LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Four years ago, Patrick Forbes was an outfielder with a promising arm. Now he’s a first-round pitcher with a golden ticket.

This isn’t about poring over the roster. It’s about combing through the budget.

There would be no late rally this time.

You could stop keeping score after the first inning. First, the University of Louisville baseball team ran out of pitching. Then it ran out of season.

Coastal Carolina has won 25 games in a row. That's not natural.

It was a businesslike performance turned chaotic thriller — and a stirring reminder that these Cardinals can win in more ways than one.

After winning elimination games against Arizona Sunday and Oregon State Tuesday, the Cardinals will gather again at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska Tuesday at 2 p.m. (EDT) for another win-or-else game against Coastal Carolina.

The math isn't pretty. To keep its season alive, Louisville will have to win three games in three days — against two top-tier opponents — just to reach the College World Series finals.

Louisville has come back all season. And it rallied here — when the season was six outs from done.

They’re etched in College World Series history: 2007, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019 — the five times Louisville baseball reached Omaha. Now they’re adding 2025. But this one feels different.