Louisville Becomes Third Team Eliminated From CWS

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ When Louisville scored 10 runs in its first College World Series game, it couldn't hold the lead. When the Cardinals pitched well Tuesday, their bats went to sleep. <br/><br/>Two

Tuesday, June 19th 2007, 7:56 am

By: News On 6

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ When Louisville scored 10 runs in its first College World Series game, it couldn't hold the lead. When the Cardinals pitched well Tuesday, their bats went to sleep.

Two lopsided games marked the first trip to Omaha for a team that got here by pitching, won here by scoring, but only put both together once on the game's grandest stage.

The Cards finished 47-24 after losing to North Carolina Tuesday, 3-1. The team became the first newcomer eliminated from the CWS this year, but also the first to win a game here since Tulane in 2001.

``They'll go down as the greatest team to ever play baseball at the University of Louisville,'' Louisville coach Dan McDonnell said. ``If the season's going to end somewhere, you'd rather be in Omaha than anywhere else.''

That's what the coach told his team as it huddled in shallow left field after the game, reflecting on an upstart season that ended with the Cardinals mustering three hits against Carolina.

Louisville finished its CWS with eight home runs, 36 hits and 23 runs in three games.

The team was led here by Logan Johnson, who had a CWS-record four home runs and six RBIs and five runs. Chris Dominguez homered three times _ twice in Louisville's win to eliminate Mississippi State.

``I don't think it's tough to maintain that rhythm, it's just tough to do it as a team the whole time,'' Johnson said. ``I just think we ran into a good club.''

The Cards' run as the hottest hitting team in the NCAA tournament led the team to its most wins ever, beating the 39 the team had in 2002.

``This year has just been so much fun, playing relaxing and having a good time,'' said pitcher Trystan Magnuson, who was picked 56th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in this month's amateur baseball draft. ``It's just a shame that it's going to come to an end.''

Magnuson was the highest draft pick in Louisville history. Isaiah Howes, Boomer Whiting, Johnson, Chris Cates and Zack Pitts were also taken.