OMAHA, Neb. — Vanderbilt will head to its third national championship series after rallying to beat Louisville 3-2 in an emotional bracket final Friday night.

The Commodores looked dead in the water until a verbal confrontation in the eighth inning stirred up the Vanderbilt bats for a ninth-inning comeback.

It propelled Vanderbilt (57-11) to the best-of-three national championship series against Michigan (49-20), beginning Monday (6 p.m., ESPN).

Louisville starter Luke Smith, who had baffled Vanderbilt bats to that point, shouted at Julian Infante after striking him out to end the top of the eighth inning. Both teams gathered around the dugout steps in a spicy scene that ultimately was kept under control.

"I knew at some point they would land a punch, and it was going to be a matter of how we responded," coach Tim Corbin said. "You can't play this game angry. You have to contain your emotions."

'Big turning point in the game'

The emotional outburst backfired on Smith and the Cardinals after Vanderbilt rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the ninth inning.

"That was the big turning point in the game," Vanderbilt DH Philip Clarke said. "Things like that definitely fire us up."

J.J. Bleday walked. Then Ethan Paul lined a double into the right-field corner to score Bleday, tie the game at 2-2, and end Smith’s outing. Clarke blooped a single to put runners on the corners, and Pat DeMarco hit a high-hopper over third base for an RBI double that put Vanderbilt ahead 3-2.

"We try not to give energy to the other team," DeMarco said. "We know how that works. (We) focus the energy on us, and we came out on the right side."

Suddenly, Vanderbilt's dugout exploded in celebration after finding a spark it had needed all night.

"I love that part of baseball," said Smith (6-1), who allowed three runs in 8⅓ innings in his first loss this season. "When they got their big hit in the ninth, they celebrate. That's how it goes. When I strike somebody out, I celebrate, and that's just the way it is."

Hard-throwing right-hander Tyler Brown closed out the ninth, breaking the program-record with his 17th save of the season.