Arizona had a 49-0 record after seven innings entering the College World Series, per ESPN. After scoring two in the top of the first inning, Arizona led Louisville throughout the game and took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning.
A Mason White error and single allowed by Garrett Hicks put runners on first and second with no outs for Louisville in the bottom of the eighth. Arizona brought in national stopper of the year Tony Pluta to replace Hicks. A bloop single by Zion Rose put Louisville in front 4-3 and Arizona imploded from there.
Kamau Neighbors singled to right to put Louisville up 5-3, that was followed by another single, a squeeze play with Pluta dropping the ball at home plate as the runner tried to score, who would have been out and another single to push the lead to 8-3 in favor of the Cardinals.
Arizona took the lead on an Adonys Guzman single in the top of the first to score Aaron Walton. Mason White was caught between second and third on the Guzman single for the second out of the first inning. Two batters later, Garen Caulfield singled to score Guzman as Arizona took a 2-0 lead.
Our run comes to an end at the World Series 💔 pic.twitter.com/br2LeQkiCB
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) June 15, 2025
Louisville scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the second when Jake Monroe scored on a fielder's choice by Rose. Arizona added its third run when Guzman hit a home run in the top of the third inning. Arizona ran into another out in the top of the sixth when Maddox Mihalakis was thrown out at third to end the inning.
Louisville cut the deficit to 3-2 on a Lucas Moore sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Arizona had chances to score more runs. The Wildcats left 10 runners on base, with two in the last two innings and had two hits in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
The implosion in the eighth inning was only the fourth time this season Pluta was scored on. Pluta allowed runs in both of his College World Series appearances. Smith Bailey pitched six-plus innings for Arizona, allowing two runs on seven hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Tucker Biven pitched five innings in relief, allowing no runs on five hits with two walks and no strikeouts to improve to 4-0 for Louisville. Caulfield, Guzman and Tommyy Splaine had two hits each for Arizona. Rose had three runs batted in and Eddie King Jr. had two hits for Louisville.