Cards Get Double-Header Run Rules -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Sweeps Friday Against Pitt

Happy Thunder Day! The weather is looking less than stellar today, but the rain should stop before we move into the evening. It'll be soggy, but at least the fireworks show should go off this year. Yesterday's practice might have been your better opportunity for a good airshow experience though. The Louisville Bats announced they were moving today's first pitch from 2:05 to 1:05 because of the weather, but I'm not sure that will help them. Louisville softball pulled a lever the Bats didn't really have available, as they moved their Saturday game to a Friday double-header. 

With the revised schedule, the Cards promptly thumped the Pittsburgh Panthers in a pair of games that finished with a combined score of 19-3 and took just ten innings. Louisville was clicking on offense, and Pitt had no real answers for Alyssa Zabala or Brooke Gray in the circle. Louisville extended their current winning streak to five games and secured their fourth straight series, taking them to 4-1 in ACC series. Their lone ACC series loss came on the road at Clemson in mid-March. 

Zabala took the circle to open the first game and sat the Panthers down in order. That would be indicative of how she'd treat them for the remainder of her outing, as she went four full innings and gave up three hits and one walk while striking out four. She threw just 64 pitches, averaging four per batter faced. Jayden Gohs was handed the ball for the fifth inning, although Louisville wasn't quite in run-rule territory yet, as it was just 6-0. The defense gave up a runner on an error and she advanced to second. A single put runners on the corners, and then Pitt executed a rare softball double steal. Gohs was credited with allowing an unearned run, but she got out of the inning with the score 6-1. 

Louisville's offense got things going early and kept the pedal down. The Cards scored three in the bottom of the first, took a break in the second, then scored one, two, and three runs in consecutive innings to close out the game. Louisville hit three triples (Easton Lotus, Bri Despines, and Madison Pickens) and three doubles (Taylor Monroe (2) and Pickens) as part of a 12-hit parade. They also drew five walks. Louisville was also fairly efficient, leaving just six players on base total. Despines led the way with four RBI on two hits and a walk, but she was followed closely by Pickens who had three RBI and led the team with four hits. Lotus had two RBI on two hits and a walk. 

The second game got off to a better start for Pittsburgh, with the Panthers executing some small ball (and utilizing some luck) to get a couple on Gray early. A leadoff single was followed by a sacrifice bunt attempt that turned into an error leading to runners on second and third with no outs. A squeeze bunt scored a run and became a hit, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead and a steal put runners back on second and third with still nobody out. A sacrifice fly scored another run before Gray struck out the next two batters. Gray would go on to allow no more runs in her four innings pitched, and she gave up just one more hit. She struggled a bit with the zone, walking four, but the result was still no additional runs. Madi Reeves entered in the fifth, but she was pulled after a pair of walks and no outs. Anna Wise came in and struck out the side.  

Offensively, Louisville answered the early runs by Pitt with four scored in the bottom of the first. Chelsea Mack walked to open the game, but she was out on an Easton Lotus grounder. Instead of a double-play, though, the throw to first was errant and Lotus ended up on second anyway. It wouldn't have mattered much where she was, because Bri Despines tripled again to get the Cards on the board. Camryn Lookadoo was hit by a pitch, and Madison Pickens followed with a single through the right side to score Despines. A throwing error by the right fielder scored Lookadoo as well, and Pickens advanced all the way to third. Jordan Williams singled her home and stole second before a pop-out and a flyout ended the inning. 

Louisville took a break in the second again, but they scored four more in the third inning. Another zero in the fourth meant Pitt was still alive when the Cards made a pitching change in the fifth. Fortunately, as I noted, Wise was able to keep the Panthers off the board. Pickens opened the bottom of the fifth with a homer. Williams walked and Monroe singled to right field, where another E9 put runners on second and third. After a strikeout, Riley Janda picked up what was technically Louisville's third straight walk-off win with a single.

Louisville's offense was effective in the second game, but they were definitely the beneficiaries of some key Pitt errors. Nevertheless, the Cards still had ten hits and three walks along with the HBP. They left just two on base. The extra base hits were down, with the one homer from Pickens, the one triple from Despines, and a pair of doubles (Pickens and Ava Venturelli). Pickens was 3-3 at the plate, knocking in four RBI and scoring every time she reached base. Outside of Pickens, the offense was much more spread out, which was good to see after the top-heavy batting in the first game. 

Louisville and Pitt will have the day off due to the forecasted rain, and they'll close the series tomorrow. First pitch on Sunday will be at 4PM and the game will air on ACC Network. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case