Louisville drops extra inning thriller to Cal State Fullerton

The Louisville baseball team's road to Omaha just got a bit longer.

Mike White tied the game with a solo home run in the 9th inning, but struck out with runners on first and third to end the game an inning later as Cal State Fullerton took game one of the Super Regional with a 3-2 win at Jim Patterson Stadium Saturday afternoon.

After White's heroics in the 9th, the Titans bounced back with a walk and a pair of singles off Cardinal reliever Lincoln Henzman to load the bases. U of L closer Zack Burdi then came in and hit Timmy Richards with his first pitch to force in what would prove to be the winning run.

As expected, the bulk of the game was defined by the pitching of starters Kyle Funkhouser and Thomas Eshelman. Both pitchers worked seven strong innings, but neither factored into the decision, with Funkhouser allowing 2 earned runs and Eshleman only letting the Cards cross home via a Brendan McKay solo home run.

Here's my positive spin on all this: If you were making odds for this series, you would have made Fullerton the favorite for this game and Louisville the favorite for tomorrow and Monday. As much as this stings because of the opportunities the Cards squandered this afternoon, U of L still has an edge on the bump for the next two days, and if they take advantage, they go to Omaha.

See you all at the park tomorrow at noon.