Justin Marks held Indiana to just two runs over seven innings as Louisville opened its 2009 NCAA Tournament run with an 8-2 victory in front of a record crowd of 4,605 at Jim Patterson Stadium Friday night.
The All-American and Big East pitcher of the year allowed four hits and struck out eight as the top-seeded Cardinals held IU to its fewest runs since a 5-2 loss to Purdue on May 3. The Hoosiers averaged 11.8 runs per game during their victorious run in the Big Ten Tournament.
U of L took advantage of three errors and a couple of seeing-eye hits to touch Eric Arnett, the Big Ten co-pitcher of the year, for five runs over seven innings. PhIl Wunderlich's 2-for-4, two RBI performance led the way for the Cardinal offense.
It was far from a thing of beauty, but the first win in a postseason tournament rarely is.
Louisville now faces third-seeded Middle Tennessee Saturday night at 7. The Blue Raiders took care of in-state rival Vanderbilt 5-4 in the regional opener.