Cards take two in Softball...McDonald's girls game notes

Louisville swept a double header in women's softball Wednesday at DePaul, with 2-1 and 13-2 victories over the Blue Demons. Caralisa Connell (pictured right) pitched all twelve innings for the Cards in the wins...which improved Louisville's record to 23-10 and 4-1 in the BIG EAST. ** Quaneisha McCurty changes mind and is I.U. bound... 

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THE THURSDAY EDITION of CARDINAL COUPLE:
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-Cards sweep DePaul in Softball
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-Williams, Massengale shine in McDonald's game.
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-McCurty switches commitment to Indiana

The University of Louisville softball team took two from the DePaul Blue Demons in Chicago yesterday in BIG EAST softball action.

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Louisville and the Blue Demons battled through two scoreless innings in the opener before DePaul grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the third. Louisville rallied back to take the lead in the top of the sixth when two fielding errors put Hannah Kiyohara and Colby Wherry on base. A Maggie Ruckenbrod single scored Kiyohara and Wherry scored on a third DePaul error of the inning. 

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Connell shut down the Blue Demons in the final two innings, getting the win while allowing one run, four hits and striking out two.

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The Cards jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second game when Chelsea Bemis smashed a home run to left center, her fifth of the season, in the second inning. The Cards increased the lead to 3-0 in the third when DePaul committed three fielding errors in the top of the third, allowing Katie Keller and Jennifer Esteban to score. The Blue Demons got a run back in the bottom of the third but Louisville retaliated with eight runs in the top of the fourth.

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Bemis and Kristin .Austin singled and Taner Fowler's double scored Chelsea Jordan ,who was pinch running for Bemis. Keller walked to load the bases and a Jennifer Estaban ground out brought home Austin to make it 5-1. Alicja Wolny drew a walk and Colby Wherry drove home Fowler and Keller to increase the Cardinal lead to 7-1. Maggie Ruckenbrod's single brought home Wolny and Wherry to increase the lead to 9-1. Bemis batted for the second time in the inning and reached third on a three base fielding error, scoring Ruckenbroad. Bemis got to the plate on a wild pitch to make it 11-1 Cards.

DePaul put a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth but Louisville countered with two in the top of the fifth for a 13-2 final.

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The Cards return to action on Saturday with a three game home stand against Seton Hall. They'll play two on Saturday and finish with a game on Sunday.

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Duke University commit Elizabeth Williams had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the East squad in a 78-66 win over the West in the McDonald's High School All-American game at the United Center in Chicago, Ill Wednesday night. Williams 23 point set a new high scoring record for the girls contest. Also on the East squad, Louisville signer Sara Hammond had 5 blocks, 4 fouls and went 0-2 from the field. Bria Smith had 10 points for the victorious East and had this to say about her re-opened recruiting.

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"It's a huge list right now (of schools) but I'm to narrow it down after this game and come up with a short list." Duke and Kentucky have joined the list of schools Smith is reportedly considering...along with Louisville and Georgia. Smith still has four recruiting trips she can take.
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Williams dominated the game for the East, who led 46-27 at the half and by as many as 24 in the second half. She re-entered the game late in the contest to get the record setting basket with less than a minute remaining in the contest. UK's Bria Goss, a Kentucky signer had 3 points in the game. Duke looks to be in great shape next year with Williams and All-Star game participant Amber Henson joining a squad that made it to the Great Eight in the NCAA this year before bowing out to Duke.
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It also looks like Pat Summitt has help on the way at point guard for Tennessee next year if Ariel Massengale can play with the intensity she showed tonight...scoring 13 points with three 3 balls tonight. She did a good job directing the offense for the East.

Pictured right...the East took control early and never relinquished the lead to the West in the Girls' McDonald's All Star game. You'll be hearing the names Williams, Massengale, Banks, Canty, Smith and Hammond quite a bit in the next four years.

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Dalton, GA. center Quaneisha McCurty has changed her mind about the University of Louisville and will sign with Indiana University next month. McCurty had committed to Louisville last year but decided to pass on the Lady Cards once Louisville questioned her elgibility status and suggested she might attend a junior college instead of enrolling at UofL as a freshman.
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"I loved the coaching staff and the facilities," McCurty commented. "But now I don't like the program like I once did. I think Indiana will put me in a position to improve and be the best player I can be. I hope to go in and play right away. It's a program I think highly of."

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Indiana head coach Felisha Legette-Jack had recruited the 6'5" center and led the Hoosiers to a 9-20 record this year.  

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Head Dalton coach Jeff McKinney believes that McCurty will fit in well at Indiana:

"They are a rebuilding program, so she can definitely help them."McKinney remarked. "McCurty's eligibility shouldn't be a problem. They love her touch from 16 feet and the fact that she can play with her back to the basket or facing it."
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McCurty averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks a game for the 32-1 Dalton Catamounts, who were defeated in the Georgia Class AAA Championship game. McCurty transfered to Dalton for her senior year after playing at rival Northwest Whitfield High School. She was the Best of Preps North Georgia player of the year and was selected to the All-State team from the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association.
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This frees up a scholarship for Louisville. Walz is interested in All-American Bria Smith and several other players, including Jude Schimmel, Shoni's younger sister.
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WE see the move as probably one that was wise by McCurty. The Cards return Sherrone Vails, Shawnta Dyer, Asia Taylor, Antonita Slaughter and Polly Harrington as paint players from last year's squad and have 6'4" Cierra Warren joining the squad after sitting out a transfer year. 6'2" All-American forward Sara Hammond comes in as a freshman as well. Playing time for McCurty would have been marginal at best and there were questions surrounding her transfer to Dalton, including a Facebook tirade allegedly by McCurty, directed at her Northwest teammates and coaches shortly before she switched schools. We think Walz has an ace on two up his sleeve that will be played soon and freeing up the scholarship allows him to play it...the Cards are in on several more highly rated players than McCurty. Jude Schimmel, Shoni's younger sister, might be one of them...No commitment yet from Jude, but she has said in the past that she would like to play her college ball with her sister. WE wish Quaneisha all the best at IU and look forward to watching her career at I.U.
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This is your advance warning. Tomorrow is April 1st., and we'll run the annual CARDINAL COUPLE parody issue. Nothing serious or factual in tomorrow's column. Just lampooning and parody. Should be fun, don't miss it!
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