WCWS Championship, Dana Evans & CHI Sky @ INDY This Weekend; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

GOOOOOOOOOOOOD Friday morning Louisville and Cardinal Couple readers ! 

She's back on the personal keyboard this week checking in with the Cardinal Couple faithful after quite the hiatus, and I appreciate the rest of the CC team stepping up in my absence.  I did get the chance to unplug and relax on the beach for a week but it was sandwiched between an ACC Softball Championship with the ACC network and two back to back home-stands down at Slugger field.

Just a whooole lot of button pushing going on between the desk job during the day & the sports stuff in the evenings.  And of course when I'm not on a clock, I'm at home pushing the boyfriend's buttons every chance I get...

Anywho, I am glad that it's mid-June and there's a couple things I can talk about.

Women's College World Series 

Firstly, I hope you got the chance to tune into the Women's College World Series over the past week.  I did miss Day One where JMU stunned the softball world and beat both 'home teams' Oklahoma and Oklahoma State... but i did obsessively watch the rest up until Thursday's Game 3 of the Championship between OU and Florida State.

 
I was absolutely thrilled that no super blue team was in OKC.  UCLA doesn't count.  I was rooting for the Bruins to repeat as Champs.  We had a very maroon 'Final Four' and witnessed some historic and downright "bad-a$$" performances and plays. 

"Shout out to me? Well, a shout out 
right back at ya, Daryl !" 

Shout out to Montana Fouts for the perfect game.  The KY native celebrated her 21st birthday with an epic performance in the circle.  Shout out to JMU's Odicci Alexander for the game winning play at the plate.. the fifth year senior gave the game her ALL.  The play of Mackenzie Donihoo of OU also stands out in my mind.  She had excellent at bats which often resulted in a hit and/or a run...and her efforts on defense when she was diving for fair and foul balls out in left field...were fun to watch. She also made sure to keep the crowd hyped in between pitches. 

The 2021 WCWS was a glorious event filled with everything at its best.  I do believe this was the first event with a full capacity crowd for the USA since COVID restrictions have lifted?  It was loud and it was beautiful, rain delays and all.

After it was all said and done, the Oklahoma Sooners were crowned the 2021 champions after a dominating game 3 performance.  It is the fifth title for the Sooners in program history, all under HC Patty Gasso, the last one coming in 2017. After falling to FSU in game one The Sooners battled back in game 2 and 3 to take the title back to campus, 25 miles down the road from HOF Stadium.

 

The CCRHP gang was upset with me cutting off the championship talk in our group chat because I was recording it to watch after work... But I think we were all in agreement that we were not rooting for the Seminoles to dog-pile for the trophy. 

OU homered in the first and second inning and put up a 3 spot in the third to make it a 5-1 victory for the Sooners.  Danielle Watson took the "L' . The former Cardinals pitcher gave up back-to-back "touch-em-alls" in the second inning and that was enough for the Sooners to win, but more OU scores were to come. 

Bye, bye, Noles...

The Seminoles' lone run was scored an RBI double but it was a very high pop up lost in the sun in the shallow 1st/2nd base area.  Sooners ace Giselle Juarez allowed one run on two hits on Thursday afternoon and was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. The left-hander allowed four runs in 31 1/3 innings.  Fittingly, the last out was a very short pop up into her glove.

Game over.

It was a dominating day for Oklahoma. 

 

DANA EVANS - Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever this weekend!

After the Fever visited the Sky in Chicago on Wednesday evening, the Sky will follow the bus back to Indy to face the Fever for a Saturday afternoon rematch.

The game is scheduled to tipoff at 1p.m.

The Sky downed Indy 92-76 in that previous meeting, Dana Evans had 9 points, 1 assist and a rebound in 12 minutes on the floor. 

I have a feeling she's just getting settled into her new role in Chicago... the place she probably should've gone to to begin with.  It just so happens that I planned on heading to Indianapolis Saturday afternoon... coincidence? We will find out... 

So I am tentative for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast for Saturday.  

The Indy trip is confirmed.. the game, is a maybe.  A really want to maybe, though.  I definitely intend on catching some WNBA games in Indy at some point.  

Have a great Friday y'all.  Wear your sunscreen & tip the bartenders. 

Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

Myisha, Mystics master Minnesota -- FSU pounds Oklahoma in WCWS -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

MYSTICS 85 - MINNESOTA 81

Myisha Hines-Allen had 18 points last night and Washington put together a 53-38 advantage over the Minnesota Lynx last night in the second and third quarters to down the visiting Lynx. 

As it is with Washington, if Tina Charles has a big game, the Mystics do pretty well, and the former UConn Husky great didn't disappoint the home crowd with 31 points. The two were part of a four-playerd double digit point effort that improved Washington to 3-5 and dropped Minnesota to 3-5.

A 27-18 third quarter edge put DC in the drivers seat 70-56 and they were able to hold on, despite a late rally by the visitors to get the win. 

Guard play is always key in a team's success and Washington got a good effort last night from Ariel Atkins (17 pts.) and Natasha Cloud (11 points) to contribute to the win. 

Charles has had four 30 point plus games this season and leads the WNBA with 25.1 ppg. She's also shooting 48% from the floor. It makes one wonder just how good the Mystics might be if they had Elena Della Donne in the lineup. She's taking things day-to-day, though and hasn't set a date for her comeback.  It also raises the question of how Washington will handle things when she does. Will it put Hines-Allen on the benc h as a reserve, or will Washington play the trio of Charles, Della Donne and Hines-Allen as starters and sit Shavonte Zellous?  

Washington remains home for their next contest, when they bring in the LA Sparks (4-3) Thursday night. 

FSU 8 -- OKLAHOMA 4 

The first game in the WCWS Finals took place last night in Oklahoma City and it was Florida State often and early, bombarding the Sooners 8-4/ 

FSU held a 7-0 lead after the top of the fourth -- a five-run inning helped that explosion -- and I was beginning to wonder if this one might get run ruled. Ex UofL pitcher Danielle Watson  wasn't getting battered by Sooner bats yet and FSU seemed to be having a field day against OU hurler Nicole May. 

The Sooners weren't quite ready to stop playing for the night, though. They went back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fourth against Watson and added two more in the bottom of the sixth to chase Watson from the circle and make it 7-4. 

Kat Sandercock came in to pitch and to save the day for the ACC school, though, and the Noles picked up a top of the seventh inning run to double the score and take the contest. 

It's interesting to note that each time this year OU has lost a game, the losing streak has stopped there. It happened early in the season against Georgia and most recently in the WCWS against James Madison. A two-game losing streak this time of year equates to your season being over, so the pressure is on the Sooners tonight to "even it up".

We also learned more about the "catcher interference" call by an umpire that most of us knew last night. When the catcher puts her knee down before catching the ball, that does constitute as blocking the plate without possession of the ball. Thus, the obstruction call comes into play.

The runner has to be given an opportunity to reach the plate, and in this case with the knee down without the ball, that is why obstruction was charged to the catcher.

OU came into the WCWS as the #1 seed and now have a 54-4 record. The Noles are 49-11-1 as the #10 seed and the tie came against our Louisville Softball squad -- a matter of travel arrangements necessitating FSU leave Ulmer and head to the airport. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

paulie 

  

Soccer Falls to UNC; Softball Sweeps Bellarmine -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Soccer Sees Undefeated Season Broken

Sunday, Louisville knocked off top-ten Vanderbilt. Emotions were high and the Cards played nearly perfectly for 100 minutes leading to a game winning penalty from Emina Ekic. In the 20th minute last night, it appeared that lightning might just strike again. After a long ball went over the shoulder of Delaney Snyder, it looked like she would be on goal, until she was pulled down from behind by a North Carolina defender. The crowd appealed and the whistle was blown immediately. The referee pointed to the spot and Ekic lined up for the penalty.

To this point in the season, Ekic had not missed a penalty and had hit two game winners already, against Indiana and Vanderbilt. The shot seemed to be in slow motion. It went high, getting past the diving UNC goalkeeper  Josephson, but instead of sliding into the net, it skipped off the bottom of the crossbar and went straight down. After hitting the ground, the ball had enough pace to bounce nearly 15 feet in the air and seemed to float down for an eternity. Ekic waited patiently, but a taller UNC defender was able to get to the ball first and keep it away from the Cards. The threat had ended and Louisville had missed their first penalty of the season, simultaneously missing a huge chance in the game.

In the post game interview, Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes called soccer a game of moments. The penalty was just the first of the critical moments in last night's game. Just 30 seconds after the penalty miss, the ball fell to Brooklynn Rivers, who fired a shot on goal. Again, it got high past Josephson and, again, it caught the bottom half of the crossbar, bouncing back toward the field of play. The ball was cleared away but only to the feet of Allison Whitfield, who took a shot of her own, only to see it saved. Each of these moments could have tipped the scales of the game. Each moment was a huge opportunity for the Cards, and each was just barely missed.

The next critical moment came just a minute later. This time, the moment belonged to North Carolina. The Tarheels got on a bit of a break, and Brianna Pinto put a through ball right in front of a streaking Alessia Russo. The English national was just onside and broke right in between Niamh Nelson and Sarah Hernandez. As Gabby Kouzelos came off of her line, she appeared to slip as Russo pulled the ball and stepped to the side, leaving Kouzelos on the ground out of the play. Russo slotted a shot that got between Nelson and Hernandez and found the side netting.

After multiple heartbreaks for Louisville, they now trailed 1-0.

After the goal, UNC maintained a significant amount of possession, putting more and more pressure on the Cards. Louisville's only shot in the remaining 24 minutes came on accident as a Nelson free kick leaked too close to the goal and was caught by Josephson. Kouzelos managed to keep the goal clean for the remainder of the half and the teams entered the locker room still at 1-0.

Coach Ferguson-Dayes noted after the game that really the only thing she was disappointed in was Louisville losing its moxie. The 1-0 deficit was the first time Louisville has trailed since the first game of the season against Ohio State.

Louisville was able to recover and went on to win that match 2-1, due to their resilience. Louisville didn't quite show the same resilience against UNC last night. The second half was much of the same as the later portion of the first half. UNC controlled possession and limited Louisville's opportunities. In the 67th minute, Ru Mucherera put a dangerous cross into the six yard box that found Alexis Strickland alone. Strickland calmly put it past Kouzelos, who was unable to get back across the goal in time. UNC led 2-0. 

After the second goal, the game didn't feel over quite yet, as it still seemed that the Cards could find a goal some time in the final 23 minutes and then it would be only a one-goal game in which anything can happen. The game was sealed 13 minutes later when Lois Joel found Russo once more at the top left of the box. Russo put a shot on the ground through traffic that Kouzelos saw just a moment too late. Kouzelos fell to the ground, but the ball slipped straight under her. UNC led 3-0 and that would be the final score. 

Jaz Jones does her best to push the Cards to victory.

This matchup was always set to be a tough one for the Cards. The Tarheels won the match last year 5-1 in Chapel Hill. They were ranked first in the country up until their 2-0 loss to Arkansas on Sunday. UNC is a very good team and they will certainly be in the hunt to hoist a trophy later this season.

This loss should not sit poorly for Louisville at all. While the final score is unfortunate, the Cards played pretty well for a lot of the game. Had one of those critical moments in the three minute stretch gone a different way for Louisville, the entire complexion of the game would be changed and this could be a completely different article. As it is, the Cards head to Syracuse seeking to regain the three league points they lost last night. The Cards will take on the Orange Thursday at 6 P.M.


SHE SAID IT

Coach KFD Post Game

Softball Takes Two Over Bellarmine

In a more enjoyable result, Louisville softball was in action at Ulmer for a bit of Fall Ball. The Cards took on the newly appointed Division 1 Knights of Bellarmine for an afternoon double-header. Bellarmine jumped out to a big lead, stealing four runs off of a freshman pitcher for the Cards before Danielle Watson came in in the fourth inning to steady things for Louisville.

In addition to preventing the Knights from scoring any more runs, Watson smashed a grand slam to tie the game just after coming in to pitch. A couple of batters later, Riley Schindler sent another ball over the wall to score a pair of runs and Louisville led 6-4. The Cards would go on to win the first game 8-4, exorcising the early defensive demons and showing some offense as well.

The second game of the day was all Louisville as the Cards jumped on the Knights early and often. Bellarmine had no offensive answer for Louisville in the second game and the Cards went on to shut out the Knights.

We've got no official stats or scores, so we can't be sure, but Jared reports that the score of the second game was "8 or 9 to 0". Louisville will get a better view of how their team will stack up in competition in the upcoming season next weekend as they head out to Lexington for a Fall Ball double-header against the Wildcats. We'll see if we can't get a report of some kind from that set of games as well.


Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Paulie, Jeff and Jared were present for our weekly radio show yesterday and reviewed results for UofL women's Golf, Field Hockey, Volleyball and WSOC. They also previewed Saturday's upcoming action .

I was not present, attending to such things as scaffolding and painting. It happens when you're a homeowner.

You can hear the discussion at the link below, as well as see the show on Facebook Live:

THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

A special thanks to WCHQ 100.9 FM for including us in their Saturday format. We appreciate the chance to discuss UofL women's sports once a week -- even if it's not always about the joy and excitement -- we feel it is a chance for our listeners to "catch up" on what's going on down on Floyd Street and on the road.  

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Photos from today's article from Jared Anderson. Check out more of his work on Facebook, Twitter, or his website jdaphotos.com.

A Cardinal Couple Reader Quiz -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

BUT, PAULIE...IT'S SUMMER !!

On The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour each week, during the summer months, I present a quiz to the group that is in the studio with me. it's a fun way to learn a little bit about the women's sports on the UofL campus and also sparks a little bit of rivalry and competition between the "A-Team" members. 

Our listeners and viewers on Facebook Live do pretty well on it also. Unless they are lying to us or "googling" the answers. 

I know, I know...it's summer and you've put down the books and are enjoying a break from academia -- if you're a student -- for awhile, but it never hurts to stay sharp and keep the gray matter active. So, I'm offering a quiz for the readers today. We'll have ten questions, you get 10 points for each correct answer and there is a bonus at the end that can either get you 20 points or lose you 20 points.

You have the option of "passing" on the bonus, but no one ever does, it seems. 

Answers are at the end of today's article. Good luck and here we go: 

Today's quiz is about the UofL Campus(es) 

1) The main campus at the University of Louisville is known as: 

(A) Unitas Campus  (B) Belknap Campus (C) Brakemeier Campus  (D) UPS Campus

2) Which of these facilities was constructed pre-2001? 

(A) Lynn Stadium  (B) Bass-Rudd Tennis Center  (C) Louisville Lacrosse Stadium  (D) Don Fightmaster Playground

3)  The Marshall Center serves as: 

(A) Headquarters for the Campus Police  (B) Information technology (C) Dining for campus residents  (D) A strength and conditioning center for UofL athletes

4) Which one of these facilities is the home for Louisville Volleyball? 

(A) The LG&E Arena  (B) The Red Barn  (C) The L&N Federal Credit Union Arena  (D) The Ford Truck Plant Coliseum

5) If you are attending A Louisville Field Hockey match on campus, you are at: 

(A) Sowry Stadium  (B) Cardinal Park  (C) McFerran Stadium  (D) Trager Stadium 

6) If you wanted to watch Celene Funke hit a triple... you'd go to: 

(A) Jim Patterson Stadium  (B) Churchill Downs Infield  (C) Ulmer Stadium  (D) Cardinal Park

(7) Thorntons Academic Center of Excellence is: 

(A) On the south side of Cardinal Stadium  (B) Directly across from the University Club  (C) Attached to Lynn Stadium  (D) Moving to the KFC YUM! Center in 2021. 

(8) The Shelbyhurst Campus is located: 

(A) In Shelbyville, KY  (B) In New Albany  (C) Off Shelbyville Road  (D) At the corner of Shelby Street and Hurstbourne Ln. 

(9)  What statue is in front of Grawemeyer Hall? 

(A) Louie the Cardinal Bird  (B) The Thinker (C) The Vince Tyra Statue  (D) Johnny Unitas

(10)  The now-razed Crawford Gym housed all these activities...except for: 

(A) Tennis  (B) Racquetball  (C) Swimming  (D) Basketball


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   OPTIONAL BONUS  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



The School of Music was located in the 1970's at: 

(A) The Red Barn  (B) The Shelby Campus  (C) Where Cardinal Stadium is today  (D) In Fern Creek


So, how did you do? 

Answers below:


>

>

>

>

>

(keep scrolling)

>

>

> 

>

>

>

(almost there)

>

>

>

>

>

(here's a picture of Danielle Watson) !! 

ANSWERS !!

1) B.  Belknap Campus

2) B.  Bass-Rudd, in 2000

3) D.  Strength and Conditioning

4) C.  L&N 

5) D.  Trager Stadium

6) C.  Ulmer Stadium

7) A.  south side of Cardinal Stadium

8) C.  off Shelbyville Road

9) B.  The Thinker

10) A. Tennis

BONUS:  B. The Shelby Campus


SCORE CLASSIFICATION


100-120.   You're a whiz quiz kid !! You get the Paulie Award for Quiz Excellence and we'll send you a picture of the one-eared, toothpick-holding bear !!

80-90.  Not a bad score. You know your UofL history and landmarks. We'll list your name on Case Hoskins Wall of Fame and send Jared out to take your picture. 

50-70. We'll pass you, but study hall and tutoring is in order for you. Report to the Cardinal Couple Chimps Counselling Services...located underneath the House of Cards. 

20-40. I know. You don't wanna talk about it. Go do some yard work. 

0-10.  Hello, UK fan. Thanks for stopping by! 


Have a terrific Tuesday! Let us know how you did in the comments section ! 

Paulie  

Jared Anderson looks to 2020 in Softball and reviews 2019 -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SOFTBALL LOSES A FEW KEY STARTERS BUT RETURNS A SOLID NUCLEUS 

(In a probably-way-too-early look at Louisville Softball for 2020, columnist Jared Anderson takes a look at who could be key for Holly Aprile's team next season).

With Paulie covering a wide range of women's basketball news yesterday it left the door open for me to talk about my favorite sport we cover here at CARDINAL COUPLE. 

Softball. 

Softball season has just ended for the gang that graces Dan Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium and it was a highly successful one for the Cards. They did something no one squad had ever done before in winning the first two games of their NCAA Regional assignment -- in Holly Aprile's first year as head coach. The 35-23, 12-12 record is a good start toward greater successes down the road. Pending no transfers-out and players retiring from the game, Louisville definitely has strengths returning...before we even look at new additions

PITCHING should not be a problem for UofL. Both Taylor Roby and Danielle Watson return to the circle and I can see them splitting the majority of the time there. Paige Schindler is also listed as a right-handed pitcher. Kyra Snyder saw action in the circle as well. The loss of Megan Hensley, although significant, is one of those things you can't avoid...players eventually graduate and move on. 

CATCHING should be very solid with Rebecca Chung behind the plate. Between her powerful bat and ability to gun down runners on base, it's hard not to imagine her seeing the bast majority of time in front of the umpire. Cassidy Greenwood is listed as a catcher as well and showed dependability in her playing time. Madison Cousineau saw some starts for the Cards in 2019 behind the plate and will be missed. 

FIRST BASE should continue to be strong with Kyra Snyder covering the bag. As mentioned, she's also listed as a pitcher but only made two appearances in the circle for a total of five innings. She played almost every other inning "at the bag" and did it quite effectively in 2019. Unless Aprile decides to move her into a pitching role, she should be covering first for UofL in 2020.

Madison Ciaccio has experience at the spot also. 

SECOND BASE. When Blaire Bass went down with the knee injury early in 2019, Maddy Newman took over the position and was a ball magnet on the right side of the diamond. Newman also showed she had some very good hitting skills and I expect to see her continue to grow and develop for Louisville. 

SHORTSTOP. Caitlin Ferguson has played both short and third in her three years at Louisville and would appear to have short "locked down" again, unless Aprile moves her to third. She was the starter at short in 2019 and made some very nice plays there. 

THIRD BASE.  This is an area that Aprile will need to fill, with Sidney Melton's graduation. Eden Mayo, Erin Wilbur and Madison Ciaccio are all listed as reserve infielders. Does Aprile go there, or move someone from another position to "the hot corner" or put a freshman by the bag? We'll watch with interest the developments there. 

LEFT FIELD.  Charley Butler had the ground well covered unless she went out with an ACL injury. Jordyn Wolfe stepped in and handled to sport quite well. With right-field being vacant also (we'll get to that) you would figure Butler to start out in the grass somewhere, but, that'll all depend on the knee. Either way, Louisville will be solid at the spot 

CENTER FIELD. This is Celene Funke's domain and she plays the spot with abandon and fiery competition. Moving over from left after the 2018 season and graduation of Nicole Pufahl, Funke made herself right at home covering the middle of the outfield and we can see no reason she won't do the same in 2020. 

RIGHT FIELD.  Megan Hensley saw a lot of time there in 2019 and Riley Schindler patrolled the area when Hensley was in the circle. Aprile will have a key decision to make for 2020. Does she move Wolfe to right or put Schindler in the spot full time? Could Butler go to right? Another spot we'll be watching and wondering about when the squad gathers in the spring for pre-season ball. 


*************************************************************************************************************

So, the Holly Aprile Era has begun and year one is complete. The former Pittsburgh coach led the Cards to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 and to their first "winner's bracket" final. 

Highlights would include several major wins against top 25 programs. Two against FSU, a walk-off victory over Kentucky, a win at Virginia Tech, a win over Missouri -- plus victories against Northwestern and Michigan. 

We saw plenty of spotlight moments from Softball's student-athletes. Charley Butler and Jordyn Wolfe both "dove" their way into SportsCenter Top 10 recognition with amazing fielding catches. Rebecca Chung and Taylor Roby each received praise from "that four-letter network for their walk-off hits against FSU and Kentucky. 

Several individuals had seasons that ranked them in certain categories in the NCAA and several program records fell this season. 

SIDNEY MELTON

-- 11th in the country with 35 stolen bases. A school record
-- 23rd at .60 steals per game 
-- 4 steals against Morehead St., a school record for a game.
-- 68 career steals, good for second all-time career at UofL
-- 157 runs scored, placing her in the top three in UofL history

CELENE FUNKE

-- 31st in the nation with 29 steals
-- 13 triples, good to lead the NCAA this season and a UofL single-season record
-- 15 career triples, currently in a tie for second all-time at Louisville.
-- Funke still has a year to go, so we expect there are many more record within her reach

MEGAN HENSLEY

-- Four grand-slams, tying her for first in Cardinal program history
-- 38 home runs, good for a tie for second all-time at UofL
-- Nine career saves from the circle, fifth in program history
-- With 543.2 innings pitched, she is fifth in program history
-  50 career wins, fifth in program history




DANIELLE WATSON 

-- 164 strike outs, a career-high and 72nd in the nation
-- 269 career strike outs put her in the top 10 in program history. She still has two years       remaining to better this mark.

Some team numbers of note would include leading the nation in triples in 2019 (31) and stealing 106 bases, putting them 16th.in the country in this stat. 311 runs scored tied them for 33rd. in the nation and 5.36 runs per game is 42nd. in the country. 


The Cards do lose five seniors, in Hensley, Melton, Cousineau, Bass and Darianne Hale. Hensley and Melton spent their entire careers at Louisville, the other three were transfers into the program. All will be remembered for their contributions in their careers and missed. 

Stats aside, this squad set the tone for what expectations can be for Louisville softball. They were one of five ACC squads to make the NCAA Tournament and as Aprile starts to get "her players" on campus and the team grows even more familiar with "Holly-Ball", I fully expect the Cards to climb even higher in the polls, ACC and make yearly runs in the NCAA Tournament. 


Happy Wednesday and GO CARDS
Jared Anderson

Softball Upsets Northwestern -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Case Hoskins writes the Sunday CARDINAL COUPLE

column today, as regularly scheduled Sunday Columnist "Worldwide" Jeff McAdams wrote Saturday's article. )

Cards Advance to Regional Finals

After a lengthy rain delay in the fifth inning yesterday, Louisville was able to hold on against the hosting Northwestern Wildcats to advance to today's final game(s). The Cards defeated NU 2-1 at around 7:15 p.m.Eastern time, after which two games still had to be played. Northwestern had to compete in the second of the two, which wrapped up after midnight local time. The Cards and Cats will hit the field for the first of a possible two games at 2 p.m.Eastern today.

After the Cards went down 1-2-3 with two strikeouts in the top of the first, Northwestern came to bat with a bit more patience at the plate. The Wildcats coaxed three walks out of Danielle Watson to load the bases before Watson was able to pick up the third out with a strikeout looking on a 2-2 count. Sometimes patience can bite you. In the second, the Cards went 3 up, 3 down after a huge beginning to the inning. .

Those three outs came after first batter of the inning Taylor Roby took the first pitch she saw over the fence in right center field. Louisville led 1-0. Moving to the bottom of the second, Northwestern was able to get some action going, as they put two runners on base with one out before Watson shut down the momentum with a pop out and a strikeout. 

The next two and a half innings would see a total of two base runners reach, a walk and a single in
the bottom of the third. Louisville played five innings at bat with just the one base runner being Roby's home run. After the top of the fifth, the weather delay started. It began with rain coming down fairly hard, putting the game into a rain delay.

As the rain appeared to let up, lightning took its place, bringing on required 30 minute delays. Everyone watched as the day moved on, knowing the schedule showed the continuation of this game plus two more for the evening. The wait continued. After a 3 hour and 11 minute delay, Northwestern took their shot at the bottom of the fifth. They got one single and Watson shut down the inning.

In the sixth inning, for the fifth time, Louisville went 3 up, 3 down. In the bottom half, for only the second time, Danielle Watson faced the minimum. An error still put a runner on base, but that runner was eliminated after the next batter hit into a double play. The top of the seventh was familiar to Louisville fans. Sidney Melton, like Taylor Roby, led off the inning with a home run. It took Melton one more pitch to do it, but she sent a 1-0 fastball directly over the center field fence. The Cards' next three batters were sat down in order.

Needing three outs to avoid advance, Louisville once again sent out Danielle Watson and for the first time all day, she was tagged. Watson got two quick outs with a strikeout and fly out, but the third batter reached on Watson's sixth walk of the day. She was brought home by a double that went over Hensley's head in right, making the Louisville fans a bit nervous. Northwestern sent out a pinch hitter to try to bring in the tying run or more, but Watson kept the ball on the ground for an easy grounder to Fergie to end the game. 

Overall, Northwestern's Danielle Williams threw a perfect game outside of the two home runs. She struck out ten Cardinals and allowed no baserunners otherwise. Roby and Melton saved the Cards by finding just enough pop to send their hits over the fence. Danielle Watson, on the other hand, found herself in trouble most of the day, but was able to show the resolve to pitch out of it in every situation. It was a testament to Holly Aprile's trust in her pitcher to not pull Watson in any of the situations that could have led to some damage by the Wildcat hitters.

We'll see who Aprile trusts today as the Cards will take on the Wildcats today until one of the two teams has two losses on the weekend.

Hopefully, Louisville can come out and win the first game and be done with it. If not, the Cards will have the advantage of Northwestern playing back to back games after a very late night last night. First pitch is set for 2 P.M. Eastern. Television is not listed, but you should be able to find it on ESPN 3 on-line As the 16th seeded regional, it's not likely the Cards vs. Wildcats will get ESPN or ESPN 2.

Best of luck to Holly's Heart-stoppers! One win away from the Cards first-ever Super Regional!

Follow Paulie on Twitter today for updates:  @cardinalcouple






LINK: Post-game comments from Danielle Watson, Sidney Melton and Holly Aprile below:

DANIELLE, SIDNEY and HOLLY

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Cardinal Softball Video from Tuesday -- WBB November Tournament -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

CARDS PREPARE FOR EVANSTON

Paulie and our Cardinal Couple Radio Hour friend and associate Daryl Foust, from Kentucky Women Talk Sports and The Crunch Zone joined other members of the media at Ulmer Stadium yesterday to talk with Louisville Softball head coach Holly Aprile and a few of the Louisville Softball players after a practice to prepare them for the Evanston Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament. 



Paulie attached audio clips in yesterday's Cardinal Couple Column featuring Aprile, Danielle Watson, Madison Cousineau and Celene Funke. Today, thanks to Daryl, we have video clips of all but Funke. Just a note, the Funke interview was a Cardinal Couple exclusive and Daryl did not catch this one on video. It was more or less an impromptu chat with the center-fielder. 


Thanks to Daryl for the video feeds! 

Coach Aprile went first and talked about how their placement in the Evanston region of the #16 seed tournament was not so surprising. She claimed she was not nervous leading up to when the Cards were the second-to-last team called. She did mention that she was happy to have a few days off from games so they could practice and get back to the basics. 

LINK:  HOLLY APRILE VIDEO

Next was pitcher Danielle Watson. She was confident that her team would go dancing in the tournament. The sophomore pitcher was happy for her teammates Sidney Melton and Megan Hensley being able to play in the tournament in their final year. 




LINK:  DANIELLE WATSON VIDEO





Madison Cousineau spoke next. The senior catcher has been to the NCAA Tournament one other time, when she was a freshman at Mississippi State. "Cousin" talked about how she has been helping younger players along through her own experiences. She also mentioned some of the ways the team was staying loose, including the fun outing of the "slip 'n slide" at Ulmer Stadium. 

LINK:  MADISON COUSINEAU VIDEO

As Paulie and Daryl were leaving they walked by the batting cages and were greeted by Sidney Melton and Celene Funke. The chance to do a quick, impromptu chat with "Trip" Funke presented itself and the selection show, a look ahead to Northwestern and her success in hitting triples was discussed.

Funke leads DI College Softball in triples and we appreciate her taking a moment to chat with us during hitting practice.

Her advice to aspiring young softballers? Run, run, run. 

 Here's the audio for that one: 



LINK:  CELENE FUNKE AUDIO WITH PAULIE


Louisville begins their quest in the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 1 p.m. against Southern Illinois on the Northwestern diamond. 



WBB ANNOUNCES TOURNAMENT IN NOVEMBER

Although it shouldn't be too cold yet here in the Derby City, the Louisville Cardinals Women's Basketball team will be flying south around Thanksgiving for some early season games. The Cards will travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands to compete in the 2019 Paradise Jam. We'll call this one the "Turkey in the Tropics Tournament". 

Louisville will be joined by Baylor, Indiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington State, Oklahoma State and UT-Arlington for the tournament, held November 28-30. The concept is two four-team brackets competing in round-robin play for two separate championships, 

Louisville is in their bracket with Oregon, Oklahoma State and UT-Arlington. Their bracket is known as the Island division. Daily tip-off are planned for 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. EST. 

Ticket and travel information can be accessed at  paradisejam.com  beginning in June. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday and Go Cards! 

Jared. 

Softball Drops Game One -- DERBY DAY CARDINAL COUPLE

DERBY DAY IN THE VILLE

The First Saturday in May is Kentucky Derby Day. The eyes of the world turn to Louisville, KY for the most exciting two minutes in sports. In keeping with our long standing tradition here at CARDINAL COUPLE, here is Dan Fogelberg's song about the event. Derby won't be the same without John Asher, but -- he'd tell us to enjoy the day and celebrate the Run For The Roses.

LINK: RUN FOR THE ROSES -- Dan Fogelberg

In Dan's words:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Change horses in the middle of the stream if you choose. There is a place in the world for a gambler, so  Explore, Dream, Discover." 

Softball Falls Behind Early, Can't Recover

Playing in their final regular season series, Louisville gave up a two run blast in the bottom of the first inning against NC State that would prove to be the difference. Louisville brought the deficit down to one run twice in the game, but ultimately fell 4-3.  The Cards will continue the series today at 1PM if you're looking to double screen some softball alongside your Derby Day festivities.

All was not lost in the game, though. As Paulie mentioned yesterday, Sidney Melton gets on base a lot. She also steals bases a lot. In fact, with her steal yesterday, Melton broke the UofL softball record for single season steals. Sidney Melton has meant quite a bit to this program in her time here, and now there will be a lasting mark to commemorate her tenure.

 As for the rest of team, Louisville was mostly held quiet on the day offensively. The Cards finished with just four hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch, though they did strikeout just once. The Cards just weren't able to get going, either putting players on base or driving them in. Of Louisville's three runs scored, only one was credited with an RBI. It was none other than Sidney Melton. Melton knocked in Celene Funke with a fielder's choice groundout. Funke had gotten into scoring position with, you guessed it, a triple. She maintains her national lead on the stat. Joining Funke in crossing the plate were Melton and Kyra Snyder, both who scored on separate wild pitches.

Danielle Watson pitched the complete six innings in this one, scattering seven hits, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch, while striking out five. Unlike the Cards, though, the Wolfpack were able to string together a few of their hits to score four earned runs. NC State was led by Logan Morris, who went 2-3 with two RBIs and 2 runs scored.

With last week's game 3 win, Louisville locked themselves into finishing at least .500 in conference play this season, already an improvement on last season's 10-12 finish. However, the Cards will need to finish strong to hold off Georgia Tech for seeding in the conference tournament. One win would guarantee at least a tie, in which Louisville would hold the tiebreaker. That said, it would be nice to finish the season with a series victory over a team just hovering at .500 overall. Game two today. Let's see what happens.

Kentucky Oaks Doesn't Quite Go to Plan

Yesterday's main race got off to an inauspicious start when a couple of pinched horses ended with a jockey getting sent over the top. Fortunately, Manny Franco was able to roll out of the way as Positive Spirit tumbled down, and both were able to bolt away from the scene of the incident. Franco turned himself over to stewards willingly, while the filly was a bit harder to track down. Following the race, it was reported that Positive Spirit was unofficially medically cleared, but that more examination was to come. A preliminary positive report is much better than the alternative.

As the race thundered on, things continued to shock, as Bellafina was seemingly interested in doing anything but run for the lillies. The heavy favorite finished fifth, behind Champagne Anyone. Lady Apple showed, Liora placed, and Serengeti Empress (not Express, as a twinspires graphic showed in a postrace email) took home the prize. It was hardly what anyone expected (at least from what I could tell), but if today has anything planned for us like yesterday did, it will be an exciting day of racing.

Did You Know? 

Our fearless leader Paulie does a bit of horse handicapping? 

Check out his Derby Day selections at his personal website

LINK: PAULIE PICKS

Note:  The picks at this site and intended for entertainment purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of the Cardinal Couple crew. If you wager, do so responsibly and within your budget. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour -- Off the Air

As we alluded to last week, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour has the week off due to Derby Festivities. As always, tune into WCHQ FM for all your local music and news.

We'll be back next week to discuss golf and softball postseason happenings.

Have a great Derby Day, wherever you are !!

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-