Softballers on Academic All-District Team -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Five Cards Recognized by CSC

The College Sport Communicators (CSC) identified their Academic All-District teams this week, and Louisville softball placed five Cardinals on the Division I list. CSC honors baseball and softball across four divisions of collegiate athletics. The district-level is the only subset prior to the CSC Academic All-American honor, which is voted on via national ballot of specific players from the district list. 

Louisville's five honorees were Bri Despines (JR), Maddi Grant (SR), Char Lorenz (R-FR), Easton Lotus (R-JR), and Alyssa Zabala (JR). The award is the first for Grant, Despines, and Lorenz, and the second for Lotus and Zabala. This marks Zabala's second straight CSC All-District award, as Louisville's ace was honored for her 10 wins with a 4.00 ERA over 140 innings pitched this season. 

In her first year with the team, Despines hit .318 with 37 runs, 47 hits, and 37 RBI. Defensively, she led the team in putouts (narrowly edging Grant (1B) 226-221) and had 12 assists with only five errors. She allowed just four passed balls and caught four runners stealing. Grant, as mentioned, was steller at first, tying with Taylor Monroe for the team lead in double-plays turned (9) and tallying just three errors on her way to a .987 fielding percentage. With 233 fielding opportunities, that percentage is stellar, and it led the team among players with at least 50 chances. Grant also hit above her career average with a .236 clip in 106 at bats (the most of her career by a long shot). She tallied 25 hits, 10 runs, and 13 RBI with two homers. 

Easton Lotus returned from injury with a strong season. Louisville's primary leadoff hitter tailed off a bit down the stretch, but still finished second on the team with a career high .357 batting average. She had 65 hits and 16 walks, which contributed to her 38 runs scored. Her five triples were tied for the team lead, as were her 18 stolen bases. As the leadoff, she didn't get a ton of opportunities, but she still managed to knock in 26 RBI. 

You'll notice that a lot of the stats so far have been "tied for" or "second on the team". That's because Char Lorenz was that good. How she was only second-team All-ACC is beyond me, but I guess it speaks to the quality of the players in the league. Lorenz led the team in average (.368), OPS (1.130), doubles (11), triples (tied; 5), home runs (9), and RBI (53). She walked 17 times and was hit by eight pitches. She also stole 13 bases. Defensively, she was no slouch in left field, fielding .967 with 87 putouts, two assists, and just three errors. Lorenz is the only one of the five Cards on the All-District list to be tabbed for the national ballot, so we'll keep an eye on her potential ascension to the All-American ranks. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

PS: To give everyone an early heads up, the CCRHP hiatus will continue this week. We intended to return on Saturday, but host outages mean we'll have to skip another episode. 

Softball Falls in Walk-Off -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Drop Heartbreaker 3-2

Louisville softball saw their season come to a sudden and somewhat surprising end yesterday when they were walked off by Virginia in the seventh inning of a tightly contested ballgame. The Cards took an early lead and added insurance late before ceding the tying runs in the sixth and the walk-off winner in the seventh. The loss knocked Louisville out of the ACC tournament, and they would need an absolute miracle to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament at 26-25. 

Louisville got the game off to an auspicious start, which may have been an omen for how the rest of the game would go. Easton Lotus sent a ball to left field to lead off and the Virginia left fielder was charged with a fielding error. Rather than have the leadoff runner on first base and nobody out, though, Lotus was thrown out at second trying to extend the advantage on the error. The Cards have been aggressive on the base paths all season, and it is frequently beneficial. Not this time. Hindsight is 20/20, but considering the fact that Louisville would strand two runners on base in the inning after Bri Despines and Maddi Grant each singled, it would have been nice to have Lotus's speed on first to start things off. 

Alyssa Zabala took the circle in the must win game and turned in a very quality start. She turned in three quick outs in the bottom of the first with a fly out, a foul out, and a groundout to bring the Cards back up to the plate. Unfortunately, Louisville's early success in getting the bat on the ball dried up slightly in the second, as a pair of strikeouts preceded a groundout and the Cards went down 1-2-3. UVA came to the plate with their second opportunity and earned their first hit when the second batter of the inning dropped a single into right center. After a groundout back to Zabala opened the inning, the runner on first with one out wasn't terribly threatening as Zabala forced back-to-back foul outs to first base to end the inning. 

Virginia turned to the bullpen early, making a change in the top of the third inning with the 9-hole hitter at the plate for the Cards. Chelsea Mack welcomed the new pitcher in maybe the worst way possible. Obviously a towering home run would be a rough outcome against your first batter, but how about a Little League home run instead? Mack bunted down the third base line and was very nearly thrown out at first. The closeness of the throw, though, worked in Mack's favor, as the first baseman couldn't make the catch as the two had a minor collision. Mack stayed on her feet as the ball sailed past first, and she took off for second. With the first baseman and right fielder both chasing the ball around in the foul area in short right field, Mack was waved all the way around to score and crossed the plate standing up. Louisville would put two more runners on base with Char Lorenz taking a hit by pitch and Despines singling for the second time in as many at bats. A strikeout and a fly out stranded another pair, though, and Louisville came back out on defense with a 1-0 lead. That's four stranded, two in scoring position, in three innings. Surely that won't haunt later...

Zabala responded to the Cards taking the lead by forcing another quick three-up, three-down inning before Louisville answered UVA in kind. Madison Pickens took a hit by pitch to open the fourth, but the next three batters went down in order. Louisville likes to play small ball and practices it a lot, so the first out of the fourth inning being a pop out to the pitcher on a sacrifice bunt attempt is definitely painful. Zabala came out in the bottom half, though, and put in another solid inning. UVA started to get the bat on the ball a bit more in the inning, with two fly outs opening the inning before a double. With two outs, Zabala stayed calm and forced a ground ball, which led to another one of those ominous moments. The ground ball went to short, but rather than throw to first for the force out with two away, the ball went to third to get out the lead runner. An odd choice, to be sure, since it wasn't a force at third. Louisville found themselves dealing with a pickle situation, which they ultimately completed by getting the out, but it was a strange choice given the options available. Louisville still led 1-0, but the defense was beginning to look skittish. 

The top of the fifth saw the top of the order step up again, but for the third time, they didn't do much. Lorenz, the recently named second-team All-ACC player, dropped a one-out single into left field, but she became the sixth Louisville runner to be stranded after a strikeout and a groundout ended the side. Virginia got their best chance to date with a single to open the fifth followed by a hard liner to left center. Lorenz was on hand to make the catch in left, holding the runner at first base. UVA batters thought they saw their opening to get more contact against Zabala, which ended up working out in her favor. The next two batters struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Camryn Lookadoo opened the sixth inning with a single and Pickens bunted her over to second with a sacrifice. Like I said, Louisville likes small ball. Lookadoo advanced to third on a productive groundout and Katie Thatcher stepped in to pinch hit for Taylor Monroe. The pinch hit call was a successful one, as Thatcher sent a ball between first and second to bring Lookadoo home to score. Monroe replaced Thatcher on the base paths, and Mack laid down another successful bunt single to put runners on first and second. In a game Easton Lotus might like to forget, she lined out to continue an 0-4 day and end the top half of the inning. Louisville extended their lead to 2-0, but stranded their 7th and 8th runners on base and their third in scoring position. 

Zabala returned for the bottom of the sixth and got a flyout to open the side. A single followed before a grounder to third turned into a bit of a mess. The groundball was too slow to third to think about a double-play, but Ally Alexander still tried to get the lead runner. Her throw was a bit errant, though, and the fielder's choice attempt was charged an error to Alexander with both runners safe. No big deal, said Zabala, as she forced a liner to left field and both runners were forced to hold. Another grounder, though, led to another misplayed fielder's choice. No error was charged this time, but the result was the same. Louisville failed to get the out (this one would have been the final out of the inning) and instead the bases were loaded. The defensive miscues came home to roost on the next batter, when a single into left scored an unearned run (remember the runner on third was only still on base because of an error). That wasn't all, though, as Lorenz booted the ball in left, earning herself an error and giving Zabala a second unearned run. With the go-ahead run at third, Zabala forced a ground out to end the inning.

Louisville entered the seventh facing a new ballgame. There was no time to dwell on having squandered a hard-earned two-run lead. It was now time to put up or shut up, as the season was on the line. With Lorenz due up to open the inning, Louisville couldn't ask for much more in the way of a chance to retake the lead. Unfortunately, Lorenz and Despines went down quickly. Maddi Grant doubled to right center and Riley Janda replaced her on the base paths. Janda's speed came in handy when she advanced to third on a wild pitch, but she was stranded there (9, 4 in scoring position) to end the inning. 

Zabala returned for the seventh, and many at home may question the decision given the outcome. Zabala had plenty of gas in the tank, as she has shown her ability to pitch extended outings, but Virginia seemed to have dialed in on her. A single to left opened the inning, but a fielder's choice made it one on with one out. Zabala yielded her first walk of the game at an inopportune time, putting runners on first and second with just the one out. That set up a difficult position for the defense, as Virginia just needed to move the runner 120 feet to win. They did it all in one go, as a double to left center brought the run in to score. Cards lose 3-2. 

Louisville was facing a top-25 team for the umpteenth time this season, and they had them right where they wanted them... until they didn't. Yesterday's game was a bit of a microcosm of the season at large, with things going well at times but head-scratchingly overall. In the end, it was a Louisville defense that has not been nearly as sharp as in recent seasons that came unglued. Pitching was good but not quite nails, and a questionable management decision may have cost the Cards an opportunity to win. At the end of the day, though, you'd like to see a team that is six outs away from continuing their season be able to convert a 2-0 lead into a win. 

Zabala was pretty good in this one, despite potentially being left in the circle an inning too long. She finished with 6.1 innings pitched, giving up seven hits, three runs (one earned), one walk, and she struck out two. If she had been replaced after six innings, her line goes to five hits, two runs (none earned) and no walks. You'd like to think a start like that would lead to a win, but so it goes. I'm certain Zabala was confident in going back out for the seventh, and I think if she twirls another solid inning then no one is talking about it. But, to me, you have to enter the bottom of the seventh as if it's a new ball game. Without the lead, you're guaranteed to need at least six more outs. Was the plan to leave Zabala in for the eighth, as well, or would we have seen a cold pitcher trying to protect a lead if Louisville could take it? 

It's a decision that can be argued for the entire offseason, since Louisville played their way straight into an early end to the year. Officially, it isn't over yet. The Cards will head home and await the decision of the selection committee to determine if they'll sneak into the tournament. Given that they started the ACC tournament not even on the bubble, though, I'd say the team won't be holding their collective breath. There were plenty of bright spots, so we'll see if Holly Aprile can keep the core of this team together to build on for next season. 

Until next time, Go Cards

Case

Softball Splits Double Header at BC -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Drop Game 1, Win Game 2 

It's not often that you get a weekend series rubber match on Saturday, but that will be the case when the Cards and Eagles get today's game underway at 1PM. After the schedule change that Daryl mentioned yesterday, the teams played a pair yesterday afternoon, with Louisville scoring more runs overall in the two games but only winning one. 

Louisville's offense wasn't able to support Alyssa Zabala in the first game, though her 100th appearance for Louisville turned into a pretty sparkling start. Zabala played a bit with the strike zone, keeping the ball out of play a total of 12 times, as her five walks weren't great but she struck out seven batters in her six innings (a complete game since Louisville was away and trailed after the top of the seventh). Zabala gave up just four hits and finished with three runs all earned. Boston College struck first, and it was the first inning where Zabala gave up most of the negatives in her stat sheet. BC had just one hit in the inning, but Zabala gave up three walks and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch. She had one strikeout. That means, if you're doing the math at home, her remaining five innings had just three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. Like I said, it turned into a sparkling start. 

Louisville was able to find only three hits in the game and they didn't earn any walks. However, they only struck out three times, so it was largely a matter of hitting the ball right to the defense. Char Lorenz had two of the three hits, picking up a two-out double in the first and a triple in the fourth. Madison Pickens further picked on the center fielder after Lorenz tripled to left center by going to right center for a triple of her own and scoring Lorenz from third. Unfortunately, Louisville couldn't bring Pickens in after she reached with one out, and the teams headed to the bottom of the fourth tied. 

Zabala gave up a walk in the bottom half but kept the game tied to give the Cards a chance to take the lead late. Louisville responded with a three-up, three-down inning, which was just their second at the time but was the first of three straight to end the game. In the fifth, Zabala gave up a lead-off walk. As they say, walks will haunt, and this one did. A strikeout was followed by a double to put runners on second and third with one out. An infield grounder led to a play at the plate, but with a base open, it wasn't a force play and the runner beat the tag. That set up a sacrifice fly for a second run in the inning and a strike out ended it, but too late. As I mentioned, Louisville didn't get on base in the final two innings. 

The second game looked like it might be a similar story offensively, and BC again scored first. This time it was Brooke Gray with the start and she pitched a complete game of her own. Gray gave up two runs, both earned, on six hits and two walks. She struck out six. The first run of the game came on a BC homer in the bottom of the first, and Gray locked down from there with five straight scoreless innings. 

Louisville was able to find the bases much more frequently in the second game, and good things often happen when they do. The team recorded eight hits and two walks, a marked improvement from the first game. Despite the increase in baserunners, Louisville was unable to find the plate until the fifth inning. In that one, they proved that anyone on the team is a threat on the base paths. Bri Despines walked to open the inning and stole second. She then came around to score on a Jac Hasty single, and Hasty advanced to second on the throw. Hasty's advancement was moot, as Taylor Monroe sent a ball over the fence to score the pair. With nobody out, Louisville turned over the lineup but couldn't score any additional runs. They did lead 3-1, though. 

With blood in the water, Louisville looked to capitalize after a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth for BC by loading the bases in the sixth. The Hasty walk, which came on a twelve-pitch at bat, was with two outs, though, and a fly out came up short of a grand slam to instead record the third out. BC thought they might have new life after surviving the threat as they opened the bottom of the sixth with a single, but Gray responded with two strikeouts and a pop out to end the inning. 

After going down in order in the fifth, the 9-1-2 hitters got to work in the seventh. Ally Alexander opened with a double and advanced to third on a productive ground out from Lotus. Chelsea Mack laid down a bunt single which froze the defense trying to prevent the run from scoring. With all eyes on Alexander at third, Mack advanced to second on what technically counts as a stolen base. Lorenz popped up to set up two outs, but Pickens was up to the moment and hit a double to left to score both runs. 

Gray came back out for the seventh and looked well in control holding a four run lead. She got a fly out to open the inning before giving up her second home run of the day to make it 5-2. A fly out and a foul out ended the game. 

Louisville was there or thereabouts throughout the two games yesterday, and they'll look for the first series win in a hot minute by taking the finale today. The game is at 1PM and will be available on ACC Network Extra. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

It was just be Paulie and me today in a return to the old days of the show being a two-man game. We'll have basketball news and plenty of spring sports to talk about, so be sure to have a listen. Check out the show after it posts around 1PM, and be sure to subscribe so that it comes to your feed automatically. 

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case 

Cards Softball to face IU in Bloomington -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Cards Look to Get on Win Streak with Visit to IU

Louisville Softball looks to end a four game losing streak this season and also a four game losing streak to Indiana when they visit IU for a Wednesday match up. 

It's a 6 p.m game, but will only  be available for viewing on the Big Ten Network Plus, unless you make the trip to Bloomington to watch it live. Big Ten Network Plus is a "pay for" channel and not automatically provided to Louisville viewers on cable or free on the Internet. . 

Louisville is 20-16 overall on the season and seems to be in a cycle lately where they win their non-conference matchups and lose their ACC games. UofL has lost four in a row to the Hoosiers, but won six in a row against them before that, and are 20-7 in the history of the series. 

IU enter the contest 26-10. 

Louisville had their two game series against Oakland cancelled due to expected (and received) inclement weather and the skies did unload on the Louisville area, with a lot of road and streets down by the Ohio River still unpassable. Schools in the Louisville area are still on "NTI"  as of Wednesday. The Cards did fall to UK 8-3 back on April 2nd in their last game. Games scheduled against Oakland were cancelled over last weekend and the kickoff to Derby festivities in Louisville, the huge fireworks and air show Thunder Over Louisville, was also canceled this year, since the Great Lawn, where any gather to view the event,  is still underwater. 

For Louisville on the softball diamond..., it seems to be a situation where the Cards can't get across the plate very well lately. Virginia Tech outscored Louisville 27-7 in their three game series back on March 14-16. UNC outscored the Cards 31-15 in the series at Chapel Hill, and UofL hasn't had a 10 run plus offensive performance since they bombarded NKU back on March 18th in Highland Heights. 

UofL isn't a team that is built on the long ball, either.  The have just 19 home runs on the season, while giving up 37. Char Lorenz is the only Card with more than five home runs on the season..,the redshirt freshman from Munster, IN. has six on the season and also leads Louisville in RBI's. 

Cards pitching isn't awful this year, but Holly Aprile has used seven pitchers in 36 games and they have a combined ERA of 4.37 per game. . Alyssa Zabala is still the "ace" of the staff, at 8-5...the other two regular starters are Sam Booe (4-3) and Brooke Gray (5-6). 

Lpuisville is currently tied for 12th place in the ACC Standings, at 20-16 and 3-9 in ACC play, tied with Boston College. 12 teams make the ACC  Tournament this year, a single elimination format. The CARDS have four (3) game series left against ACC opponents...at Boston College, at Virginia, hosting FSU and at Pitt, to end the regular season. 

paulie

Cards Drop Battle of the Bluegrass -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Can't Hold Early Lead; UK Wins 8-3

Louisville softball welcomed the University of Kentucky in a midweek matchup that was moved up in the day to try to beat the impending storms. The game was windy but dry, and it was an exciting evening of softball. Unfortunately, it turned out to be more exciting for the visiting Wildcats in the end. Louisville took the lead in the first inning and held it until the fifth before a big seventh inning blew open the tie. The Cards now move to 20-16 on the season while UK improves to 22-15. 

Alyssa Zabala got the start for the Cards, opening the game with a strikeout. She gave up a four-pitch walk to follow but the Louisville defense stepped up to erase it with an inning-ending double play. That sequence would turn out to be very telling throughout the game. The Cards' defense was up to the task, but the circle proved to be an issue. 

Louisville was playing without Char Lorenz, who was listed as injured following last weekend's series against Duke. The Cards shifted the order around, moving Ally Alexander, who is quietly having the best offensive season of her career, up to third. After an Easton Lotus ground out, Chelsea Mack singled and did what she does best: turned a single into a double via steal. Alexander followed with a double to give Louisville the lead, and Bri Despines very nearly made it a 3-0 game with a ball that the wind carried all the way to the fence. Despines' fly ball was caught, bringing Camryn Lookadoo to the plate with two outs. She grounded into what should have been a routine ground out, but UK's defense let their adventurous side show and airmailed the throw to first, allowing Alexander to score. The play was reviewed for Alexander leaving second early, but replay evidence was inconclusive and the run stood. A strikeout ended the inning, but Louisville led 2-0. 

Zabala returned to the circle in the second and gave up a single to the dangerous Peyton Plotts. A sharp sacrifice bunt attempt could have gotten the lead runner, but Zabala panicked a bit and rushed the throw to first, putting it in the dirt where a covering Lotus couldn't reach it. Both runners advanced, and Zabala found herself in a pickle with runners on second and third and nobody out. A ground out to Lotus held the runner at second (I'm not sure why), but Plotts scored from third. The runner staying at second proved very costly for UK, as the next batter blooped a soft liner straight toward the bag. Taylor Monroe caught it on the run and her momentum carried her onto the base for the double play. Another defensive save, but UK cut the deficit to 2-1. 

UK changed pitchers after just one inning, bringing in their "ace" in Sarah Haendiges. In a mid-game interview, Coach Rachel Lawson (a former UMass teammate of Holly Aprile's) indicated that it was due to Carson Fall's propensity to be a fly ball pitcher. With Despines having already proved that the ball would carry, UK didn't want to risk Louisville's limited but very real capability to get the ball over the fence. That pitching change would prove devastating for the Cards. Haendiges went on to pitch the remaining six innings and gave up just three hits with one earned run, two walks, a wild pitch, and an HBP. She struck out six. 

Louisville had their chances to extend their lead, but they weren't able to capitalize in the second or third, stranding three in that time. Zabala, meanwhile, appeared to have settled in with a 1-2-3 third inning, but the Cardinal defense had to step up again in the fourth to help her navigate a lead-off walk and a sacrifice to move the tying run into scoring position. Aprile chose to (un)intentionally walk Plotts to fill the open spot at first and a fielder's choice was followed by a pop out to end the inning. It looked like it would be a quick bottom half for Louisville after a fly out and a foul out, but Monroe sent a no-doubter to left field to extend the lead to 3-1. 

The pitching woes came home to roost in the fifth, with Zabala giving up back-to-back singles before being replaced by Sam Booe. Booe picked up a strikeout to open her slate and it appeared that she'd be able to skate out of the jam as she has so many times before. Louisville's defense was primed behind her, having turned multiple double plays, but Booe took the ball out of their hands. Literally. A full-count walk loaded the bases before Booe issued a four-pitch walk to a freshman to score a run. Sam settled down and picked up a strikeout, but her two walks set up a situation nobody wants: Peyton Plotts to the plate with the bases loaded. Booe pitched well to the corners, but the eighth pitch of the at-bat was ruled just wide, and Plotts walked in the tying run. Lindsey Mullen came on to relieve Booe and got a fly out to center to end the inning. 

Softball is a game of momentum, and despite Louisville's home run, UK had just done a good job of seizing ol' Uncle Mo. If the two walked-in runs to tie the game didn't do it, the 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, which consisted of the 2-3-4 batters in the Cardinal order, did. Mullen returned in the sixth and pitched a strong inning to keep Louisville in the driver's seat as the home team, she gave up a walk with one out, but UK didn't really threaten and it was still tied going into the bottom of the sixth. Remember that momentum? Well there isn't much more to build it than a three-strikeout inning. Louisville split the strikeouts with a walk, and the game was stilted a bit by a long interference discussion, but the result was the same. Louisville sent four batters to the plate and three of them went down without putting the bat on the ball. 

That set up the ultimate showdown: final inning, tie game, rivalry, trying to beat a storm. Kentucky stepped up to the moment. A bunt single that just happened to die in the dirt going up the first base line caught Louisville off guard and put the go ahead run on base. Louisville was right when they anticipated a sacrifice, but too many players got excited to make a play. Four Cardinals converged on the bunted ball, and Despines had no throw to first as the other three fielders crowded around her. Two on, nobody out. Uh-oh. Another sacrifice attempt nearly resulted in the exact same thing, but Despines made the throw this time to get an out, but both runners moved into scoring position. Aprile made the wise call to, again, put Plotts on first base, but UK scored the go-ahead run on the next pitch. It got away from Mullen and went straight into the batter's box for an easily taken HBP off the elbow guard. A pinch hitter knocked a bloop single into centerfield, scoring another run and keeping the bases loaded with just one out. 

Zabala returned to the circle and got a ground out that Monroe smartly fired home to get the force and keep the UK lead at 5-3. The next pitch sealed the game, though, as it was lifted high to left, and Zabala clearly thought it was headed out of the park right off the bat. It didn't quite have the juice, but the wind made it just strong enough to fall beyond the outstretched glove of a diving Lookadoo in left center. With two outs, everyone was running, and the triple cleared the bases. A walk ended Zabala's day and Brooke Gray entered to pitch. Gray got a free out when the runner from first left early, and the Cards headed to their final chance down 8-3. 

It was a great spot in the Louisville order, with 9-1-2 due up, but a Monroe ground out was followed by a strikeout from Lotus that capped her unfortunately timed 0-4 day. Chelsea Mack singled up the middle with two strikes, but the rally wasn't on. Alexander lifted a soft fly ball to left and that was that. 

Louisville pitching issued ten free bases. Nine walks and a hit-by-pitch. UK could have won the game without picking up a single hit with runners in scoring position, as their first four runs came on a ground out RBI and three bases-loaded free passes. That's not good. I don't have much else to say on that. 

The Cards are on a conference bye week this week, so instead of a three-game series, they'll play a double header against Oakland on Saturday (weather permitting). Louisville will then head to Bloomington for another regional rivalry in next week's midweek outing. The Cards will hope to get the aftertaste of this ugly game out of their mouths and get some more wins under their belts in both non-conference and conference play.

PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Gets Late Winner in Bowling Green -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Happy Wednesday, folks. Let's start with a brief note on recent transfer portal news. While some of yesterday's revelations look to have immediately called Jared's Tuesday column about WBB returners to question, we don't typically trade in incomplete information here at Cardinal Couple. We'll address any major WBB news when its official, but for now, portal announcements don't serve to promote the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. 

Softball Takes 3-2 Victory Over WKU

In a bit of an oddity yesterday evening, WKU hosted a "Red Out" for the visiting team. WKU softball promoted the event, encouraging fans to wear red, only for WKU to take the field in traditional home whites while Louisville softball wore their red tops with red pants. Go Big Red, indeed. The Cards struck first and last in this one, breaking a tie in the sixth inning for a 3-2 win. 

Coming off of a discouraging Saturday and Sunday in Chapel Hill, Louisville headed down I-65 for their fourth in-state matchup of the season. WKU entered the game at just 15-13 overall, but they've played some tough competition already. Their losses include a pair to UK, a pair to Georgia Tech, and a pair to ranked Liberty. The Hilltoppers were coming off of a road trip to El Paso, where they went 1-2 against UTEP, so they may have been a bit more travel weary than the Cards. In the end, Louisville prevailed to improve to 4-0 against in-state competition this year. The Cards will really put that record to the test next Wednesday when they bring the Wildcats into Ulmer. 

Louisville took the plate first yesterday and got to work. After Easton Lotus had an unfortunate foul out on a 2-0 pitch, Chelsea Mack laid down her 2-0 attempt for a bunt to third. At this point, that's an automatic single. She likely would have stolen second, but she was helped out by a wild pitch to advance. In stepped Char Lorenz batting third. A note on Lorenz: other people have noticed her. This is good because she's pretty hard to ignore. Softball America issued their midseason lists and Lorenz was ranked as the top freshman in the ACC. Pretty good. It was a timely announcement, as Lorenz singled up the middle to score Mack and give Louisville the lead. She advanced to second on the throw to the plate, and she came around to score when Bri Despines doubled in the next at bat. Despines advanced to third on a throwing error, but Louisville couldn't continue the scoring rally. The Cards grabbed their gloves with a 2-0 lead. 

Alyssa Zabala got the start and took one batter too long to settle in. The WKU leadoff hitter smoked a double to open the bottom half of the first and advanced on back-to-back sacrifice flies to score. A walk and a ground out ended the inning, and Louisville maintained the lead. It looked as though they would immediately extend it, as Taylor Monroe tripled to lead off the second inning. After a line out, though, Ally Alexander hit a sharp grounder to shortstop that Monroe misread, taking off for home. The WKU shortstop threw to the plate instead of first and Monroe was tagged out. That was made doubly unfortunate when Lotus singled with two outs. The Cards couldn't bring a runner around, but they still led 2-1 heading into the home half. 

Zabala got a bit more comfortable in the second, working around a leadoff HBP to avoid any runs in the inning. Louisville went down in order in the third, and Zabala continued to show resilience. She was having a bit of trouble finding the zone, but her pitches were working to fool the WKU batters. Alyssa gave up two walks and a wild pitch in the third, but she also picked up a pair of swinging strikeouts, adding to the one she had in the second inning. 

Louisville tried to play small ball in the fourth after Jac Hasty singled to open the inning, but she was stranded at second after a sacrifice bunt was followed by two quick outs. Zabala had a fairly quick inning in the bottom half, giving up a full-count single after two fly outs and ending the threat with a pop out. Louisville went down 1-2-3 for the second time in the fifth inning, and Zabala returned to the circle for her fifth inning of work. In hindsight, Coach Holly Aprile might have considered pulling the trigger on relieving her a touch sooner. WKU opened with a double, and the Cards responded with an intentional walk to create a force out at any base. When a single loaded the bases, Aprile made the call to the bullpen and Brooke Gray entered a tough situation. 

Unfortunately for Zabala, Gray surrendered Zabala's win chance in the first at bat, giving up a four-pitch walk to score a run, tying the game and leaving the bases loaded. Fortunately for Louisville (and Zabala's ERA), Gray locked in after that. She struck out the next two batters to flip the situation from very bad (bases loaded, nobody out) to a fair bit less bad (two outs, force out at any base). A fly out ended the inning with the score tied 2-2. 

With the middle of the order due up, Louisville responded immediately. Despines laid down a first-pitch bunt up the first base line and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Hasty singled for the second time in the game, and Aprile chose to hold Despines at third. Riley Janda came in to pinch run for Hasty and immediately stole second. With two runners in scoring position, Monroe worked a strong at bat, fouling off strike three twice for an eight-pitch walk. Ava Venturelli pinch hit with the bases loaded and one out but fouled out. With the potential rally in danger, Louisville was bailed out by a wild pitch, with all three runners advancing 60 feet and Despines scoring the go-ahead run. Alexander ended up walking to reload the bases, but Lotus grounded out to end the threat. 

WKU tried to match Louisville's efforts in the bottom half, with the leadoff batter attempting a bunt up the first base line. She was thrown out, which was good because the next batter singled. Gray responded by forcing a fly ball, walked a pinch hitter in the DH spot, and forced another fly out to end the inning. Louisville's 2-4 hitters went down on just six pitches in the seventh, but Gray was up to the task. She answered the quick top half with an efficient bottom half, using just 12 pitches herself to force two ground outs and a pop out to end the game and earn herself the win. 

Louisville's offense wasn't lighting the world on fire, but that was largely due to a good outing from WKU's Rylan Smith. She threw 120 pitches in the complete game, giving up three earned runs on eight hits, two walks, and a pair of wild pitches. She struck out four. Zabala and Gray combined for 145 pitches, six hits, six walks, one WP, one HBP, and five strikeouts. The Cards left seven runners on base, including an uncharacteristic three from Lotus. Granted, those all came in one at bat. 

Louisville (20-12) returns home this weekend for a series with Duke. The Blue Devils are 21-12 so far this season with a 4-5 conference record. They went 2-1 against Clemson and Syracuse before being swept at home this past weekend by 9th-ranked Florida State. Duke was outscored 33-17 in the series, but they took the Seminoles to the wire on Saturday, losing 12-11. The Blue Devils will face East Carolina today before catching a flight to Louisville to start the series Friday. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Travels to NKU -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Looks to Bounce Back Against Northern Kentucky

Following a series loss at home to Virginia Tech, Louisville softball hits the road to face Northern Kentucky. The Cards and Norse will square off at 4:30pm ET and will be aired on ESPN+.

Louisville enters the game with a 17-10 record and 2-4 in the ACC. Offensively, they have been off to a hot start with three players batting at or above .500 and the team hitting .319 as a whole. While the home run numbers have been down, six Cards have recorded a home run with Char Lorenz leading the way with five.

In contrast with previous years, Louisville has seen seven pitchers step into the circle this season with four of them carrying the bulk of the duties. Lindsey Mullen boasts the best ERA at 2.47. Her strong performance in a walk-off win against Notre Dame helped contribute to that. As expected, Alyssa Zabala has been the go-to pitcher at times with a total of 68.0 innings pitched and a 2.57 ERA. The pitching staff has struck out nearly three times as many opposing batters than they have walked.

Northern Kentucky has had a rough start to the year with an 11-13 record. However, they enter tonight on a four-game win streak featuring a win over Morehead State and a sweep over Green Bay.

The Norse hit .278 as a team with only a handful of players batting above .300. They have three players with 25 hits each. Olivia Pastin has been a home run threat for NKU with four home runs on the year.

The trio pitching staff of NKU has been shaky early in the year. They carry a combined 5.31 ERA and have nearly a 1:1 strikeout to walk ration. This pitching crew is allowing more than one hit per inning on average.

Louisville leads the current series 5-0. In their most recent meeting, the Cards defeated the Norse 9-1 in Knoxville in an NCAA Regional.

(softball photos by Jared)

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Drops Two to Virginia Tech -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Fight Back in Game Two, but Lose 10-0, 5-2

In anticipation of today's weather, Louisville and Virginia Tech agreed earlier this week to move the game scheduled for today to Friday for a double header. In the end, the two teams ended up playing fewer innings yesterday in two games than the Cards did Sunday against Notre Dame in one. Louisville was run-ruled in the first game before keeping the score close but just out of reach in the second. The two teams will play again tomorrow at noon in the series finale. 

Alyssa Zabala got the start in Game 1 against the VT ace, Sophie Kleiman. Kleiman ended up with a very nice day, which doesn't bode well for Cardinal hitters. She threw five full (a complete game) and gave up just two runs and three walks. She struck out two and had one wild pitch. One of Louisville's hits was a double (Taylor Monroe), but Kleiman threw just 71 pitches, meaning the Cards faced an average of 3.7 pitches. That's not going to put a pitcher under too much pressure. 

Zabala got out to a great start, striking out the first two batters she faced and getting a fly out for a one-two-three first inning. Unfortunately, the second inning went quite a bit worse. Zabala walked the first two batters and gave up a single to load the bases with nobody out. Here's where things got weird, and the big inning wasn't all on Alyssa. The next batter singled to center field, which would have scored one, maybe two no matter what. Chelsea Mack booted it in center, though, being charged with a fielding error and allowing a third run to score and the batter to make it all the way to third. Earned vs unearned runs are weird, and ultimately it probably wouldn't have mattered, but all three runs were charged to Zabala, despite the fact that one probably scored as a result of the error. Whatever. Louisville trailed 3-0. 

But wait, there still weren't any outs. Zabala rectified that with another pair of back-to-back strikeouts, and it looked like the Cards might escape a bad situation (bases loaded, nobody out) with less damage than previously anticipated. Not so lucky. Having struck out in her first at bat, the Hokies' leadoff batter stepped up and hit a first-pitch homer to score two runs and stretch the lead to 5-0. Zabala induced a ground out to end the inning, but her day was done. Final line: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO. She threw an average of 4 pitches per batter faced. Tough days happen.

Louisville got their first baserunner on a Bri Despines walk, and a fielder's choice and wild pitch saw Taylor Monroe standing at second with one out. Nothing came of it, though, as a pair of infield ground balls ended the inning. Lindsey Mullen stepped into the circle for Zabala, but Virginia Tech wasn't done scoring yet. Mullen got two quick strikes on the first batter she faced, but plate discipline and quick hands saw the at bat extend to a full count after nine pitches (four fouls). On the tenth pitch, Mullen kept it in the zone, but her defense rewarded her with a throwing error that allowed the batter to reach. That proved costly when, after a fly out for the first out was followed by another two-run homer. A double put a runner in scoring position, and she advanced to third on a dropped third strike. Louisville got the out at first for the strikeout and then stranded the runner at third with a grounder. 

The Cards got another leadoff walk in the fourth, but it came to nothing, and Izzy Harrison replaced Mullen in the bottom half. Harrison's day was short-lived, as she threw nine pitches and saw runners standing on first and second after a pair of walks. Ryann Sanders came in to relieve her and got a ground out to short, but it was too slow to turn a double play, with both runners advancing. That set up a sac fly for VT and the second runner came home on a single before Sanders got a ground out to end the inning. 

Char Lorenz got Louisville's first hit in the bottom of the fourth, but she was erased immediately on a caught stealing attempt. Monroe had her double in the same inning, but no one was on base to take advantage, and a ground out ended the inning with no damage done by the Cards. VT hit their third homer of the day in the top of the fifth to make it 10-0 and set up Louisville's last stand. Ally Alexander coaxed a two-out walk, but the game ended on a fly out. Yuck. 

Sam Booe got the start in game two and Virginia Tech picked up where they left off. Booe was rocked immediately, giving up a lead-off home run, a single to follow, and a two-run homer to end her day. She threw 0+ IP, 16 pitches, and that was that. Brooke Gray came on in relief, and pitched the remainder of the game, finishing with a pretty strong showing. Gray ultimately threw 104 pitches and gave up 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 ER, and had 6 strikeouts. Gray gave up a walk to the first batter she faced, but she and Despines combined for a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double-play. A single preceded a double, but it was a hard liner into right so the run couldn't score. Gray got a strikeout to end the threat. 

Louisville's offense started much better than in game one, with Easton Lotus singling to lead off for the Cards. She, of course, stole second, but Chelsea Mack's bunt attempt was popped up to the catcher. Lotus advanced to third on a passed ball, but it didn't really matter since Char Lorenz sent a 3-1 pitch over the left field fence to score them both. Despines was hit by a bitch to keep the rally going, but the inning ended on a 4-6-3 double play. 

Gray got a quick 1-2-3 inning in the second to bring Louisville to the plate with a chance to tie or take the lead, but it proved to only be the start of a long scoreless run by both teams. The Cards and Hokies played the next five innings with no runs. Gray was nails in that time, giving up just a walk in the third and a pair of singles in the fifth, begging her offense to get one back to reset the game. Her opposite in the circle, Emma Lemley, was just as efficient, though. Louisville had a walk in the second and another in the fourth, but didn't have a real chance to score until the fifth. 

In the bottom of the fifth, still trailing 3-2, Maddi Grant opened with a ground out, but Jordan Williams followed with a single. Ally Alexander put a grounder in play, but it was right back to the pitcher, who turned and fired to second to get the lead runner. Needing a two-out rally, Easton Lotus choked up on the bat with two strikes and fired a single straight back up the gut. Alexander advanced from first to third on the hit, and Lotus followed her by stealing second. With the tying and go ahead runs in scoring position, Mack worked a full-count before striking out swinging. 

Gray had another 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, but Louisville's offensive magic had run out. Another two-out rally may have been on the books, but Monroe was called out for leaving first base early after walking to end the inning. VT broke their stupor against Gray the old fashioned way in the seventh, leading off with a bunt single. Gray responded with a strikeout, seeming to stay on track, but a homer to left (I wonder which way the wind was blowing yesterday.) made it 5-2. The Cards had no answer in the seventh so that was that. 

Virginia Tech is a very good team, and Louisville had a much better showing in the second game of yesterday's double header. After the rest day, the Cards are likely to see another outing from Kleiman or Lemley tomorrow, so the offense will need to find an answer. First pitch is at noon, and the game will be on ACC Network Extra.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have three on this week's show, with Paulie, Daryl, and me holding down the fort. We'll have some exciting softball to chat about and some less exciting softball and lacrosse to cover. We'll also look ahead to Selection Monday for the NCAA tournament, so be prepared to get your brackets in for the NCAA Pick 'Em challenge. Going forward, we'll be without the live show, but we'll still have the podcast available in the normal places when the show posts around 1PM. 

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

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

Softball Splits Friday at USF -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Beat Kent State 13-3; Fall to Wisconsin 4-1

Louisville softball improved to 8-3 early yesterday afternoon before falling to 8-4 later in the day. The Cards rode two big innings to beat Kent State 13-3 in a run rule in their first game in the USF Tournament and later couldn't find the offense against Wisconsin. Louisville continues the tournament today with games against Michigan and USF, and they'll get a second shot at Wisconsin tomorrow. 

Sam Booe has largely established herself as the second starter in the rotation so far this season, picking up many starts that I think we would have expected to go to Brooke Gray. Booe started game one yesterday and gave up one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts in three innings. Not too shabby. Gray came in for the fourth and was a little shaky. She pitched only the fourth inning and gave up two runs on three hits while picking up just one strikeout. Katie Thatcher got another opportunity in the circle, striking out one in two thirds of an inning and Lindsey Mullen finished the game and ended the fifth inning with a line out. 

Offensively, Louisville looked poised to start their scoring early, but they couldn't convert with the bases loaded and two outs. Coach Holly Aprile has shifted the lineup slightly, working to get more hitters in the top of the order. Easton Lotus is still leading off, but Chelsea Mack has moved to the second spot. With Char Lorenz still batting third, Bri Despines was in the cleanup spot. 

Kent State actually opened the book with an RBI single in the second. Booe looked in danger of giving up a handful as she started the inning with a strikeout and then couldn't miss a bat. Kent State went double, single, RBI single, fielder's choice ground out, and ground out. If one of those last two ground outs made it through a hole, Louisville would have been down even more. 

The Cards responded in the bottom half, with Maddi Grant opening the inning with a walk and being replaced on the base by pinch-running Riley Janda. Janda moved up to second on a Katie Thatcher single, and both advanced with an Ally Alexander sacrifice bunt. Lotus had a productive ground out to first, which scored Janda, but Thatcher was stranded at third on another ground out. 

The third saw Booe return to form with a three-up, three-down inning on just nine pitches. Then it was Louisville's turn to open it up. Lorenz walked on at 13-pitch at bat and Bri Despines reached on catcher's interference. Madison Pickens singled to score Lorenz, and Taylor Monroe did the same to score Despines. Grant walked to load the bases, prompting Kent State to make a change in the circle. The new pitcher walked a run in. Alexander hit a sac fly, and Thatcher stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Easton Lotus brought both in with a double, but for reasons unclear to me, those runs were considered unearned. Mack moved Lotus to third on a ground out, and Lorenz walked. I assume Kent State just stopped paying attention when walking Lorenz, because Louisville executed a double steal on the walk to get Lotus home. Despines was walked intentionally to get a force out at any base, and Pickens flied out to mercifully end the inning after Louisville scored seven runs. The Cards led 8-1.

The fourth saw them get a pair back in Gray's short outing, but the Cards went right back to work in the bottom half. Again, they opened the inning with a walk, and Maddi Grant singled to move Monroe all the way to third. Thatcher had a ground out RBI and Alexander was walked. Camryn Lookadoo, who replaced Lotus at second base, greeted Kent State's new pitcher with a walk, and Jordan Williams, pinch hitting for Mack, did the same. During William's walk, one of the pitches was wild and Grant came home to score. Char Lorenz grounded out, but Kent State couldn't turn two so one run scored. Ava Venturelli came in to pinch hit for Despines and kept the good vibes rolling, singling in two runners. All in all, Louisville scored five runs on two hits and no errors in the inning. Thatcher and Mullen made quick work of Kent State in the fifth and the run rule applied with a 13-3 victory. 

Louisville finished the first game with just six hits while scoring 13 runs. That's incredible. With that, they still managed to leave seven on base. Kent State just really couldn't find the strike zone, ultimately walking 12 batters and giving up one hit by pitch. Louisville, potentially, should have saved some offense for the second game. 

The Cards opened game two as the away team, and we saw right away that Aprile had returned the lineup to its previous shape. Unfortunately, Lotus, Despines, and Lorenz went down in order on just eight pitches. Alyssa Zabala got the start in this one and made similarly short work of the Badgers in the first inning, needing just nine to go three-up, three-down. 

Pickens opened the second inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. She might have fallen asleep at second, though, as she was picked off with a throw behind from the catcher and officially earned a "caught stealing". Grant walked after a full count but Thatcher struck out to end the inning. The second got off to a less-than-stellar start defensively, with runners on first and second after an error and a walk. Zabala looked as though she might tight-rope out of the jam, getting a pop-out and a ground out to give Wisconsin two outs. She was made to pay for the productive ground out, though, as a single up the middle scored both runners. Louisville trailed 2-0. 

In the top of the third, the Cards once more looked like they'd put some runs on the board. Alexander grounded out to open the inning, but Mack singled, and Lotus turned a sacrifice bunt attempt into a single as well. Despines grounded to second, but Wisconsin couldn't turn the double-play, so Char Lorenz came to the plate with runners on the corners and two outs. She flied out to left field.

After seeing the ball well in the second resulted in the ball staying on the ground for the Badgers, they converted that into putting the ball into the air in the fourth. A first pitch pop out was followed by a double to the gap in left-center. Zabala didn't flinch, though, and ultimately stranded the runner with help from the defense. She picked up a fly out to left and the inning ended on a fly out down the right field line, where Madison Pickens saved a run. 

For her defensive efforts, Pickens was rewarded with a strikeout to open the fourth inning. Monroe singled, but Wisconsin still kept the Cards off the scoreboard with a double play. The Badgers kept up their quality at-bats in the bottom half. Zabala once again opened the inning by getting the first batter out, but the next fly ball to left field got all the way over the fence for a solo home run. That was followed by another fly ball to left that was caught, while the next batter doubled to right center. A ground out ended the inning, but the Cards' deficit had grown to 3-0.

Louisville finally broke through in the top of the fifth, but alternating reaching base with outs will quickly end an inning. Thatcher drew a full count walk to open the inning before Alexander flew out to center. Mack continued to show her small ball skills at the plate with a bunt single to put runners on first and second with one out and the top of the order up. Lotus flied out to left center. Seeing a trend? Despines singled between first and second base, and she and Mack each moved up an extra base on the throw home that couldn't stop Thatcher from scoring. With two runners in scoring position and two outs... Lorenz flied out to left center. Cards cut into the lead to make it 3-1.

Zabala returned to the circle for her fifth inning of work and got the first batter out before giving up a single. The Wisconsin runner stole second while Zabala picked up a strikeout. As it turned out, the steal was unnecessary, as a double would have scored her from first. A fly out ended the inning, but the run erased Louisville's comeback progress. Wisconsin brought in a new pitcher to help close out the game and the middle of Louisville's order went down in a hurry with two strikeouts and a first pitch groundout. 

Sam Booe replaced Zabala in the sixth and followed a foul out with a hit by pitch. Bri Despines caught the pinch runner stealing, and Booe picked up a strikeout to end the inning. Down to their final three outs, Louisville didn't go down quietly, although the box score doesn't really indicate that. The line ultimately says one hit, one line out, and two ground outs. But Thatcher opened with an eight-pitch at bat that ended on a full-count liner to the hot corner. A pinch hitting Jordan Williams got ahold of the ball for a ground out to put the Cards up against it. Venturelli came in to pinch hit for Mack and got a first pitch single. She was immediately swapped back out to get the disruptive Mack on the base paths with the top of the order up. Lotus got the bat on the ball on her second pitch with a ground ball, but it was fielded by the shortstop and the game ended on the fielder's choice. 

Despite how some of the early games have gone so far this season, yesterday's was Alyssa Zabala's first loss this year. She finished with six hits and a walk in five innings, giving up four runs (two earned) with one strikeout. I'll also push the limit a bit and say all four of those runs are kind of earned, since she was the one who committed the error. The offense let Zabala down a bit in this one, earning seven hits and two walks, but leaving six on base. The Cards will need more consistency at the plate going forward this season if they want to return to the NCAA tournament. 

Today's games are against Michigan, with that one starting at 9am, and the hosting USF at 1:35. The USF game will be available on ESPN+. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have four on board today, as Jared heads to the Yum! Center for a noon MBB tipoff. We'll have plenty to cover this week, as there have been games galore. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case