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 Hosts Western Kentucky -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Hosts Western Kentucky

Following a seven-game road trip, Louisville softball returns home to Ulmer Stadium for a four-game stretch. First on the docket is a rematch with Western Kentucky. The Cards beat the Hilltoppers 3-2 earlier this season in Bowling Green.

WKU is 24-19 on the season including 10-10 in Conference USA. Most recently, the Toppers swept New Mexico State at home but was run-ruled by Kentucky before that.

Only two Western Kentucky players are currently hitting over .300- Maci Masters with a .320 batting average across 125 at bats and Jenna Blanton with a .545 batting average across 44 at bats. They hit .270 as a team with 204 runs scored. Roughly 10% of their total hits are home runs.

From a pitching standpoint, four Toppers have stepped foot in the circle. They have a combined 3.47 ERA this season, giving up 282 hits and 165 runs. They have struck out 196 batters compared to 149 walks.

For Louisville, where the Cards have lacked in power hitting, they have made up for in speed and aggressive base running. The lead the ACC with 89 stolen bases, 2.07 steals per game, and 23 triples. Chelsea Mack and Easton Lotus lead the conference with 18 steals apiece. The 23 triples is also good for third-best in the country. They rank in the top 15 in stolen bases per game.

Louisville is 4-1 against in-state opponents this season and look to improve on that mark tonight. First pitch is set for 6:00 pm and will be aired on ACCNX.

(Photos by Jared)

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Falls in Game 1 vs Duke -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Comeback Comes Up Short

Louisville softball fell behind early in the opening game of their series against Duke yesterday, but they made a hard push to come back at the Blue Devils. Unfortunately, the hole was just a bit too deep for them to recover, and the teams will continue the weekend with Duke taking the 1-0 series lead after a 7-5 victory. 

Brooke Gray got the start for the Cards and the Blue Devils welcomed her into the game rather rudely. The leadoff batter laid down a bunt single and advanced to second on a first pitch single into right by the #2 hitter. A foul out gave Gray a chance to recover, but a walk loaded the bases with one out. In the heart of the order, Duke knocked a single into left, scoring two, and the batter advanced to second on what was considered an error by the left fielder. I assume this was a throwing error, but it isn't listed so.... who knows? Another single scored the two remaining baserunners, one being unearned, before a pair of fly outs ended the top half of the first. Louisville trailed 4-0.

To their credit, the Cards tried to respond immediately. Easton Lotus had an unfortunate foul out before Chelsea Mack was, shockingly, thrown out at first on a bunt single attempt. I guess teams are starting to look for that. Char Lorenz singled, and Bri Despines reached on an infield error. Taylor Monroe was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but a strikeout ended the rally. 

Gray settled in a bit in the second by taking care of a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. Unfortunately, Louisville responded with a 1-2-3 inning of their own. They were able to put the bat on the ball, but that doesn't offer much consolation. Gray returned in the third and went walk, flyout, steal, single before her day was ended. Sam Booe came on in a tough spot with runners on the corners and one out, but stepped up herself to help Gray's ERA a bit. After a steal put runners on second and third, a squeeze bunt attempt popped up and Booe flashed the leather to catch it herself. She then put together a seven-pitch strikeout to end the inning.

The bottom of the third was remarkably similar to the bottom of the first, with Lotus and Mack getting out, Lorenz singling, and Monroe taking an HBP to load the bases. The only difference was that Despines walked instead of reaching on an error. Katie Thatcher came in to pinch hit, but Louisville left the bases loaded for the second time in three innings. They still trailed 4-0.

For the good ending to the third she had, Booe's start to the fourth was similarly less than ideal. A pair of singles were followed by a fielder's choice to get the lead runner at third, but a walk loaded the bases anyway. A Duke single scored two and Lindsey Mullen came on in relief. Mullen was able to limit the damage with a strikeout and a fly out, but the lead had grown to 6-0. 

Louisville's offense finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth. After a groundout, Maddi Grant doubled to center and Riley Janda came on to pinch run. Ally Alexander hit a grounder straight to short, which is not really what you want with a runner on second, but the traffic on the base paths meant everyone ended up safe. With runners on the corners, Duke shifted into a five infielder set up, which Easton Lotus punished with a two-run triple to left. A groundout meant the Cards were down to their final out, but Lorenz stepped up with her third straight single to score Lotus. Not to be outdone, Despines got tired of reaching only first while at the plate, so she smoked a two-run homer to right center. Monroe couldn't pick up her third HBP of the game, but Louisville left the fourth down just one run: 6-5.

Unfortunately, the Cards wouldn't score again. Perhaps if they had one more inning, they could have had a five-run eighth, but that's not the way it goes. In their remaining three trips to the plate, Louisville mustered just one walk and one single, not in the same inning. Duke was largely held in check, as well, until a solo home run in the top of the seventh. That set the final at 7-5. 

Both teams were able to find success on opposing pitchers, but Louisville would have hoped for a bit more consistency at the plate and a bit more stability from the bullpen. Mullen pitched the best of the Cardinal hurlers yesterday, finishing with just three hits, one run, and a strikeout in 3.2 innings. Booe, as I mentioned, started out well but ended up giving up three hits, two runs, and a walk with one strikeout in her one full inning. Gray got dinged around in the first, but was helped out immensely by Booe in the third. She finished with five hits, four runs (three earned), two walks, and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings. 

Louisville's offense managed eight hits, two walks, and two HBP, and they scored all five of their runs on one pitcher. The Cards struck out four times, and although eight runners left on base doesn't seem like too terribly many, the fact that six of the eight were with the bases loaded is definitely painful. Char Lorenz continued to show why she's batting third, getting three hits in four at bats and Despines reached base three times as well. 

The Cards and Blue Devils will continue the series at 2PM today, with today's game airing on ACCN proper. Louisville will look to pick up a ranked win and fight for another series victory, while Duke tries to finish off the series and climb back to where they think they should be in the ACC standings. 

No CCRHP This Week

I know that last week I said we'd probably be back this week, but sometimes things go sideways. Our hosts are still a bit scattered, and some things have been abnormal, as you may have guessed from the column schedule. We appreciate your patience and continued support and we'll get the podcast back in your feeds as soon as we can. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

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. 

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

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 Beats CMU; Big Game for WBB -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Hangs on to Beat CMU 13-9

After it looked like a run-rule was in order early in yesterday's game against Central Michigan, Louisville ultimately had to buckle down and defend a much closer than expected lead against the Chips. In the end, the Cards never trailed, and put the game away with a 3-run sixth to deflate CMU's comeback hopes. 

Lindsey Mullen got the start yesterday afternoon and put herself in a bit of a jam early. After a leadoff flyout, Mullen split a pair of singles with a strikeout. A steal put runners on second and third with two outs, but Lindsey was able to coax a full count infield pop-up to end the inning. Louisville's offense immediately went to work to protect her. Easton Lotus opened with a single, and Chelsea Mack followed with a bunt single, again proving why even a sacrifice bunt isn't safe for the defense against her. Bri Despines punished the Chips right away with a first pitch double to score Lotus. Char Lorenz then singled straight up the middle to score the pair, and moved to second as the defense tried to throw out Despines at home. A steal put Lorenz at third, and CMU finally got an out by striking out Madison Pickens. Taylor Monroe had an RBI single to score Lorenz but was thrown out trying to stretch for second. Katie Thatcher stepped in, determined she didn't need anyone on base to pick up an RBI, and dumped her first home run of the season over the fence in left-center. A flyout ended the inning and the Cards led 5-0.

Mullen flirted with danger again in the top of the second, as she and Pickens (starting at catcher) struggled to get on the same page. A leadoff single turned into a runner in scoring position on a passed ball. Another single put runners on the corners and another passed ball put two in scoring position. Mullen got the first out with a weak grounder straight back to the circle that held the runners. She then walked the younger Lotus sister to load the bases with one out. Mullen was able to dig deep and find the outs, though, putting up a pair of Ks to strand the bases loaded. 

Ally Alexander opened the bottom half with a single and moved to second on an error. She got a bit greedy, though, and the catcher got her revenge for the error, when Alexander was picked off by a throw behind. The pickoff was costly, as Lotus then doubled to left-center. A productive ground out from Mack moved Lots to third, and Despines singled her home. Another Char Lorenz single put two in scoring position as Lorenz advanced on the throw, and Pickens made up for her out in the first with a two-run double. Pickens, unfortunately, overran the bag at second expecting a throw home, but the cut off went to second instead and she was too late to retreat. Louisville added three to their lead and held an 8-0 advantage.

Lindsey Mullen's luck ran out in the third. Though she picked up her fourth strikeout of the game on the second batter of the inning, it followed a leadoff double. A bunt single put runners on the corners, and a one-out single scored a run and left two on. Izzy Harrison came on in relief, but her outing was short lived. After nine pitches walked the bases loaded and a run in, Ryann Sanders took the circle to face Emma Lotus. Lotus walked for the second time, this time intentionally after a wild pitch scored a run and opened a base. Sanders then got a pop out and a flyout to end the inning. As Mullen put all three runners that scored on base, she inherited the runs, giving her a final line of 2.1 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. It wasn't terrible given that we haven't seen much of her this season, but it does potentially speak to why the circle has largely been limited to Alyssa Zabala, Sam Booe, and Brooke Gray. 

As CMU's offense warmed up, Louisville's cooled off. The Cards saw a new pitcher in the third and went three up, three down on just seven pitches. Sanders came back out for the fourth and got a good start, picking up a pair of fly outs to open the inning. Back to back two-strike singles were followed by a full-count single to score a run, and Holly Aprile called on Sam Booe in relief. Booe gave up a single to allow a second run to come in, but picked up a ground out to end the inning. 

The Cards added two more in the bottom of the fourth, with the top of the order leading the way again. Lotus got her third hit in as many at-bats, and Mack had another bunt single to advance her. Despines moved both up with a ground out, and Lorenz matched Lotus's continuation of the perfect day by doubling in the pair. Pickens at bat is listed as "out at first 1b to 2b" so I have to assume it was a bunt attempt. Why they left off the "grounded out" part is unclear, but oh well. Louisville extended their lead back to 10-5. 

With Booe in the circle, Aprile shuffled the defensive lineup to get Despines behind the plate. Pickens was moved to right and Thatcher stepped off the field into the DP slot. The move didn't appear to help a ton, as Booe gave up a pair of singles to open the inning anyway. She settled in, though, as the Cards used three straight ground balls to end the inning, never throwing it to first (FC to third, FC to second, FC at second unassisted). The offense faced another three up, three down in the bottom half. 

Sam Booe became the next victim of CMU's resilient offense. A leadoff single was followed by a full-count walk and a four-pitch walk, and Aprile pulled the plug again. In a five-run game with the bases loaded and nobody out, Aprile turned to Brooke Gray as her fifth pitcher of the day. It looked like a great decision, as Gray struck out the first two batters she faced to quickly flip the script of the inning for CMU. Unfortunately, it took one swing of the bat to flip it right back. On the eighth pitch of a full-count at-bat, Carly Sleeman sent one over the fence in left-center for a grand slam. Another full count drew a walk, but Gray got the flyout to end the inning. Booe was credited with three of the runs, and Louisville's lead was just 10-9. 

The Cards responded one more time, with Alexander opening the inning with a double. Lotus followed with a ground ball to third that was ruled a single and an error, as the throw missed the mark but was late anyway. Alexander scored and Lotus moved to second. Mack singled up the middle and moved to second on the throw home, where Easton was beaten to the plate by the throw from her sister Emma in center field. Despines tripled to score Mack, and Lorenz's perfect day ended on a pop up. Pickens singled to score Despines, and Ava Venturelli had a pinch-hit double. Pickens held at third, though, and a foul out ended the inning with no more runs. Louisville pushed the lead back to 13-9, which is where it stayed. Gray pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning and the Cards celebrated the victory. 

Louisville's top of the order showed why the offense can be so dangerous today. The first four hitters in the lineup all hit at least .750, with Lotus going a perfect 4-4. Among their 13 (!) hits, those four accounted for 18 total bases. They scored 11 of Louisville's runs and had eight of the RBIs. Preeeeeetty good. They also didn't leave any runners on base. Louisville, as a team, finished with 20 hits for 31 total bases and only left three runners on base. The Cards saw the ball well, striking out just once as a team and drawing no walks. That's right. They had 20 hits on 34 at bats and had just one strikeout. They didn't reach base via walk or error, as both CMU throwing errors were ruled hits before the errors. 

On the pitching side, it was a weird day. There's a strong chance that the cold and wind played a part, but nine earned runs on fifteen hits and seven walks is a yikes. Louisville matched the seven walks with seven strikeouts, but those seven Ks came from pitchers who threw just two of the walks. They'll want to clean that up. 

Louisville made the decision, as the wind stayed strong and the temperature dropped, to cancel yesterday evening's game against Northwestern. The Cards will face the Wildcats in the final game of the Cardinal Classic today at 1:30. Louisville moved to 14-5 with the win yesterday, and they'll see if they can continue what has been a good showing against Big Ten schools so far this year. If you don't feel like heading out to sit in the 30 degree weather at Ulmer, the game will be available on ACCNX. 

WBB Closes Regular Season at Notre Dame

Today is a big one. College Gameday is in South Bend for #25 Louisville and #3 Notre Dame for what is a huge game for both teams. After the win on Sunday against UNC slipped through Louisville's fingers, the Cards find themselves on the wrong side of the double-bye cut line entering the final day. Everything went wrong for Louisville Thursday, despite the victory over Clemson, as Duke beat the Tar out of the Heels, and FSU upset Notre Dame in South Bend to set up a four-way tie for third in the conference. 

This game has been big for Notre Dame since last Sunday, when they lost in double-overtime in Raleigh. The loss put ND and NC State on a collision course for a tie atop the league, with NC State holding the tiebreaker. Notre Dame's loss on Thursday made today's game even more dire. The Irish must win and have NC State lose at SMU to take the top spot. They'd also like to avoid a three game losing streak to close the season, and a Louisville win would give ND back-to-back home losses. Things aren't looking good for Louisville in the "Notre Dame motivation" department. 

On the Louisville side, the Cards are in a pickle. Four teams are vying for two spots among the double-byes. On decision day, UNC plays Virginia in Chapel Hill, and Duke and FSU play each other in Tallahassee. Let's look at the scenarios. One of Duke and FSU will go to 14-4. Louisville holds the two-way tiebreaker over both teams, so the two-way scenarios are simple. If Louisville wins and UNC loses, the Cards will be the 3-seed. If Louisville loses and UNC wins, Louisville will be the 5-seed. 

Now here's where things get a bit tricky, as Louisville and UNC getting the same result triggers a three-way tie. The first three-way tiebreaker is the record amongst the teams in the tie. Louisville has played each team just once, which puts them at a minor disadvantage. Louisville will be 1-1 in this category regardless of who wins the Duke/FSU game. UNC played Duke twice, going 1-1, and FSU once, going 0-1. That means a three-way tie with Duke would be UNC (2-1),  Louisville (1-1), and Duke (1-2). A three-way tie with FSU would see all three teams at 1-1, which triggers tiebreaker 2: record against highest rated teams. Now the battle for first comes back into play. UNC beat NC State, so if the Wolfpack are first in the league, UNC wins the three-way tie and Louisville then holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over FSU. If the Irish are first, FSU takes the three-way tie and UNC holds the head-to-head over Louisville.

Because UNC holds both three-way tiebreakers over Louisville, the Cards cannot get the 4-seed with a loss. Louisville and UNC both losing would mean Duke/FSU winner takes the 3-seed and UNC takes the 4-seed. However, this also means that Louisville can guarantee themselves a double-bye with a win. If Louisville beats Notre Dame, the Irish will be second in the league, regardless of the result of the NC State game against SMU. That means that UNC will win either three-way tiebreaker, and Louisville holds the head-to-head over Duke and FSU.

So, despite all the convoluted tiebreaker scenarios, Louisville's fate is actually pretty simple: win and you get a double-bye; lose and you don't. No pressure, Cards.

Today's game tips at noon on ESPN. 

ACC Tournament Pick 'Em 

Later today, we we ill know the seedings for the ACC Tournament. We will have our annual Pick 'Em...and you can enter in pour comments sections..up to tip off Wednesday. We will also have Sonya's pick in  the comments later today...winner hets their choice between a Cracker Barrel Gift Card or a Wagner's Restaaurant ( a UofL favorite...) Gift Card...a $25  card!  The tournament is free, just make sure to enter a total score for the final game guess, in case of ties. closest to wins... 

Fire away in the comments section when we have an offiicial finish...

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Wins Home Opener -- WBB Senior Day Tonight -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Open Home Season With Blowout Win

Louisville softball had a warm welcome home, both figuratively and literally, as they defeated crosstown rival Bellarmine 10-0 in five innings. Temperatures broke into the 70s for the first time of the 2025 calendar year and the Cards couldn't be stopped with aggressive baserunning.

The Cards pieced together 10 runs on 10 hits while capitalizing on a pair of Bellarmine errors and multiple obstruction calls.

Brooke Gray got the start in the circle for the Cards, earning her third win on the early season. In her three innings of work, Gray surrendered two hits but maintained a shutout. Izzy Harrison came in relief for the final two innings, striking out six and walking one.

Louisville jumped out front early. After Chelsea Mack and Bri Despines found ways to get on base and advance to scoring position, Char Lorenz drove both runners in. The Cards recorded four successful steals in the first inning.

With two outs in the second inning, Louisville pieced together a four-run rally with Easton Lotus, Bri Despines, Chelsea Mack, and Madison Pickens crossing the plate.

Louisville did more damage in the third inning before recording any outs. Maddi Grant led off with the only triple of the game and was followed by a double by Ally Alexander. Easton Lotus followed with a single and the Cards found themselves threatening to run rule the Knights.

In the fourth inning, UofL pieced together two more runs to add a little insurance. The inning was highlighted by a 10-pitch at bat for Taylor Monroe, who capped it off with an rbi double.

Louisville finished the game 8-for-9 on steals with the only unsuccessful attempt coming in the fourth inning. The Cards had five multi-base hits and had no strikeouts on the offensive end.

The Cards remain home to host the Cardinal Classic this weekend. They will play five games from Friday-Sunday. 

Cards WBB Host Clemson for Senior Day

Photo by Go Cards

Senior Day for Louisville women's basketball has already arrived. The Cards will face off against Clemson at 6:00pm for their final home game of the regular season. It will be aired on tv on ACC Network.

Prior to the game, Olivia Cochran, Merissah Russell, Jayda Curry, and Ja'Leah Williams will be recognized in the Senior Ceremony. Cochran and Russell are both five-year players at Louisville. Curry has been with the Cards for the last two seasons while Williams used her final year of eligibility at Louisville this season.

Clemson, under first year head coach Shawn Poppie, is 13-14 this season. The sit near the bottom of the ACC at 6-10. The former Clemson had coach, Amanda Butler, is on the Louisville coaching staff as an assistant

Photo by Go Cards

While the Tigers don't have a ton of strengths, they have been efficient with their three-point shooting and have had strong bench scoring. Loyal McQueen is one of the best point guards in the country, averaging 5.0 assists per game. Hannah Kohn has proved to be one of the best three-point shooters nationally with 75 made threes and nearly three per game.

Louisville leads the all-time series, 12-3. All 12 wins have come since the Cards joined the ACC. Last year, Louisville went down to Littlejohn Coliseum and won 81-64.

WALZ PRESSER 2/26/25

(Softball photos 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!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Sweeps Friday -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Wins Pair of 5-1 Games

Louisville softball is playing in the Joan Joyce Classic this weekend, and they opened the event with a pair of games against Villanova and Minnesota. After dropping their second game last Saturday against Radford, the Cards demolished Cleveland State on Sunday and entered the weekend 3-2. After yesterday's matching 5-1 victories, Louisville moves to 5-2 with their Saturday game underway at 9am and two games tomorrow. 

In the opener, Louisville played host against Villanova and Alyssa Zabala got the start. She walked the third batter she faced, but struck out the fourth to end the inning. Louisville came to the plate and decided to functionally win the game right out of the gate. Easton Lotus walked, stole second, and then took third on a wild pitch. Bri Despines ended up getting three more out of the zone and walked as well. Like Lotus ahead, she also stole second, leaving a pair of runners in scoring position for Char Lorenz to bring them home on a single. 2-0.

Lorenz wasn't able to be the third Cardinal in a row to steal second, as she was thrown out, but Madison Pickens took her spot after a hit by pitch. Maddi Grant doubled to put runners on second and third again, but Katie Thatcher popped out to give the Cards two outs. Taylor Monroe doubled both runners in, and Ally Alexander followed with another double to score Monroe. Chelsea Mack moved Alexander to third with a bunt single, but the inning ended on another caught stealing attempt. That gave Louisville a 5-0 lead on five hits, two walks, a hit by pitch, and no errors. Pretty good. 

Unfortunately, the Cards were only able to pick up one more walk and two more hits through the remaining six innings. The walk and one of the hits were strung together in the third, but nothing came of them and every other inning was fairly sad. Fortunately for Louisville, Zabala was strong in this one, pitching four innings and giving up just the one walk to go along with three hits. One of those hits was a solo home run in the fourth to score Villanova's only run. She struck out four. Sam Booe relieved Zabala in the fifth and pitched two innings with two hits, two walks, and a strikeout. Booe was replaced by Ryann Sanders for the seventh inning, and Sanders went three-up, three-down. 

Game two saw Louisville win with the same final score but in a rather different manner. Like the first game, Louisville functionally won in the first inning, but they didn't expend all of their offensive output in one go. Louisville was the away team and Easton Lotus opened the game with a single. In an effort to play a bit of small ball, Despines laid down a bunt to move her to second, but Minnesota's pitcher was willing to be a little more generous than that. An errant throw saw both runners go 180 feet rather than just 60, and the play ended with Lotus back in the dugout after scoring an unearned run and Despines standing on third. Despines would go on to score on a fielder's choice RBI by Pickens. 

Alyssa Zabala got the start again, though she would only go 2.1 innings in this one. Brooke Gray relieved Zabala after Alyssa gave up six hits and a run with two strikeouts. After Louisville scored a third run in the top of the third inning (Lorenz walked, Pickens walked, Grant productive groundout, wild pitch to score), Minnesota followed a ground out with a double and two straight singles to score their first run of the game. With runners on first and second and one out, Gray was called on to end the threat, which she did with a strike out and a pop out. Gray would go on to give up four hits and one walk and struck out three in her 4.2 innings. Louisville led 3-1 after three. 

Louisville put a runner on base in the fourth on a single and in the fifth on a walk, but they weren't able to bring either batter around. The Cards looked to be in for a big inning in the sixth when Taylor Monroe reached on an error to lead off and Jordan Williams singled to follow. The good vibes ended pretty quickly, though, when Monroe was thrown out trying to stretch the Williams single into two bases. A ground out gave the Cards two quick outs, but a Chelsea Mack single brought in Williams, who had moved to second on the throw out of Monroe. A fly out ended the inning with the Cards up 4-1. 

Louisville scored their final run on a two-out rally in the seventh. Madison Pickens singled to keep Louisville's inning alive and Maddi Grant rewarded her with an RBI triple. Louisville led 5-1 going into the final frame, and Minnesota looked like they'd consider putting up a fight. After a fly out, the Gophers found a gap for a double and followed it with a single to put two runners in scoring position. Gray was able to buckle down, though, and nab a strikeout to mean any out would win the game. A fly out to center did just that. 

All in all, it was a pretty good afternoon for the Cards. If there's one thing to clean up, it would be to not give up so many hits. While they spread just five against Villanova, they gave up ten to Minnesota and were lucky to not give up more runs. Part of that was not luck, as I'd be remiss to not mention a pair of web gems from Ally Alexander at third base. In one game, she had a leaping grab on what looked like a double if it got over her, and in the other she had a diving stop toward short before popping up and firing to first for the out from a knee. Pretty good stuff at the hot corner. 

Louisville is back in action with one game today against Minnesota, which is going on at the time of publication, and they'll play two tomorrow against Purdue (1:15) and host FAU (4). The Owls are ranked 25th in the country. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

I'm out this week for some home improvement items and Jared remains away. Daryl, Jeff, and Paulie will still bring you plenty of show with an exciting week for WBB and good showings from softball and lacrosse. 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!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case