Ben Slanker’s two homers, including a grand slam, power Louisville past Marshall 16-5 in seven

Louisville’s offense breaks the game open early at Jim Patterson Stadium

Louisville baseball used a barrage of extra-base hits to secure a 16-5 run-rule win over Marshall in a seven-inning game on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville. The result moved Louisville to 11-5 and left Marshall at 8-7.

The Cardinals finished with 16 hits and four home runs, producing a 33-10 edge in total bases. Marshall recorded eight hits and committed no errors, while Louisville was charged with one error.

Slanker drives in eight as Louisville answers Marshall’s early three-run inning

Outfielder Ben Slanker delivered the defining performance, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and eight RBIs, plus a sacrifice fly. His first homer, a three-run shot in the second inning, erased a 3-0 deficit and tied the game. Louisville immediately took the lead on a solo home run by Kade Elam later in the same inning.

In the third, Slanker hit his second home run of the afternoon—a grand slam that extended Louisville’s lead to 8-3 and put the game on a trajectory Marshall could not reverse. By the end of the fourth inning, Louisville had built an 11-4 advantage.

Key scoring stretches and run-rule finish

Marshall opened the scoring with three runs in the second inning, helped by a Louisville fielding error and run production on a double and two singles. Louisville responded with four runs in the bottom half of the second and added four more in the third.

After Marshall scored single runs in the fourth and fifth, Louisville kept adding separation with multiple-run innings. A three-run homer by Tague Davis in the fourth expanded the margin, and Louisville tacked on three more runs in the sixth—highlighted by an RBI double from Alex Alicea and an RBI triple from Lucas Moore—before the game ended after seven innings with the Cardinals ahead 16-5.

• Final score (7 innings): Louisville 16, Marshall 5

• Date/venue: March 10, 2026 — Jim Patterson Stadium, Louisville

• Team totals: Louisville 16 hits, 4 HR; Marshall 8 hits, 0 HR

What it means for the midweek set

The game served as the opener of a two-game midweek set between the programs in Louisville. Louisville’s ability to turn a three-run early deficit into a multi-inning blowout was driven by home-run power and consistent run creation across the middle innings, while Marshall’s scoring was limited to short bursts without a long-ball counterpunch.

Louisville scored in six consecutive innings from the second through the sixth, transforming a 3-0 hole into an 11-run win.