Lacrosse Season Comes to a Close; Softball Sweeps -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Lacrosse Loses in Opening Round of ACC Tourney

After picking up their second conference win against Duke just over a week ago, Louisville found themselves seeded 8th in the conference tournament, ahead of both Duke and Pitt, the two teams they beat this season. Despite the worse overall record (Duke was 6-1 out of conference), Louisville hosted in the first round of the ACC tournament. Unfortunately, Duke was ready to get revenge for the close loss they suffered at the same stadium very recently. 

Duke got the scoring started early, and it looked for a bit like the Cards would be run off their own field. Duke scored the first three goals over seven and a half minutes, with the first coming less than two minutes into the contest. Negai Nakazawa finally put Louisville on the board with just over seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, but Duke answered to make it 4-1 a minute later. With just ten seconds left in the period, Hannah Morris scored her first goal of the game to cut the lead in half. 

Louisville opened the scoring in the second period, again with a goal from Negai Nakazawa. This time, Negai was assisted by her sister Kokoro and the Cards were within one. Duke was insistent on remaining up by a pair of goals, matching Nakazawa's second a minute later. Nicole Perroni got in on the action with 10:09 left in the half to bring Louisville back to one, and they played that way for a bit. Duke was able to extend their lead again before Hannah Morris went on a tear. With Louisville trailing 6-4, Morris rattled off three goals in a shade over three minutes to swing the advantage into Louisville's favor. Duke grabbed one more goal with 93 seconds left in the half, and the two teams entered the locker room tied.

It was the usual suspects for Louisville coming out of the break, as the first three and a half minutes saw Louisville go up by a pair on another Nakazawa double-feature to earn Negai the hat trick and a fifth goal from Morris. Duke remained focused, though, and they buckled down on defense. Louisville went five minutes before Allegra Catalano was able to score their tenth team goal of the game. In that time, Duke managed to score three of their own, with two coming just 14 seconds apart. The rest of the third quarter played tight, but neither team found the back of the net again. Just as they had started the third, they ended it tied.

To open the fourth, another Nakazawa goal found Louisville ahead by one. Kokoro was in charge this time, scoring her 22nd goal of the season. Unfortunately for Nakazawa and for Louisville, it was her (and the team's) last goal of the year. Duke tied it up with 8:43 remaining, and the rest of the game was agonizing for the Cards. After a yellow card put Louisville down a player, a second put the Cards down two with a minute left on the first penalty kill. Sara Addeche saved the free position shot created by the second foul (one of 16 saves in the complete game), but the pressure remained. Despite getting one player back on the field, Louisville played at a disadvantage for too long. Twenty seconds before the second penalty timed out, Duke scored to make it 12-11 with 3:54 remaining.

Louisville had their chances to tie it up once more, but it wasn't meant to be. A free position shot by Kokoro Nakazawa was saved while Negai had one shot go wide and another hit the post. It came down to a free position shot by Hannah Morris with ten seconds left. The attempt hit the post. It was Morris's only missed conversion of the game, and it's an extremely unfair way for her career to end. The graduate senior finishes her time at UofL with 138 goals and 19 assists in 74 games. She scored 43.3% of her shots and put 71.5% of her attempts on target.

Louisville's loss in the first round will put a cap on their season, as 5-12 will be unlikely to draw any attention for the NCAA tournament. Duke advances to the quarterfinals Wednesday to take on Boston College. We'll have plenty more to say about the lacrosse season as time goes on.

Softball Earns 9-2 Win in Finale at Virginia

After a bit of a barn-burner Saturday evening, Louisville left little doubt in their series finale in Charlottesville as they lumped the scoring on early to sweep the Cavaliers. Louisville used a mix of small ball and long shots to rack up the runs, and a couple of early Virginia runs were largely ignorable as the game went on. 

Korbe Otis got the game started off well for the Cards with a lead-off home run. Easton Lotus was first-pitch swinging after that and reached on an error. Taylor Roby singled Lotus all the way to third, and Virginia's starting pitcher found herself relieved of the ball. The new pitcher for the 'Hoos may have benefited from a bit more time warming up as she hit Sarah Gordon with the first pitch. Reaching scoring position with no outs saw Roby removed from the base paths with Mia Forsythe brought on to pinch run. The move paid off, as a Daisy Hess single scored two runs. With runners on second and third with nobody out, Louisville managed to score no more runs. So it goes sometimes. Louisville took a 3-0 lead into the bottom half.

Taylor Roby got the start again in this game and things started a bit less swimmingly for her than they did on Saturday. The first two batters singled, but Louisville halted their progress with a fielder's choice out at third to put runners on first and second with one out. Unfortunately, Roby immediately undermined the defense's efforts with a wild pitch to move both runners up. It came back to haunt her immediately, as a single scored both runners and the batter advanced on the throw to home. A ground out to first put the tying run at third base, and a full-count walk followed. Roby kept the lead alive by forcing a ground out to end the inning.

After Paige Geraghty grounded out to roll over the lineup, Otis picked up right where the top half of the order had left off in the first. She walked, and Lotus followed her with a single. Both advanced on a throwing error, and Roby helped get her runs back with a single to score Otis. Gordon was up next, and she singled as well. She and Roby both advanced an extra base as Virginia unsuccessfully attempted to throw out Easton Lotus at home. Another two-RBI single from Daisy Hess put Louisville up by five, but they would score no more in the inning. After a single and a fielder's choice that got no outs loaded the bases, a double-play ended the threat. A four spot left the Cards ahead 7-2. 

Virginia continued to put the bat on the ball against Roby. A single was followed by a come-backer right to Roby, who turned it into a double-play. Seeming to be out of a jam, she found herself right back in one with a single and a walk. Whether it was tiredness or Virginia having seen too much of her the night before, Coach Holly Aprile decided it was time for a change. Saturday's victor, Gabby Holloway, stepped into the circle and got a flyout to end the inning. 

With Otis batting for the third time in three innings, she couldn't keep the run going and Louisville quickly had two outs. Lotus kicked off a rally, though, and singled with two strikes. Roby walked, and Virginia made another pitching change before Sarah Gordon stepped in. This time, she elected to do the hitting instead of being hit by a new pitcher, and she singled up the middle to score Lotus. Daisy Hess stepped in and hit another single, this one deep enough to score Roby from second and give Hess her fifth RBI of the night. A ground out stranded a pair, but Louisville had extended their lead to 9-2. That would be the final. 

Duke managed to pick up just two hits and a walk off of Holloway over the next five innings, and they were all scattered. She earned four strikeouts and threw just 72 pitches over those five (it took her just two to get the final out of the second, bringing her total to 74). Louisville was similarly frustrated for the remainder of the game, though two of their three hits came in the same inning. The Cards were under a bit less pressure, though, playing with a seven-run lead instead of the inverse. Offensively, Louisville got perfect on-base nights from both Taylor Roby and Daisy Hess, with the pair combining for half of the team's 14 hits and two-thirds of its RBIs. 

Last night's win moved Louisville to 32-14 overall and 13-4 in the ACC. Despite some of the early losses (and some of the headscratchers later), Louisville has played quite well this season. The Cards are now 4-2 in conference series and have moved into third ahead of Duke based on win percentage. Louisville has played a series less than most teams in the league and one game less than Florida State due to the canceled game at Syracuse. Louisville has also scored just one run less than FSU and is just five behind the co-leaders in conference runs scored, Duke and Notre Dame, who have both played five more games than the Cards. The defense has been better than you might expect as well, with Louisville having given up fewer runs than everyone but FSU, Clemson, and UNC. That comes with a grain of salt, though, as the fewer games is definitely playing a part.

The Cards have the bookends of the conference remaining this season. They'll return to Ulmer to round out the home schedule with a series against last-in-the-league Boston College this weekend. On Derby weekend, as they usually do, they'll hit the road. Top-seeded FSU awaits, and Louisville will have a big chance to score some NCAA attention on that first weekend in May. A sweep of Boston College and at least one win against the Seminoles would be ideal, but they'll have to take it one game at a time.

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Lacrosse Cards Look to Take Down Team USA -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

As we're fully into the summer slump now, the news gets more and more sparse. I'm filling in for Daryl today, and I've got the write again tomorrow, so no fair jumping on me about not emptying the coffers in today's column. Daryl should return next week, but, for now, enjoy a look at Cards playing outside of their season.

Team Canada Heads to World Championship Final

Ten representatives from the Louisville lacrosse program went to Maryland last week to begin their representation of their countries. All ten advanced to the knockout stage of the final sixteen teams, but only one of the five teams remains. The team in question is Canada, which is home to six of the ten Cards participating in the tournament. The Canadians, led by Scott Teeter on the bench and featuring Kay Morissette on the field, had to knock out Monica Negron of Puerto Rico and Anna Lottmann of the Czech Republic. Kokoro Nakazawa's Japan team was knocked out by the US in the quarter finals and Stephanie McNamara's Australian squad fell to the Yanks in the semis. 

Canada, which is also represented by Allison Daley (assistant coach), Nicole Perroni, Hannah Morris, and Brenna Shanahan, defeated England 11-9 in their semifinal yesterday to advance to the rematch with the US. Kay Morissette had eight draw controls alone, matching the entire total for England. Team Canada and Team USA played each other to open the tournament in a game in which the US took victory 16-11. Team USA is chasing their fourth consecutive title as they will play in their 11th straight gold medal match. In addition to a rematch of the opener, this is also the third straight gold medal match to feature this matchup. Scott Teeter and company will look to finish the job tomorrow at Noon. The Lacrosse World Championship site gives conflicting reports for the television viewing, so be sure to check both ESPN2 and ESPNU around that time to find the game.

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Accolades for Several Cardinals -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

No Daryl today. She's working hard running the show at Louisville Slugger Field and welcoming back a fan favorite Cincinnati Reds who is down in Louisville temporarily. You get Jared again, which means you'll get at leasti one "selfie" in today's photos. 

In the world of UofL sports, we have no results to report. But we get to happily brag on several student-athletes!

Volleyball- Anna Stevenson

We'll start with a recent Cardinal alumna. Louisville volleyball's Anna Stevenson has been named to the US National Team. Currently ranked #1 in the world, Team USA holds the 2020 Olympic gold medal and is the three-time defending VNL national champion. Stevenson is one of 25 players to make the roster.

Since her ACC title and Final Four appearance with Louisville, Stevenson has been enjoying the engaged life while playing for Aydin Buyuksehir Belediyespor in Turkey.

A total of 14 players will be selected to travel each week as they play in the Philippines, Canada, and Turkey.

Softball- Carmyn Greenwood and Kendall Smith

Louisville softball had a pair of players named to the College Sports Information Directors of American Academic All-District team. To be considered for the honor, players must be a start or key reserve, maintain at least a 3.30 GPA, and be of sophomore level or higher at their respective institutions.

Greenwood is a two-time All-ACC selection and has been on the ACC Academic honor roll twice. Greenwood has had an All-American caliber season so perhaps there will be more accolades on the way for her?

Smith spent her final year of eligibility with the Cards after transferring in from Western Kentucky. She sat second on the team in batting average behind Greenwood and holds multiple Conference USA awards.

Lacrosse- Hannah Morris, Nicole Perroni, and Caroline Blalock

For Louisville lacrosse, three players received honors.

Hannah Morris and Nicole Perroni were named to the IWLCA All-Region Second Team. Morris was top on the team with 56 goals scored. She scored in 16 of the 18 games this year. Perroni was second on the team with 50 goals scored. Her 28 caused turnovers was a team best.

Caroline Blalock was named a USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention. She was all named to the All-ACC Second Team. Blalock was top three for Louisville in six statistical categories.

Guess The Athlete

We had some fun a couple weeks back with guessing a couple student-athletes that I had the chance to work with. I worked with another student-athlete last night so I figured we could play "Guess The Athlete" again.

Need a hint? She plays on Jeff's favorite Louisville team. She's a defensive specialist. She graduated high school here in Louisville.

Answer: Alexa Hendricks

We'll play again in the future as the opportunity to work with more of our awesome student-athletes presents itself.

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

Don't forget to tune into our World Famous Cardinal Couple Radio Podcast tomorrow ay 11:00 a.m. ET. We are happy to be back after taking last week off in honor of the Kentucky Derby.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Lax Bows Out of ACC Tournament -- Student-Athlete Mental Health -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Lacrosse Bows Out of ACC Tournament

A season full of 'what ifs' came to a frustrating close yesterday for Louisville lacrosse. The Cards fell in the opening round of the ACC Tournament to Pitt, 13-10.

After allowing the Panthers to score the first two goals of the match, Nicole Perroni went on a 3-0 run by herself to give the Cards a one-goal advantage before Pitt evened the score to close out the first quarter.

The second quarter was rough. Louisville's offense failed to score the enter period while the defense struggled and allowed four goals.

A trio of Cards found the back of the net in the third quarter while only allowing two goals to cut their deficit to 9-6.

A Perroni goal cut the score to 10-7 and a Caroline Blalock score made it 11-8, but Louisville wouldn't come within three until the final couple of minutes and ran out of time for a rally.

Perroni recorded a career-high five goals on the day. Caroline Blalock concluded her collegiate career with two goals. Allegra Catalano also scored two goals and Kylea Dobson added one.

J Pleck saw action in goal the entire match. She recorded seven saves to go along with 13 goals allowed.

For Louisville, a 7-11 season fell short of expectations. The Cards had four losses come by a one-goal deficit and lost a match by three goals and four goals each.

Scott Teeter's squad loses both Sarah Blalock and Caroline Blalock to graduation. Paige Richbourg, Hannah Morris, and Kirsten Parker are all listed as seniors, but all three still have the COVID-19 year of eligibility if they choose to elect to come back.

Student-Athlete Mental Health

One of the least talked about aspects of the life of a student-athlete is probably the darkest part- mental health. In the last few days, two schools have had to break the news of the loss of one of their student-athletes.

JMU softball player Lauren Bernett passed away a day after being named Conference Player of the Week. Wisconsin track star Sarah Schulze passed away on April 13. Both deaths were named as suicide for the cause of death.

Both deaths join a pair of other suicides since the beginning of March. Stanford women's soccer goalkeeper Katie Meyer passed away March 1. SUNY Binghamton University men's lacrosse goalie Robert Martin passed away on April 1.

Over the course of nine years from 2003-2012, the NCAA held a study through several doctors to follow the suicide rate among student-athletes. The original intent was to see if certain genders or sports had a higher suicide rate.

In the study, over 3,773,309 individual student-athletes were included. Of that, there were 477 deaths with 35 labeled as suicide. As anticipated, accidents and physical health related issues made up a majority of the 477 deaths.

The conclusion from the study was that the suicide rate in NCAA student-athletes was lower than that of a normal college student or the general public.

You can read a full released report of that study using this link - https://thecovidblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Athlete-suicide-study.pdf.

However, things change over time. And things have gotten worse. Another study by the NCAA early in the COVID-19 pandemic saw numbers get worse. One of the biggest results of the study was that the rates of reported mental health concerns was 1.5-2.0 times higher than that of pre-COVID-19 studies. As opposed to previous student, women athletes had more mental health concerns than men's athletes.

You can read a detailed report of that study using this link - https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/research/other/2020/2021RES_NCAA-SA-Well-BeingSurveyPPT.pdf.

I know this isn't joyful or exciting, but it's something that needs to be addressed and talked about much more around the country. Student-athletes have to balance daily life, school, and sports, which for a young person still developing in their early career, can be overwhelming and draining. The increased pressure with expectations of performance on the field/court has only added fuel to the fire.

I'm not expert on the topic, but seeing signs of mental health related issues even of student-athletes at UofL is concerning.

Some might remember the passing of UofL cheerleader Dani Cogswell back during the summer of 2014. Her cause of death was due to a drug overdose with multiple drugs found in her system. Some of those drugs, although illegal, were considered to help with mental health issues such as anxiety.

There's many steps that need to be taken by both the NCAA and each school to help address the issue. One of those is providing resources to the student-athletes.

On A Lighter Note

To end on a lighter note, we will release the answer to the two women student-athletes that I had the pleasure of working with earlier this week. There were some great guesses but no one guessed correctly.

In the white shirt is Abby Baldridge of women's soccer. In the grey shirt is Paige Morningstar of volleyball. The two are roommates and have become good friends in their first year at Louisville. They wanted to get some photos together and I was happy to oblige.

One of the cool things about working with student-athletes outside of their sport is getting a chance to know them better and get their personalities. They are able to showcase their sense of fashion and relax more with it being a low pressure situation.

Both young women were a blast to work with!

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Falls at VT; Lacrosse on Thunder -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Loses Series Opener 4-3

Louisville softball is in Blacksburg this weekend taking on one of their highest-ranked opponents of the season, and they opened the weekend with a very strong performance. Though they may have missed out on their biggest opportunity to steal a win from the #3 Hokies, Louisville showed great determination and held on tight for the entire game. 

It was an inauspicious start for the Cards, who went 3-up, 3-down in the top half of the inning on just 9 pitches (pop-out and 2K, nearly an immaculate inning), but Roby rewarded them with three groundouts in the bottom half. Unfortunately, those three groundouts were precluded by a leadoff single and a walk, and the Hokies were able to make use of the productive outs to score a run. 

After another 1-2-3 offensive inning, Roby was on the ropes again after a 1-out double put two runners in scoring position. Fortunately, Virginia Tech didn't have a speedster on the paths, as a double will frequently score a runner from first in softball, and the Cards were able to make a play at the plate on the ensuing grounder. Another groundout ended the inning, and Louisville held onto a tenuous 1-0 deficit. 

That deficit was erased in the top of the third as Vanessa Miller opened the inning with a homer to straightaway center. After Ally Alexander struck out, Jenna Servi attempted to continue the good vibes with a triple, but the top of the order was unable to bring her in, as Carmyn Greenwood kept her bat on her shoulder to watch a strikeout and Korbe Otis flew out to center. Nevertheless, Louisville had tied the game. In the bottom half, Roby continued to work the defense and keep the ball out of the air. Though the pitch count was still climbing, the grounders also helped to keep Roby from being in the circle for too long, as she got out of the third with a groundout, single, and GIDP and moved her pitch count to 48 after three innings. That's still a pretty big number, but considering it's almost half the game and the softball pitch count can climb much higher without doing damage than baseball, it's not too bad. Comparatively, VT's Keely Rochard had 38 pitches through three innings, and she had given up just two hits compared to the four hits and a walk from Roby.

The top of the fourth didn't see Louisville continue their momentum, though, as a HBP put Kendall Smith on base with one out, but she stood out there for only four pitches while Louisville followed the HBP with a three-pitch strikeout and a first pitch popout. The bottom of the inning saw Virginia Tech ready to get their lead back. An eight-pitch walk opened the frame, and a steal following a flyout put the runner in scoring position. Putting runners in scoring position is a good way to win games, as a single brought the runner home. Smelling blood in the water, VT went for a pinch-runner with one out, but the aggressive attempt backfired when Louisville completed a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double-play, with Kendall Smith firing the ball to Ally Alexander for the tag. In those situations, we say thank you to the batter for watching the third strike and not slowing down the catcher with a swing.

With the lead once more, Rochard was inspired, and she struck out the side to show it. It wasn't easy, though, as all three batters worked the count. What could have theoretically been done in nine pitches took Rochard 22, with Alexander working an 11-pitch at bat. While we can't see whether she swung at pitches out of the zone in the at bat (she almost certainly did), she didn't watch any in the zone either. She took three balls and fouled off six pitches, including four money pitches on the full count. Unfortunately, the second of her two whiffs in the at bat was the third strike, but it was an impressive plate appearance. 

Once again, putting runners in scoring position paid off. The Hokies opened the inning with a double, and the runner advanced to third on a flyout. A walk gave the Cards a double-play opportunity, but the unusual FBFBFBB pitch sequence shows it wasn't intentional. It's unusual because she made contact with every pitch she swung at, but every pitch she didn't was a ball. You don't see that every day. Anyway, the runner on third actually didn't hurt Louisville, as a charging Jenna Servi snuffed out the suicide squeeze bunt attempt and Louisville found themselves in a much more advantageous position with runners on first and second but two outs. Unfortunately, a single up the middle was more damaging than the name suggests, as the runners advanced two bases and VT's lead extended by a run. A foul-out ended the inning with the Hokies holding a (now) 3-1 lead.

The top of the order finally came alive in the sixth, with Greenwood and Otis opening the inning with back-to-back doubles to recoup a run, but Rochard tightened the belt again, striking out the next three batters to strand Otis at second and to hold on to the lead. A single opened the bottom half of the inning, and a pinch-hit double scored the run to continue the seesaw of the 1-2 run advantage. Roby managed to return the favor from the top half and strand the runner at second but Louisville was down to their last scheduled plate appearance and trailed by two runs. With the bottom third of the order up, Louisville would usually not like their chances, but the bottom third had just as many hits as the top third in this one going into the seventh so anything could happen.

The Cards fears looked to be realized when they opened the inning with a pair of popups to dig a major hole. Down to their last out and needing two runs, the Cards dug in. Refusing Rochard the time to get settled in, Alexander and Servi were both first pitch swinging, each grabbing a single. Greenwood watched a pair of balls, presumably Rochard reacting and trying to get an easy out with an aggressive swing, before sending the third pitch down the left field line. Unfortunately for the Cards, the left fielder had it well defended, and, while Alexander scored, Servi could only advance to second. That set up Korbe Otis, who got down to her final strike before also sending a ball down to left field. Again, it was well defended, and Jenna Servi was tagged out at the plate trying to score the tying run. Louisville fell 4-3. 

It was a valiant effort, and a different outcome at the plate would have brought Roby up with Greenwood representing the go-ahead run at second. I don't blame the Cards for sending Servi, as  even though bringing Roby in with the bases loaded usually sounds quite threatening, but Rochard had not been particularly rattled on the day. That was especially true for Roby, who was 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts to that point. We'll never know what might have happened with Roby at the plate and the tying run at third, as VT surely wouldn't have intentionally walked that run in, but aggressiveness very often pays off. 

The Cards will get another shot today, with game two of the series getting underway at 2PM. Today's game will be on ACCNX, with tomorrow's noon finale getting the ACCN treatment. Louisville will look to stay at or above .500 in conference this weekend, which they can do if they can manage a split in these two games.

Lacrosse Hosts Notre Dame

Today is Senior Day for the Louisville lacrosse team, and they'll host the Fighting Irish from South Bend in Cardinal Stadium. The game starts at noon and the Senior Day festivities will happen before the opening draw. The Thunder Over Louisville Air Show isn't set to begin until 3PM, so you'd have plenty of time to get down to the Waterfront after the match if you wanted to turn out. Notably, the only way to access Cardinal Stadium for the game will be via Gate 2 on the Floyd Street side of the stadium, so keep that in mind as you make your way over.

Honored today will be seven players, a student assistant coach, and a manager. The players include the Blalock sisters, who are tied for the most games played in program history at 76. Caroline has been a captain throughout her time on the team, while Sarah holds a 55-54 advantage in games started. The two will be greatly missed. Also suiting up in Louisville for the last time are Hannah Morris and Paige Richbourg. Hannah was the 11th player to score 100 career goals for the Cards and Paige ranks 9th in program history in draw controls. Seniors Kirsten Parker and Abby Roskovich and RS Junior Kristen Pezzullo will also be honored, as will Kelly Coughlan and Courtney Jackson, the aforementioned coach and manager.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

After a much needed week off last week, I'll be back this week for the show, and we'll try to avoid critical recording failures. Such are the joys of internet broadcasting. This weeks show will cover the week that was in Louisville Women's Athletics, both on and off the field. There will be three of us to cover it, a throwback to the basement days on the hill. As always, 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

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Breaker: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Cards Bounce Back Against Niagara -- Liz Dixon Grad Photos -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Lacrosse Bounces Back with Win at Niagara

Louisville Lacrosse broke their two-game losing streak with a 19-10 win at Niagara yesterday. The Cards improve to 7-9 on the season.

The Purple Eagles came out ready to play, scoring less than two minutes into the match and played Louisville to a 3-3 first quarter. Niagara would also score two of the first three goals in the second quarter for a one-goal advantage.

Louisville, historically known for big runs, proceeded to go on a 9-0 run over the back half of the second quarter and first portion of the third quarter for a comfortable eight-goal lead.

Niagara would cut the lead to five to close out the third quarter, but a 6-2 run over the final period allowed the Cards to cruise to a nine-goal lead and blowout win.

Caroline Blalock completed a hat trick early in the second quarter and would have five goals by halftime. The super-senior would complete a double hat trick in the third quarter and ended the match with a single game career-high seven goals. 

Nicole Perroni posted a four-goal performance, including three straight of her own spanning over the final minutes of the first half and early second half. Her fourth and final goal came early in the final period.

Louisville's leading scorer Hannah Morris scored two goals while six Cards contributed one goal apiece.

The split goalkeeper philosophy continued today. Sara Addeche got the start and surrendered give goals along with one save over 21:53. J Pleck would come in relief to allow five goals in addition to six saves. The two have nearly identical playing time on the year with the latter having a better save percentage and more saves.

Scott Teeter's squad returns home this Saturday to close out the regular season. Louisville and Notre Dame will square off on the Cards' senior day at Cardinal Stadium at noon. Admission is free at Cardinal Stadium for this match. A win would give UofL two conference wins and tie them for fifth (out of nine teams) in the ACC, pending no other teams earn a third conference win.

Liz Dixon Grad Photos

My Friday did not end following Louisville softball's run-rule victory over Syracuse in their series opener. My next stop was with Liz Dixon to take her graduation photos for her.

Although, Dixon is graduating, she will still be returning for one more season with the Cards and will take a few extra classes while focusing primarily on basketball and winning a national championship.

During our tour around downtown and campus, we ended up inside the Kueber Center, where the four ACC Championship and four NCAA Final Four trophies were sitting out. I picked up the 2022 Final Four trophy to use for the photos and made a comment on how heavy it was. Liz, with her quick witted sense of humor replied with "That's why we lift weights."

Here's a few of her grad photos:

On a side note, good luck to Louisville baseball as they take on their blue buddies down I-64 tonight at Jim Patterson Stadium. Tickets range from $5-$200.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Lacrosse Downs Butler -- ACCWBB Tournament and Pick Em -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

LAX GOES TO 4-2 WITH 22-8 WIN OVER BUTLER

The Louisville lacrosse squad jumped out to a 8-1 lead over Butler and had no trouble in extending their home game winning streak to four games Tuesday afternoon at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium. 

Allegra Catalano netted the opening goal for UofL and added another to make in 4-0 Cards with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. The Cards offensive attack was rolling on all eight cylinders and Hannah Morris had a hat trick in the books by the time the Cards had established an 8-1 lead by the end of the first quarter. 

The foe from the Big East did respond with a couple of goals, but Scott Teeter was already freely substituting and had built a 14-6 lead at the halftime break. Seven Cards had scored by then and Hannah Morris had four goals to lead Louisville. 

Teeter played a total of 32 players in the match and about the only one he didn't substitute out was goalkeeper Sara Addeche. The third quarter was relatively slow in points production -- Louisville holding a 3-1 edge and freshman Tiffany Natoli picked up her second career goal in the third. 

A total of six Cards picked up their first career goals in the second half and the Cards expanded the 17-7 lead after three to a 5-1 advantage n the fourth for the 22-8 win. 

The 22 goals were the fourth most in Louisville history. Things get a lot rougher for Teeter's crew on Saturday when defending NCAA champ Boston College comes to town. 

POST GAME SCOTT TEETER AND NICOLE PERRONI

ACC WBB TOURNAMENT AND PICK EM

The 2022 ACC Tournament opens tomorrow with three games in Greensboro, NC at the aptly named Greensboro Coliseum. 

It'll be #12 seed Syracuse opening play at 1 p.m. against #13 seed Clemson. #10 seed Duke goes against #15 seed Pitt at 3:30 pm and #11 seed Wake Forest faces #14 seed Virginia in the nightcap for first day action at 6:30 p.m. 

Wednesday through Friday games will be shown on RSN -- which is Bally Sports South in the Louisville area. 

(Best damn crew in College Basketball)

Thursday action gets underway at 11 a.m. when #5 seed Virginia Tech faces the winner of Syracuse vs. Clemson. It's the first of four games Thursday, the night cap is scheduled for 8 p.m. and has #6 seed Georgia Tech playing the winner of Wake Forest and Virginia. 

Four more games follow on Friday, with the #1 thru #4 seeds making their debut against the survivors of the firs two days action. LOUISVILLE IS SET FOR A 6 P.M.START, as the #2 seed, and could face Pitt, Duke or Miami. NC State has the 2 p.m. game, as the #1 seed and #4 Notre Dame is scheduled to play at 8 p.m.

(From past experiences, I can tell you that the 8 p.m. game rarely gets underway at 8 p.m...more like 8:30 or 9 p.m..)  

Saturday's semis take place at noon and 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on the ACC Network. The championship game will tip at noon Sunday and coverage switches to ESPN.

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

The popular Cardinal Couple ACC Tournament Pick 'Em is back again this year and at last count, we had close to 25 entries.  You can get your picks in by posting them in today's comments section by noon or sending them to either eupherjared@gmail.com or cardinalcouple@twc.com. 14 games to give us winners in and, in case of a tie, please also submit what you think the total number of points will be in the final game. 

Repeat. Entries in by noon. Thank you!

We invite you to enter, it's free and first place gets a $25 gift card for Cracker Barrel, second place a $20 Subway gift card. 

Good luck and may the best entry win!

paulie 

Softball and Lacrosse Sweep the Day -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Takes Two Wins

After coming up short against Ohio State last week, Louisville softball got back on track yesterday was they opened the T-Mobile Tournament with a pair of victories. The Cards took down Villanova and Florida A&M in a combined 14 innings, but the nature of the games was quite different. While it took just five innings to put away FAMU, the game with Villanova took nine and both teams threatened before the Cards took the win. 

Louisville got the game with Nova started much like last week: hot out of the gate. Easton Lotus singled and Carmyn Greenwood immediately sent one over the left field fence to give the Cards a 2-0 lead. They got a walk out of Kendall Smith but nothing else in the inning. Taylor Roby took over in the circle and gave up a single but nothing else. After a 1-2-3 inning for Louisville, a Nova player reached on an error to open the bottom of the second and later stole second, but was stranded there. 

The third saw the top of the order back up, but Lotus and Greenwood were sat down quickly. Up with two outs instead of none this time, Roby sent a solo shot to left center to pad her lead. She followed up the homer with quick work in the circle, getting a strikeout and two fly outs to send the Wildcats down in order. The fourth saw a return to Louisville small ball, as a double was followed by a single and a productive groundout to put the Cards up 4-0.

Here's where I'll tell you Taylor Roby struck out three in the bottom half of the fourth. Here's where I'll also tell you that those three were certainly not in order. Nova saw Louisville play small ball and decided they could as well. They used three singles, a walk, and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to cut Louisville's lead to two. Fortunately, Roby was able to get out of more impending danger with a strikeout to end the inning with the bases loaded. She then made up for the lack of closeout in the bottom half of the previous inning by watching Greenwood bunt for a single and steal second, then sending a shot to right field to get the two runs back.

Nova got another run via small ball in the bottom of the fifth, and Louisville was unable to answer with a two-on, two-out fielder's choice ending their rally in the sixth. The Wildcats then opened the bottom half with a solo homer, which ended Taylor Roby's day. Gabby Holloway replaced her and got three straight groundouts to head to the final scheduled inning with a two run lead. Carmyn Greenwood flew out before Villanova decided they would no longer pitch to Roby as they intentionally walked her. The Cards got nothing out of it and headed to the final frame still up 6-4.

Things got weird in the bottom half. Nova opened the bottom half with a walk, and then a grounder to Holloway turned into an error as she was unable to get the lead runner at second. Another walk loaded the bases, but Holly Aprile stuck with Holloway in the circle. With the bases loaded, nobody out, and a two-run lead, it was time for Gabby to lock it down. She induced a grounder to short, but a throwing error not only failed to get one-out, it allowed a second run to reach home and tie the game. A grounder to third followed the tying, but the runners advanced to second and third on the throw. With one out and runners on second and third in a tie game, there was really only one choice to be made. The next batter was intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force at any base. When teams do this while holding a lead, it makes me uncomfortable. In the final frame of a tie game, there's no reason not to. In the worst case, you walk the next batter and give up the game-winning run the easy way. In the best case, you get an easy grounder and pick up a double-play. Louisville picked up a double-play, but not the easy way. A fly to right gave Louisville the second out and a runner booking it 60-feet toward home. Korbe Otis was having none of that, though, and she put the ball right on the money at the plate to tag out the runner and send it to extras.

The top of the 8th saw a runner starting on second, per the trendy new tiebreaker rules, and Louisville took advantage. They used a sac bunt and a sac fly to take the 7-6 lead. Nothing else came of it, though, and they headed to the bottom half with a narrower lead than the last time. A wild pitch moved Nova's runner to third, but a groundout to the shortstop froze her there. She wasn't frozen for long, as a double tied the game and put Louisville squarely in danger of a walk-off. Chardonnay Harris came in to pitch for Holloway and promptly moved the winning run to third with a wild pitch of her own. She buckled down after that, stranding the runner with a pair of strikeouts.

In the 9th, Louisville also saw their runner advance to third on a wild pitch. Unable to score on a flyout by Lotus, Carmyn Greenwood left no doubt as she sent her second homer to left to give the Cards a 9-7 lead. Nova pitched to Roby again for some reason, but she let them off the hook with a flyout. Just as the Wildcats thought they could catch their breath, though, Kendall Smith got in on the moonshot fun with a solo homer to go up 10-7. Harris started the bottom half with a strikeout before a single put runners on first and third. She then induced an infield pop-up to get the second out and followed it with a wild pitch to move the runner to second. How the runner at third didn't come home, I'm not sure. Perhaps it was a hard stop sign with two-outs and the reward of one run not being worth the risk, or maybe Louisville just played it well. Either way, a swinging strikeout ended the game.

After a hard fought win, Louisville decided scoring ten runs was pretty cool. They also decided they'd prefer to do it in less than half the time. Easton Lotus opened the game with a single and stole second to put the Cards in scoring position right out of the gate. Carmyn Greenwood flew out to center, but Lotus tagged and headed for third. She was officially credited with reaching on an error, but with her speed, it probably would have been close. It was a moot point as two walks loading the bases were sandwiched by a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.

Harris started the game for Louisville, already warm from the previous work. She used that edge to strikeout the side in order. There would be no funny business this time around. The Cards opened the second with two quick outs but a double by Ally Alexander was followed by Lotus single and some questionable defense by FAMU. Alexander scored and Lotus advanced to third on the throwing error, but a Greenwood strikeout ended the threat. Harris gave up a walk and an error put another runner on in the second but nothing came of them with a strikeout, popup, and grounder back to the pitcher making for fairly light defensive work.

The third saw six batters and six outs, and Louisville's offense finally decided to show back up in the fourth. Korbe Otis opened the inning with a bunt single but left the bag early and was called out. A walk and a single put runners on first and second and a wild pitch moved them both up. A single scored one and the throw home gave Alexander second base. Lotus singled to score Servi and used a pickle between first and second to give Alexander the opportunity to scoot home as well. The Cards happily traded the out for the run and held a 4-0 lead. Carmyn Greenwood doubled, but a Roby strikeout ended the inning. 

FAMU started the bottom half with a single of their own but the next three batters were sent back to the dugout. The Cards opened the fifth inning with a double and a triple scored the runner. Otis learned from Lotus and used a pickle on an error to score the runner from third. A single, unsuccessful fielder's choice, and walk loaded the bases while a flyout gave Greenwood a two-out, bases-loaded look. Having Carmyn Greenwood ahead of Taylor Roby has been awesome so far this season, as teams are forced to pitch to her or face her speed on base with Roby at the plate. Anyway, that was relevant this time as FAMU went after Greenwood to try to end the inning and she returned the favor by sending a grand slam out of the yard. Roby grounded out, but the Cards held a 10-0 lead.

With a win opportunity in hand, Aprile sent in Sam Booe to close the game for Harris. She got off to a quick start with a ground out and a strikeout, before her control slipped momentarily. A walk was followed by a wild pitch and another walk, giving FAMU runners on first and second with two outs. Booe buckled down and closed up shop with a groundout to third to end the game. 

Louisville will have a much tougher day ahead today, with the hosting Florida Gators and the defending ACC Champion Duke Blue Devils on the schedule. Florida is currently ranked 4th in the nation and Duke comes in at 14th. The Cards will have their work cut out for them but a win against either could really boost their season. First pitch against Florida is scheduled for 2PM and the non-conference game against Duke should get underway at 7PM.

Lacrosse Gets First Win with Romp of Marquette

After a tough weekend in Colorado last week, Louisville opened their home season by bringing in Marquette for what has become an annual matchup. The Golden Eagles brought the cold with them, as Friday was much chillier than the rest of the week. It made no difference to the Cards, as they took an early lead and never trailed on their way to an 18-9 win to move them to 1-2 on the young season.

Louisville's first goal came off the stick of Tiffany Natoli just over one minute into the game, and their second was courtesy of Maddi McKee less than a minute later. After Marquette scored their first, Louisville used a 4-0 run to stretch their legs and it looked like this one might be over quickly. Before the first quarter ended, though, Marquette had clawed back three of the goals, and they opened the second quarter with a fourth, bringing the deficit back down to just one. 

Undeterred, Louisville closed the half on a 6-1 run, heading into the locker room with a 12-6 lead. They emerged just as energized as they entered, taking five minutes before scoring their first goal of the second half, but going ahead and scoring three straight to go up 15-6. Marquette finally broke the Louisville run with a single goal, but the Cards tacked two more on in the third quarter to lead 17-7. The fourth quarter was mostly formality at that point, though Louisville closed their scoring just two minutes into it. Their 18th goal capped an overall 12-2 run over 27ish minutes following Marquette's four goal run. The Eagles scored two more in the fourth quarter to reach the final 18-9 mark, but Louisville was happy to get the big win.

The Cards were led offensively by Hannah Morris, which is something we're likely to say a lot this season. She put up four goals and an assist, giving her 10 goals and an assist through three games. She has put 14 of her 17 shots on frame, and leads the team in points by two. Nicole Perroni is hot on her heels with nine goals, and they entered yesterday's game tied at seven apiece. Kokoro Nakazawa was second on the team with three goals, setting a new career high for the sophomore. Juliana Pleck started this one and continues to get the lion's share of the minutes in the net. She gave up seven goals and nine saves while Sara Addache had two and one in her limited minutes.

Louisville is back in action tomorrow when they host Central Michigan at 11AM. The game will be on ACC Network Extra and will be played at Louisville Lacrosse Stadium.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We finally got back on track with the show last week as we had a full house. We're down a participant this week but we've got four on the line to cover the week that was. There's been plenty to talk about this week, and we'll have it all covered for you. As always, 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

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Breaker: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Volleyball Sweeps; Softball and Lacrosse Drop Ranked Games -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Sweeps 22nd Ranked GT

It was a busy evening for Louisville so let's start with the positive result from yesterday. Coincidentally, it was also the first event chronologically, so I suppose I'll just go in order. The Cards brought Georgia Tech to L&N Federal Credit Union Arena yesterday for a top-25 matchup and sent the Techsters back to the locker room with a 3-0 loss. I'd say they sent them home, but due to ACC pod play this spring, GT actually just had to head back to their hotel and prepare to play NC State today. 

Last night's victory also knocked GT out of first place in conference, as they moved into a tie with Notre Dame at 11-3 in conference play. The win pushed the Cards to 9-2 in conference, giving them the best winning percentage in the league. After some debate in our group chat about how the ACC would actually rank teams, I checked the standings this morning to confirm that the ACC is ranking volleyball by win percentage as most leagues are doing with most sports. Thus, Louisville now sits atop the ACC with an 0.818 conference victory percentage. They'll look to hold onto that lead as the season rolls on.

As for the match itself, Louisville established themselves early, scoring six of the first eight points. It wasn't a huge lead, but forcing the other team to play from behind from the very beginning of the match can be crucial in volleyball. GT was able to cut the lead to just one point at 7-8, but that was the only time they would be within one. Louisville began to stretch their lead as the match opened up, eventually cruising to a 25-18 victory in the first set. The Cards had 15 kills and just five errors on their way to a .260 hitting percentage in the first set. On the flip side, the Yellow Jackets were just nine and five for 0.160. 

In the second, hitting dropped significantly for both teams. In Louisville's case, they managed to stay positive in the set. In GT's case, though, a significant drop meant their number fell into the red. The two teams traded points for the first four points of the set before a couple of Louisville kills were followed by four straight GT errors to give the Cards an 8-2 lead. From there, Tech never closed the deficit to fewer than five points and Louisville easily won 25-15. As I mentioned, the hitting was down, as Louisville went eight and seven. Their counterparts, though, had a bit more trouble as they finished with just six kills and 11 errors. 

The third set saw GT hang closer for a bit longer than the other two as Louisville couldn't quite stretch a big lead and GT was able to cut it to just two points at 10-8. Once more, errors doomed the Yellow Jackets as the Cards won seven of the next nine points, aided by three attack errors and a service error, to stretch the lead to 17-10 and put the match away. The two teams traded points over the remainder of the set, and Louisville won it 25-17. Sweep complete. 

One of the things that is odd about volleyball scoring is that blocks count as errors. It makes sense from the perspective of simplifying outcomes; an attack attempt can only result in a kill, a return, or an error. However, it can give a skewed view of the stat line. Georgia Tech finished with 25 errors over the course of the match, which is a large number. That said, Louisville had 12 blocks, which is also a large number. Amaya Tillman led the way with two solo blocks and five block assists. Anna Stevenson added two solos as well, chipping in three assists. On the outside, Aiko Jones contributed with six block assists. Louisville was huge at the net, and Georgia Tech couldn't quite handle it, often hitting the ball out of bounds to avoid blocks. That is the type of volleyball we have seen Coach Dani Busboom-Kelly want to play and it is beginning to come to fruition more and more often.

Offensively, Louisville was led by Anna DeBeer who finished with 11 kills on 22 attempts. She had only four errors and added three aces compared to two service errors. As a team, Louisville was still negative on serves, with seven aces and eight errors, so that is something that still needs to be ironed out. DeBeer also did all of her offensive work while playing the full rotation, something Louisville fans have become accustomed to seeing from their top players. She led the team with nine digs.

The Cards, as mentioned previously, move into first place in the ACC as they currently sit at 11-2 (9-2). Their next match comes on Sunday against NC State. The Wolfpack stand at ninth in conference, just 7-7 in the league this year. They'll take on Georgia Tech today with a chance to surpass Duke and Florida State or a chance to fall behind Syracuse. A pretty far fall from a few seasons ago when the two teams were playing for first in the conference. Sunday's match is at 2PM and will be available on the ACC Network Extra.

Lacrosse Falls to 4/5 Boston College in OT

Louisville entered last night's match against a top-five Boston College team ranked at 15/16 in the country despite being just 4-4 overall and 0-3 in conference. We'll see what the committee thinks after this weekend where Louisville will be, at best, 5-5 and 1-4 in conference. The Cards dropped the first game of their double-header weekend against Boston College 14-13 in overtime, giving the Eagles all they wanted until the final whistle. 

It wasn't a great start for the Cards, as BC opened the game with three goals in the first two minutes. Louisville finally got off their mark just ten seconds later to make it 3-1, and kept things much tighter through the first half of the first half. Louisville cut the lead to 4-5 with 13:30 remaining in the half before Boston College went on another quick run. Staring down 8-4 with eight minutes to go in the half, Louisville buckled down. Neither team scored for another three minutes before Louisville went on a run we haven't seen against a top team in quite some time.

Hannah Morris got things started with an unassisted goal with four and a half minutes to go, her second of the game. From there, the Cards went on an 8-1 run over the next 21 minutes, spanning across the halves, to take a 12-9 lead with just seventeen and change remaining. Louisville's run included six straight goals and four straight to open the half. They had taken control and looked like they might be on their way to a huge win. 

Unfortunately, that's when BC woke back up. The Eagles scored four straight goals of their own, taking a 13-12 lead and giving the impression that they refused to lose this game. Louisville was on their heels, on the road, and on the ropes against a top-five team. But they responded. Allegra Catalano scored an unassisted goal with 4:22 remaining to tie the game and set up a very tense closing four minutes. Neither team was able to find the goal and they headed to a golden goal overtime. 

Despite Louisville's best efforts, they were unable to close this one out in the end. The play-by-play for the overtime period shows just two events: session start and BC goal. The first shot of the period found the back of the net for Boston College's Charlotte North, her 25th goal of the season. To that point, Louisville had done a great job defending North, as she had been unable to score and had just three shot attempts for the remainder of the game. The one shot on goal was all it took, though, as that goal meant the final whistle.

Though this one ended in a tough loss, it was a very strong showing from Louisville. They showed resiliency in the face of mounting pressure as the lead grew, and they showed their own ability to go on a big run. These lessons will serve Louisville well for the remainder of the season, and they'll get their first opportunity to showcase them in a rematch with the Eagles. Louisville and BC have the first draw tomorrow at 11AM on the ACC Network Extra. 

Softball Drops Game 1 to Virginia Tech

Has anyone seen Louisville's offense? It's been missing for about two weeks now. Louisville hasn't scored more than two runs since their 3-0 victory over WKU on March 13th. They've only achieved the two run mark once in those five games, and, counting last night, have been shutout twice. Oh, and they're 0-5 in that time. To Louisville's credit, they've generally held opposing teams to low offensive outputs as well, but timely hitting has been the issue. The Cards' opponents have it, and the Cards don't. 

Louisville started last night by going toe-to-toe with VT for the first four innings. The Hokies threatened in the third, getting two runners into scoring position with one out, but Taylor Roby induced a lineout and struck out the next batter to escape the jam. Roby was pulled from the circle to start the fourth, but Jen Leonhardt took command of the ball with a purpose, setting the Hokie batters down in order.

After Louisville once again stranded a runner on base in the bottom half of the fourth, things unraveled defensively. What was that I said about timely hitting? Virginia Tech used a throwing error on a fielder's choice along with three hits to score three runs. Fortunately, a groundout left two runners on base. Virginia Tech only had four hits for the entire game, just one more than Louisville, but three in this inning were the difference. Louisville didn't have any innings with more than one hit, nor did they have any hits with a runner on base. 

The Cards were unable to threaten offensively in their remaining three innings at the plate and fell in this one 3-0. We've seen Louisville succeed this season at the plate. Despite many of their best offensive games coming against lower-tier competition, that doesn't completely explain their inability to hit against the pitchers they have seen so far in ACC play. Whether it is a change in approach at the plate that needs to be instilled from the coaches or just more time in the cage, something has to click for the hitters themselves. Coach Holly Aprile has shuffled the lineup more than once to encourage some type of hitting renaissance, but has seen no success so far. 

Whatever the problem is, it's relatively new. Prior to this stretch, in games not against SEC opponents, Louisville failed to score at least three runs just once: the 4-0 loss to Miami (OH), after which Coach Aprile appeared that she might lose her entire mind. The Cards have the offensive pieces to get things going once more, they just need to figure out what it is that needs to change to get there. That effort begins today as they host a double header against Virginia Tech, with first pitch in the first game scheduled for Noon on the ACC Network Extra.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We're back for a busy week in the booth as we have plenty of spring sports to talk about, in addition to the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Louisville advanced to the Sweet 16 (if you didn't know that then welcome to your first Cardinal Couple article), and currently sit as a higher seeded underdog in their matchup against Oregon. We'll breakdown everything that happened over the last week and look ahead to the games to come. Tune in to the show on the Cardinal Couple YouTube channel at 11AM to hear us live, or check out the rebroadcast or the podcast following today's recording. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Additional photos from Jared Anderson at lacrosse and softball below.