Green Earns Pitching Win for Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Junior right-hander Chad Green,  pitched eight strong innings while junior outfielder Coco Johnson homered and had both RBI for the home team as the 11th-ranked Louisville baseball team earned a 2-1 series-opening win over Georgetown on Friday night at Jim Patterson Stadium.

With the win, the Cardinals improve to 31-10 overall and 9-4 in BIG EAST Conference games while the visiting Hoyas dropped to 23-16 on the season and 5-8 in league action. Louisville and Georgetown will continue the weekend series on Saturday at noon ET, one hour earlier than previously scheduled due to potential rain, while the weekend finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free throughout the weekend at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Green (Effingham, Ill./Effingham HS) allowed only one run on three hits with five strikeouts in eight innings to earn the win and improve to 6-2 on the season. The eight innings matched a career-long outing for Green equaling his winning effort against Elon on April 14.

Johnson (Benton Harbor, Mich./Central Arizona) connected for a solo home in the second inning, his third bomb of the season, and wore an RBI hit-by-pitch in the third to plate senior first baseman Zak Wasserman (Stevensville, Mich./Lakeshore HS) for the Cardinals’ two runs.

-- With Friday’s win, Louisville improved to 24-5 at home this season and 204-75 (.731 winning percentage) all-time at Jim Patterson Stadium since it opened in 2005.

-- Chad Green’s second eight-inning outing of the season marked the fourth time a Louisville pitcher has pitched eight innings in 2013.

-- With his two RBI on Friday, Coco Johnson earned his eighth multiple RBI game of the season, which ranks second on the Cardinals.

-- Johnson has reached base safely in 16 straight games, the second longest streak of the season for a Cardinal.