LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Interstat) — Caden Dulin went 4 for 6 with two home runs and five RBIs, powering the Pittsburgh Panthers to a 13-7 victory over the Louisville Cardinals in Atlantic Coast Conference baseball Sunday at Jim Patterson Stadium.

The offensive outburst, which included 14 hits, secured the series win for Pittsburgh after the teams split the first two games. The Panthers improved to 19-7 overall and 2-1 in ACC play, while Louisville fell to 17-11, 1-2.

The most important part of the game was its explosive start, which effectively decided the contest before Louisville recorded its first hit. Pittsburgh sent a resounding message in the top of the first inning against Louisville starter Shannon. After a leadoff single by Nessler, Dulin launched a two-run homer to left-center field, setting an immediate tone.

The Panthers then broke the game open with a five-run second inning, capitalizing on shaky Louisville defense. Dulin was again in the middle of it, singling to center to drive in a run. A costly throwing error by the Cardinals’ second baseman on the play allowed two more runs to score, staking Pittsburgh to a 7-0 lead before many in the afternoon-turned-evening crowd had settled in.

Pittsburgh starter Drew Lafferty carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning but could not complete it. He was charged with four runs on three hits over five innings, walking four and striking out two to earn the win. All the damage against him came in the fifth when Louisville catcher George Baker connected for a three-run homer, briefly cutting the deficit to 10-3.

Dulin, the Panthers’ shortstop, extinguished any hope of a sustained comeback. After Carter Dierdorf drove in a run with a single in the third, Dulin struck his second decisive blow in the fifth inning. Following an RBI single by Nessler, Dulin hit another two-run homer to left-center, his second of the game, restoring a nine-run lead at 13-3.

Dierdorf also had a big day for Pittsburgh, finishing 3 for 5 with a two-run homer in the eighth inning and three RBIs. Reliever Eddie Smink provided critical stability for the Panthers, throwing three innings of one-run ball to bridge the game to the late stages after Louisville had threatened in the seventh.

The Cardinals showed persistent fight despite the early hole. After Baker’s fifth-inning homer, Bayram Hot hit a solo shot in the sixth. Louisville then mounted its biggest threat in the seventh, scoring three runs on just one hit—an RBI single by Tague Davis—by drawing four walks against Panthers relievers. Smink entered with the bases loaded and one out, allowing one inherited runner to score but limiting the damage to keep Pittsburgh ahead 13-6.

Davis added a solo home run in the ninth for Louisville, finishing 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Hot drove in two runs, while Baker’s three RBIs came on his one hit. The Cardinals used eight pitchers in the game, with Eli Hoyt and Ty Starke combining for 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

The result defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a narrow 7-6 Pittsburgh win, while its ELO system gave Louisville a 67.1% probability of victory.

Dulin’s performance capped a strong series against the Cardinals, during which he collected nine hits. The Panthers now look ahead to a midweek game against Mercyhurst before hosting Wake Forest next weekend. Louisville travels to face Duke in a Thursday-through-Saturday ACC series.