Kamau Neighbors reveals message from Dan McDonnell that sparked Louisville comeback

With Louisville‘s season on the line, Cardinals coach Dan McDonnell gave his team a call to action in the sixth inning Sunday. Louisville trailed by two runs against Arizona in a College World Series elimination game as McDonnell was seen in the dugout delivering a passionate message.

The Cardinals responded with run in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 3-2 Wildcats lead heading into the eighth inning. That’s when the bats caught fire for a six-run inning to completely flip the script and put the pressure on Arizona.

Kamau Neighbors was part of the flurry, singling to bring in the second run of the inning. He spoke with ESPN postgame as Louisville held on for the 8-3 win and revealed what McDonnell said in his speech to get the team going.

“‘Figure it out,'” he said. “Like I said, I think we’re the best offense in the nation. Our pitchers, if they fill up the zone, we have a chance to beat anyone in the nation. So he expects more from us just like we expect more from each other. So he just said, ‘Let’s go. It’s time.'”

The Cardinals defense gave up two runs in the first inning but tightened up after that to give their hitters a chance to pull off the comeback. Louisville did not give up a run across the final six innings as it remained within striking distance despite being dangerously close to elimination.

Tucker Biven picked up the win with five hits allowed and two strikeouts in four innings of work. Neighbors explained postgame that the team never lost confidence that it would be able to come back thanks to how well the pitching staff played.

“That’s the team that we are all year,” he said. “Even in the fall when we did intrasquads. No matter what team you were on, if you were down in the bottom innings it seemed like we would always come back. So it’s just what’s expected from this team. We think we’re the best late three-inning team in the nation and I think we’re proving that.”

With the win, Dan McDonnell and Louisville fight to see another day and still has a shot at its first national championship in program history. The Cardinals move on to face the winner between Sunday evening’s game between Coastal Carolina and Oregon State on Tuesday in yet another elimination game.