-7 in the sixth inning. Sophomore Justin Lavey scored the first run of the inning on Dunn's RBI double down the right field line. Later in the inning, sophomore Tyler Fitzgerald drove in the tying run with his RBI groundout.

Louisville and Western Carolina will conclude the weekend series at Jim Patterson Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m., ET.

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2018 LOUISVILLE BASEBALL TICKETS
Season ticket packages as well as single game tickets for the 2018 University of Louisville baseball season are on sale now and can be purchased online at GoCards.com/bsbtickets, by phone at 502-GO-CARDS or by visiting the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office, located near Gate 2 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (2800 South Floyd Street) on weekdays from 9 a.m., until 5 p.m., ET.