Cards explode late, top WVU 11-4 in Big East tourney

After being held in check by West Virginia starter Andy Berry, the Louisville baseball team exploded for ten unanswered runs in the 7th and 8th innings to post an 11-4 victory over the Mountaineers in the first round of the Big East Tournament in Clearwater, Fla.

Ryan Wright's three-run home run in the 7th put the Cards up for good. Wright drove in two more runs with a double an inning later to finish the night with a team-best five RBI.

U of L now faces 4th-seeded St. John's, which bested South Florida 3-2 last night. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.

More notes from U of L:

- With Wednesday's win, the Cardinals improved to 5-0 all-time in first round games at the BIG EAST Championship. Louisville is also 5-0 all-time in second round games in the event.

- Louisville is now 14-4 all-time in the BIG EAST Championship and 12-2 in BIG EAST Tournament games at Bright House Field.

- The Cardinals are 4-0 this season against WVU and hold a 10-4 advantage all-time against the Mountaineers.

- With their hits on Wednesday, Ryan Wright and Stewart Ijames extended their season-long hitting streaks to 11 games each.

- With his first inning double, Adam Duvall tied the single season school record for doubles with his 27th. That equals the performance of Logan Johnson during the 2007 College World Series season.

- With his 18th career save on Wednesday, Neil Holland matched the school record total first set by Kerry Griffin from 1983-85.