LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Interstat) — In a stunning reversal of fortune from the previous night’s blowout, the Louisville Cardinals mounted a furious five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun the Central Michigan Chippewas 9-8 in nonconference baseball Saturday at Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Cardinals, who routed the Chippewas 16-2 on Friday, found themselves trailing 8-4 entering their final at-bat before sending 10 men to the plate against three Central Michigan relievers to complete the comeback.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly the bottom of the ninth inning. Trailing by four runs, Louisville’s rally began with patience as pinch-hitter Kyle Campbell and leadoff man J.T. Alicea drew walks off Chippewas pitcher Ryan Stumpf. After Ryan Moore walked to load the bases, Central Michigan brought in Connor Potts. Tague Davis promptly greeted him with a two-run single up the middle, cutting the deficit to 8-7. Following a strikeout, Dylan Hisle delivered an RBI single to right, scoring Moore to tie the game. Davis was thrown out at the plate on the play for the second out. Bayram Hot then kept the inning alive with a single, moving Hisle to third. Griffin Crain, who finished the day 3 for 4, lined the next pitch into right field, scoring Hisle to trigger the celebration and give Louisville the walk-off victory.

The game began under afternoon sunshine and concluded under evening lights with a far different script. Central Michigan’s Cole Prout launched a solo home run to right field on the game’s fourth pitch, providing an early lead the Chippewas would hold until the final swing. They methodically added to their advantage, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, and two more in the seventh to build an 8-4 cushion.

Louisville’s offense was largely stifled after a four-run third inning, which was highlighted by a three-run double from Hot. Chippewas starter Luke Neiswonger struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings but was touched for four earned runs. Reliever Max Hammond provided 2 2/3 scoreless frames before the ninth-inning collapse.

For Louisville, Brandon Shannon earned the win with three innings of one-run relief, striking out six. Wyatt Danilowicz started and struck out seven over 4 2/3 innings. Central Michigan’s Joey Milto went 2 for 3 with an RBI and two walks in the loss.

The victory improved Louisville’s record to 6-4, while Central Michigan fell to 5-4. The teams conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon.