Cards Softball Loses To EKU -- -- Ja'Leah Williams to WBB from Miami -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 EKU SOFTBALL JUMPS EARLY ON CARDS FOR 6-2 WIN

 

Louisville Softball surrendered six runs early yesterday and could not make up the deficit  in a loss in Richmond, KY  to Eastern Kentucky University Tuesday afternoon. Cards freshman Brooke Gray (3-4) got the midweek start for the visitors, but was met with six runs on four hits in the bottom of the second. 

Meanwhile, at the plate, the Cards were stifled early in the game, but did try to mount a couple of rally attempts to get back in the contest late in the contest.

The first one occured in the top of the sixth, when the Cards loaded the bases with just one out. Kiley Goff beat out a infield grounder for a single and Daisy Hess reached on a slow throw on a fielders choice. Chelsea Mack delivered a single to load the bases for Lousville, but EKU ace Maddi Rutan (19-2) got a pop out and received a spectacular fielding stop from EKU second baseman Madison Scott to end the Cardinals threat. 

The Cards would also threaten again in the seventh and plate their first runs of the contest when Bailee Richardson reached on a single and came home on Maddi Grant's home run to center. The Cards left the scoring there,,though, with a line out  and a fly out,

Louisville (24-19) returns to conference play Friday, when they travel to North Carolina. 

A tough road loss to a surprisingly good EKU squad, that has a sparkling 33-5 record

JA'LEAH WILLIAMS HEADED TO LOUISVILLE WBB

Cards WBB picks up one of the the better defensive guards in the ACC from last season with upcomng senior Ja'Leah Williams announcing she will join the Louiisville squad from Miami for the 2024-25 season

Williams has been a key contributor to Katie Meyer's squad for the past three seasons and averaged 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 30 games last year for the Canes. 

Her addittion will help fill the void in the Cards guards game, with the graduation of Syd Taylor, Nina Rickards and Kiki Jefferson.

paulie

 

Cards SB drops series finale to FSU...South Carolina is NCAA WBB Champ -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 LATE CARDINALS RALLY FALLS SHORT AGAINST FSU

YOU have to wonder if the predomnant thought in the FSU Softball camp Sunday afternoon was..."get us to the airport and get us out of here...,these Cardinals gave us all we could handle"? 

But it wasn't quite to be a UofL win, in the rubber match against FSU Sunday. in a back and forth affair, the Cards fell 4-3 to the #18 Seminoles.

 

The Cards bounced out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Daisy Hess reached on a hit-byo pitch and came around to score on a Bailee Richardson single.  That lead held, underneath the strong pitching of Alyssa Zabala until the top of the fourth when the Noles plated two runs on a costly right field Cardinals error. 

The fifth inning featured the Cards adding two riuns to their total and completing their scoring for the day. .It was "the Riley and Kiley show" standing out for the scores...  Kiley Goff managed a bases loaded grounder to score one run and a Riley Frizell single brought home the go-ahead run. 3-2 Cards after five.  . 

FSU wasn't done, though,. two Nole hits and two Cardinals errors allowed two runs and the Noles left the top of the sixth ahead 4-3.   Louisville would not surrender so easity, though,. Maddie Grant and KatieThatcher worked their way to second and third with two outs in the botton of the seventh, but a ground out ended the Cards threat. 

Zabala goes to 16-9 with the loss, All four runs were unearned off her,...four Cardinals errors were the costly deciders in this one. Brooke Gray came in to pitch the final 1-2/3 innings for UofL and kept FSU off the board. 

 A tough loss in front of a huge crowd for the Sunday contest. Our Jared Anderson was there, to snap photos of the action... 

SOUTH CAROLINA IS THE 2024 NCAA WBB CHAMPS

IN A BATTLE of birds, the South Caroina Gamecocks went on a spree late to dispose of the Iowa Hawkeyes 87-75 and claim the NCAA WBB NCAA title, 

Dawn Staley is 109-3 over the last three years with the cocks, and got past the Iowa Haekeyes huge game by Caitin Clark from Iowa  and her 30 point effort to claim the 2024 title. 

South Carolina rallied from a 27-20 end of first quarter deficit to take a 49-46 lead at halftime. And , the Gamecocks came out flyng high after the half and increased their lead to 68-59 after three quarters South Csrolina withstood a couple of  late Iowa  attempts to get the 12-point win. 

Kamilla Cardoso led a balanced USC attack with 15 points.

 

Congratulations to Jason W. for winning our Pick 'Em challenge...He corrrectly had South Carolina as winning it all and beat out Blue Lou and the other challengers. A long time friend of our Jared Anderson...the is a long time participant, but, his is his first win in our pick 'em challenge.. Jason chose the Cracker Barrel gift card....get at them grits, son! 

 

A big thanks to all for playing and to Jared for faithfully serving again as our bracket Czar and handlling the duites in his usual effective fashion. 

paulie