Louisville earns its dogpile celebration
After clinching at least a share of the Big East title Friday night, the Louisville baseball team chose NOT to celebrate its title in the usual way - a dogpile.
Instead, the Cardinals said they would wait until after Saturday's final game. They shook Pittsburgh's hands and huddled in right field for their usual postgame pow-wow.
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It was a risky move. If Pitt won Saturday's game, the Panthers would tie the Cardinals for the league title, and UofL likely wouldn't be in the mood to celebrate a shared title.
And for a program that cherishes its dogpile photos - they are displayed prominently around the stadium - losing a chance to dogpile in celebration of the program's fourth title in five years would be brutal.
But the Cardinals didn't have to miss out. They scored five runs in the third inning and fended off a Pittsburgh comeback to win sole possession of the Big East regular-season championship with a 7-4 win.
"I would have celebrated yesterday, but I left it up to them," coach Dan McDonnell said. The Cardinals' coach said he'd never want to miss a chance to dogpile in celebration, but he noted it speaks to his team's maturity and focus.
The Cardinals will be the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament next week. They also won their 16th straight game and are the hottest team in college baseball.