Friday, May 11, 2012

Friday Cardinal Couple - Cards advance to BIG EAST Softball Semis.

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


CARDS DEFEAT DEPAUL 2-0


More tomorrow...but Louisville gets a two-hit shutout out of torrid Tori Collins and beats DePaul to advance to the Big East finals. Kayla Soles delivers a two run double for the runs. L1C4 !!


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-Softball downs UConn 8-0...DePaul next


-Cardinal Twilight in track and field today


-Cletus qualifies for State in Discus and Shotput


-Twilight racing at Churchill Friday


The University of Louisville softball team improved to 51-3 on the season with a first-round blanking of Connecticut 8-0 in BIG EAST Tournament play at Notre Dame yesterday. The Cards "run-ruled" the Huskies and the game was stopped after five complete innings. 


The win is a testament to the teamwork, motivation and never-say-die attitude this softball team has displayed all year along. Louisville, as they've done most of the season, jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the first. Kristin Austin and Katie Keller scored on hits from Alicja Wolny and Taner Fowler.


In the bottom of the third, Wolny made it 3-0 with a bomb to left-center that bounced off the scoreboard. Let's hope there was no damage and Jurich doesn't get a repair bill. NASA was able to track the moon-shot by the junior first-baseman briefly from Houston. She crushed it ! 


Caralisa Connell got the start and had no trouble with the Huskies through three innings. The top of the fourth, though...found her in a bit of a jam. With one out...a fielder's choice, single and hit batter filled the bases with Huskies. Sandy Pearsall and Courtney Scott decided to go to the bullpen and bring in super-reliever Chelsea Leonard. She donned the cape, stepped inside the circle and got the first batter she faced to weakly pop up to her. She struck the next Husky out to end the inning. Threat over, no runs and the skies over South Bend were safe again. 


Louisville was tired of toying with the Connecticut pups...so they decided to end it early. 


In the bottom of the fifth, the Cards started the game-ending assault with two outs in the inning. Katie Keller drilled a shot back at starting UConn pitcher Kiki Saveriano that was mis-handled and Keller was safe at first...foiling UConn's attempt to get out of the inning unscathed.  Wolny worked Kiki for a walk. UConn's coach had seen enough and went to his bullpen. 


Sometimes, you just shouldn't go there. 


Taner Fowler greeted UConn's new hurler Ali Adelman with a single...scoring Keller. Jordy Trimble singled to load the bases. Kayla Soles drew a walk, scoring Wolny to make it 5-0 Louisville. Maggie Ruckenbrod stepped to the plate and ripped a drive down the right field line that scored Wolny and Trimble. UConn tried to throw out Soles as she went to third on the hit, threw badly and Soles just kept going...getting home safely and ending the game with the Cards fifth run of the inning and eighth of the game. 


Bye-bye Huskies. Thanks for playing. Pick up your parting gifts at customer service. 


Today is DePaul for the Cards. They surprised South Florida by pounding USF ace hurler Sara Nevins for four runs yesterday in a 6-0 win. #5 seed beats #4. 


Another upset later in the day, too...as #3 seed Syracuse fell to #6 seed St. John's 2-1. It's single-elimination...Orange and Bulls. Be safe on the way home and bye-bye, farewell, adios Syracuse. No three-peat for you in the BIG EAST Tournament. Enjoy the ACC. You deserve each other. #2 seed Notre Dame handled #7 Rutgers without any trouble in the night-cap 5-0. 


Back to DePaul...they are the demons that dealt Louisville their only two conference losses of the regular season. It was a out-of-sync weekend for the Cards in Chicago in late March and April Fools Day. They dropped two out of three on that trip to the home of the Bears, Bulls and Cubbies and got pounded for seven runs in their first loss of the year. 


We're guessing the Blue Demons will have to deal with the wrath of Louisville's Tori Collins today...but we guessed wrong on the starting pitcher yesterday...so who knows? 


Collins would probably like to forget March 31st, 2012. 


DePaul rocked her for four runs and four hits in four innings. Blue Demon left fielder Katelyn Braget sent two over the fence against Tori. 


Time to settle old scores today, Cards. It's survive and advance time. 


Louisville plays at 4 p.m. and BIG EAST TV will show it free again today. No TV commercials...gotta love that. 


You can catch it at the link below:


Cards vs. DePaul 4 p.m.


We'll drop in with an update after the game. Be sure to check back tonight and...thank you for reading CARDINAL COUPLE. 


Go Tori
Go Taner
Go Maggie
Get that Banner! 


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Track and field hosts the Cardinal Twilight at Cardinal Park today. It's a last-chance meet for athletes to achieve national qualifying standards and try to get in the NCAA Championships. 


Louisville will have quite a few ladies trying to better their season marks today. The Cardinal throwers will be out in full-force...Amashi Kendall in the shot put, discus and hammer throws. She's going to need a shoulder massage after all that. Khadija Abdullah, Patrice Gates and Hannah Baker will also be out there tossing heavy and flat things around. 


Field events go at 10 a.m. Go CARDS! 


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Speaking of throwers...a big congratulations to our folk hero and all-around good guy Michael "Cletus" Stewart. He competed in the Kentucky Track and Field Class 3-A, Region Four Regionals at North Oldham High School Thursday and won the shot put. He also finished second in the discus (by two inches). 


That gets him into the State Championships in both events that will be held at Cardinal Park next Saturday. 


Michael's tosses were 44-10 in the shot put and 128-06 in the discus. He'll attend the University of Louisville in the fall and be a preferred walk-on with the football team. 


Sounds like UofL head track and field coach Ron Mann might also want to introduce himself to the 6'5", 280 Seneca strongman, too. Stewart has participated in discus and shot for just two years and was "self-taught" in both events. Some recent training, coaching and adjustment on his throwing styles has paid dividends and he's really just beginning to reach his full potential. 


Also, Fern Creek's Billy Reid (Monique's little brother) won the 110 and 300 hurdles at the North Oldham events. Well done, Billy! 


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Churchill Downs offers Twilight Racing today for you thoroughbred fans. First post is 2:45 p.m. Live music in the paddock area and 11 chances to pick winners. We love Henny's Hurricane in the featured 10th. race along with Street Storm for the exacta play of the day. 


We'll try and catch a couple races before heading home to watch Softball on-line. Great weather for today, skip out of work a couple of hours early (it's Friday!) and take advantage of the food and drink specials available during Happy Hour. Gates open at 1:30 p.m. and Happy Hour is actually three hours, starting at 4 p.m.


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10 comments:

  1. Go softball Cards against DePaul. Win, baby, win!

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  2. way to go big mike knew u had it all good and good luck in the state. enjoyed throwin against u this year but man u beat me up every time lol

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  3. Cards will have their hands full with DePaul pitcher Kirsten Verdun. She also swings a mean bat. Nevertheless, a great opportunity for Louisville softball today, especially since Syracuse and ace tosser Jenna Caira are headed home.

    Quite a accomplishment this year for a Louisville squad that was picked to finish 4th in preseason Coaches poll. A masterful coaching job by Sandy Pearsall and her staff. It's a shame that this team's accomplishments are buried on page five of the Friday Courier-Journal.

    Motorcycle racing on page one? Really, Courier? I guess it was a slow sports day. Nice work putting another Louisville Bats loss on page one, too.

    One great newspaper...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My hamsters love the Courier. I shred it and put it in their cages and they burrow in it all day. Cheaper than hamster bedding and I love the silky, inky sheen it gives them.

      -David (not a C-J fan) Watson

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    2. I will put up a brief defense for a few of the C-J sportswriters I've had the pleasure of meeting. Rich Bozich and Jody Demling are good guys who are passionate about what they write and very good at what they do. Although I've only briefly met and talked to Eric Crawford, he pretty much seems the same way.

      Courier going through some tough times these days with lay-offs and cutbacks. One wonders if more attention to local sporting events might help shed the Courier's image and rebuild circulation.

      Paulie

      Delete
  4. ^^^ Who needs the CJ when it comes to U of L Women's Athletics when you have Cardinal Couple? Front and center all the time here at the Couple, specializing in all things Louisville Women's Athletics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. + 1 Jenny. The Couple covers it.

      Curtis Franklin

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  5. We couldn't agree more, Jenny! Thanks to our illustrious staff and folks like Jenny...who keep
    us abreast of important UofL womens news...we couldn't or wouldn't want to do it without them.

    Paulie

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  6. Softball Cards win, 2-0 against the Blue Demons. They play the winner of Notre Dame/St. John's game . The championship game with Louisville and their opponent is Saturday at 6:00 p.m. I believe it will be aired on ESPN2. Let's go ladies, let's cap the lisstellar season with a Championship win!
    Jenny

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    Replies
    1. Torrid Tori Collins. Proved tonight why she is the best pitcher in the BIG EAST. L1C4. Cards get UND tomorrow. Home field, no problem. CARDS.

      Paulie

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