Louisville blew it. Plain and simple. They led 5-0 after they batted in the third, and led 10-4 after batting in the fifth. The Cards offense stayed hot after the Super Regionals as they blasted Oklahoma State last weekend, and came out and scored in every inning through the fifth. But then the bats stopped.

Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell really seemed frustrated after the game. While Louisville scored in each of the first five, Rice scored in the last four innings, including a six spot in the bottom of the 8th when they trailed 10-9 coming into the inning. But they were able to hit Louisville's star closer Trystan Magnuson, who had given up just six runs all year, gave up those six in the inning.

Four straight hits to start the inning doomed them, as the hit barrage continued against the Cardinals.

As always, McDonnell was very complimentary towards the opposing team, giving Rice all the credit in the world for their comeback.

"They stuffed us, as we like to say," McDonnell said. "They stuffed us late in the game when we had a chance to really stuff them in the fifth and didn't do it."

He kept saying how frustrating it was, after Rice had played "good, clean baseball, and that teams are just too good here in Omaha, and that "I was real disappointed about the four zeros that we put up to end the game."

Give McDonnell credit though, as frustrated as he was with his team's performance late in the ballgame including the four errors his team committed, he couldn't wait to get back out there and play already.

The one thing he has on his side is how great his team has played in elimination games this postseason. They have won four times already when their backs were against the wall. Three in the Regionals, and one last weekend at home in the Super Regional championship game.

Meanwhile Rice head coach Wayne Graham is so "been there, done that" it's truly amazing to watch. "I couldn't be prouder, I knew they could hit, and they sure did today."

Graham was referencing the fact that Rice hadn't scored in 23 innings of CWS play coming in, and went 2.2 in this one before finally coming through.

Player of the game:

Tough pick. If Louisville had hung on, it would have to be Logan Johnson who hit two homeruns and drove in three. But I'll give it to Aaron Luna who went 2-for-4 with a long-long homerun, as he drove in three runs and scored three to break out of a two-week slump or so.

"I felt like I was hitting the ball well," Luna said. "I wanted to come in here and do whatever I can do to help the team win."

Bobby Bramhall gets the win to improve to 7-2 this season, while Trystan Magnuson falls to 3-3 with the loss for Louisville.

Random Notes:

-The 25 runs scored by both teams was the most ever in a MCWS series opener, topping the previous total of 24 back in 2001.

-Onlly seven games in MCWS history have had more hits than the 35 hits that Louisville and Rice combined for on Friday.

Bramhall went two innings allowing only one hit and no runs while striking out two. He looked real good, and it's him who kept Rice in the ballgame as they chipped away at the Cardinals' lead.

Louisville now plays the loser of Mississippi State/North Carolina in the first game on Sunday, while Rice waits to play the winner of that game on Sunday evening.

That's it for now, Mississippi State and the Tar Heels coming up next here from Rosenblatt.