Softball Defeats Eastern Kentucky in Five -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Cruise Past Colonels

Louisville softball cruised to a Wednesday 10-2, five-inning victory in a midweek match-up against in-state foe Eastern Kentucky. The Cards walked it off in the bottom of the fifth inning, earning the run-rule win.

With the win, Louisville improves to 17-7 on the year. They are 7-2 at Ulmer Stadium.

After shutting down the Colonels in order to start the game, the Cards managed to get runners on first and second with two outs. A walk helped load the bases with Taylor Monroe stepping up to the plate. The freshman shortstop sent one over the left field wall into the tree for a grand slam. The home run is the first of her career.

The Cards threatened to score in the second but could not get a runner over the plate. They went down in order in the third inning, too

In the fourth, Maddi Grant beat out a wide throw to first base before being replaced by freshman Riley Janda on the base paths. Aggressive baserunning put Janda on third, and she scored on a bunt by Camryn Lookadoo. Ally Alexander followed by getting on base and a hit to the outfield by Easton Lotus plated both runners, giving the Cards a 7-0 advantage. 

Eastern Kentucky would not go down without a fight and pieced together a trio of hits to score both of their runs.

Monroe kicked off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double. Lookadoo pushed a hard grounder to the outfield and Monroe scored. Alexander followed with a hit, putting Lookadoo in scoring position. Easton Lotus sent Lookadoo home with a hit. She and Alexander found themselves in scoring position following a defensive error by the Colonels. Freshman Jordan Williams came in to pinch hit and capitalized on the opportunity. She sent the ball rolling to the wall in left center. While the game immediately ended when the Cards went up 10-2, Williams was in prime position to pull out a triple off the hit and would have had multiple RBIs.

Alyssa Zabala (7-2) got the start in the circle and would go the full game to earn the win. She struck out five while allowing six hits and one walk. It is her fourth five-strikeout performance this season.

The Cards continued their aggressive base running with four stolen bases and even managed to turn a walk into an immediate runner on second opportunity. Louisville earned six walks while striking out twice. Lotus, Monroe, and Alexander each recorded two hits.

There was a scary situation in the first inning when Chelsea Mack was hit by a pitch. The ball hit Mack in the area of the lower neck or upper chest area. She was down in the batters box for several minutes before getting up and walking to first. She remained in for the remainder of the game.

Jeff and Jared caught up with Zabala and Monroe following the game. You can check out the interview here.

Louisville stays at home and welcomes #16 Virginia Tech for a three-game series. The Hokies defeated Kentucky 2-0 last night in Lexington. Emma Lemley was one batter off from a perfect game, walking one batter. Due to weather in the forecast, the three-game series times may be shifted around.

(All photos today by Jared)

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared