Welcome to DI athletics Bellarmine! -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WHAT DOES BELLARMINE'S ENTRY TO DI ATHLETICS MEAN TO UOFL WOMEN'S SPORTS?

Unless you've just come out of a coma or been recently returned to earth by an alien spacecraft, you're probably well aware the Bellarmine University is joining NCAA DI Athletics. The formal announcement will be made today (Tuesday) at 11:30 a.m. 

The Knights are joining the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and will become the tenth institution in that conference. Their conference mates are Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Lipscomb, NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology), North Alabama, North Florida and Stetson. 

Bellarmine leaves D II competition in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). 

Since we are a women's athletics fan site, I'll concentrate in today's article about the women's side of Bellarmine's athletics. 

Bellarmine currently has 10 women's athletic squads competing in D II and we would guess that all ten will carry over to the Atlantic Sun. Those sports are basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball. Bellarmine does not have a women's lacrosse team, maybe surprising...since men's lacrosse was the only DI competing program on campus prior to today's announcement. 

But, Louisville doesn't field a DI men's lacrosse program...so it'll be interesting to see if the Knights make the commitment to take on the sport (of if the Cards move to create a DI men's lacrosse squad.) In the ASUN, only four of the nine programs currently compete in WLAX (Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Liberty and Stetson). Kent State, Howard and Coastal Carolina are "out-of-conference" squads who are in the seven-team alliance. 

The city of Louisville now matches Cincinnati with two D I college athletic programs. UC and Xavier have built up quite the rivalry over the years and one has to wonder if the same type of "cross-town" competition will develop between the Knights and Cards. 

Let's look at the ten women's sports that Louisville and Bellarmine both compete in and examine possible competition between the two schools. 

BASKETBALL 

"C.B." is now CW? 

--  It would be a tough task right off the bat for Chance Dugan's WBB squad to be included the Cards in their schedule. A profitable one, yes, for Bellarmine...if played at the YUM! Center and the two schools have played 12 times over the past 43 years. I have this vision of 10,000 Louisville fans trying to get into Knights Hall for a...well, never mind, that's not going to happen...

-- They last met in 1999 and Louisville holds a 10-2 record advantage. My guess is that Chance will want to recruit for DI a few years to build up an already impressive roster before inquiring about openings in Jeff Walz's schedule. 

-- Former Cardinal great Candyce (Bingham) Wheeler is an assistant coach for Bellarmine WBB. 

-- Jeff Walz has shown a willingness to play mid-majors over the years with games against Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee State, Hartford, Houston Baptist, Chattanooga and Marist. The Cards have played ASUN member Liberty twice....the last time in 2009 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

CROSS COUNTRY

There is previous interaction between Louisville and Bellarmine's women's cross country squads in the annual Greater Louisville Invitational and in several NCAA Regional events...so we see that continuing. 

FIELD HOCKEY

The ASUN doesn't have a Field Hockey conference of their own.  Liberty competes in the Big East. Whether Bellarmine decides to explore conference affiliation there or maybe with the MCA, CAA or other conference remains to be seen. Louisville Field Hockey regularly schedules mid-majors ( Miami, OH, Longwood, Kent State) so if Bellarmine goes for a DI conference, the thoughts here are that Justine Sowry would welcome a match against the Knights...

GOLF

Chancellor Dugan is BU's WBB head coach

The ASUN has a women's golf conference and six of the schools participate in it. Matches tend to be more of an invitational format these days...one would think that the Cards might extend an invitation to compete in the Cardinal Cup each year, and Louisville and Bellarmine could show up as contestants in other invitationals...as well as NCAA Regional qualifying events. 

SOCCER

All nine of the ASUN Conference schools compete in women's soccer, so we'll figure Bellarmine will, too. The Cards only get 7-8 non-conference matches a year, due to the heavy ACC commitments, but have played a wide variety of out-of-conference schools during Karen Ferguson Dayes time at Louisville. I could see an early season match between the two down the road. 

SOFTBALL

Few could "mow 'em down" like Maryssa Becker...

The Cards and Knights used to face each other regularly in the fall exhibition schedule and Louisville did play ASUN Conference member Lipscomb this year, so we like the idea of the two getting a yearly game or series started in the spring.

Add to the fact that Cardinal pitching ace Maryssa Becker is an assistant coach for Bellarmine. (Let's just be glad she's used up her eligibility...Cardinal batters might have a rough go of it against her.) 

SWIMMING

No official announcement yet or where Bellarmine swimmer will compete (the ASUN doesn't have a swimming conference) but the CCSA (Coastal College Sports Association) is likely. Three ASUN schools compete there already and the ASUN is one of the associations official partners. The chance of the Cards and Knights matching up in dual meet is always possible down the road but Bellarmine may want to wait a bit and get a solid core of DI athletes on roster first is my assumption. 

TENNIS

Possibilities exist here for dual matches (the Cards faced Northern Kentucky, Furman and Charleston Southern last year) and various regional invitationals and classics could include both schools. 

TRACK AND FIELD

A sport where matchups already exist. Bellarmine participates in the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational each spring on the Belknap campus and at the Kentucky Invitational (along with Louisville) in April. We fully expect to see those interactions continue. 


VOLLEYBALL

All nine ASUN conference members play volleyball (they even play beach volleyball) so we'd expect Bellarmine to be the 10th team. The Cards like to have a couple of classics and in-season tournaments each year where they bring in multiple schools and I can see Bellarmine getting an invite to participate in one of those when space allows. The key, once again, is building a roster suited for DI instead of GLVC level competition. 


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So... welcome to DI, Bellarmine! We hope that this venture grows consistently and favorably.  A budding potential rivalry in many DI spots awaits you with Louisville and the Louisvillians who sponsor and support either or both school's athletic programs eagerly await "Knights vs. Cardinals" ! 

A step up to the next level of competition can take time. I hope that our readers will be supportive, encouraging and attend some Bellarmine women's athletic events in addition to your Cardinal support. I know some of you do already. I get to 2-3 Bellarmine WBB games a year and plan on upping that number.  I've watched Bellarmine Field Hockey, Soccer and Softball as well in the past. 

Join me and the CARDINAL COUPLE crew in welcoming our city's newest NCAA DI School and get out and spend "a few days and nights" with the Knights when you can.



paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Women's Golf 10th in NCAA Regional -- Becker Player of Week -- More A-Tayy...WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SKAPIC TIED FOR NINTH

Molly Skapic fired a two-under-par 70 and the Louisville women's golf team moved into a tie for 10th place in the NCAA Columbus Regional after two days on the Ohio State Golf Club in Columbus, OH. Her round also put her in to a tie for ninth place in individual competition. 

Florida leads the regional with a total of 590. In second is the home team Ohio State at 591. ACC member Florida State rounds out the top three at 597. The Cards two-day total is 614 (314-300)...is tied with San Jose St. for 10th. 


Skapic sits at 147 (77-70) after 36 holes. Olivia Cason follows for UofL at 153. Freshman Lauren Hartlage recorded a 155 through the two rounds...with Meghan Nay (159) and Jacqueline Twitty (169) rounding out the Cards' contingent in Columbus.  

The top six teams from the four regional sites and top three individuals (not on qualifying teams) advance to the 24 team NCAA Championships, which will be held May 19-24 on the Rich Harvest Farms course in Sugar Grove, IL. 

The way it looks going into the final round... the Cards would need to produce a total of 290 or lower to ascend into the top six group. The top four scores of the squad account for the day's total.  Four girls shooting par (72) would do the trick. 

Hit 'em straight and long and sink those putts, Cardinal Chippers! 


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BECKER ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR SOFTBALL

Getting it done in the circle and the batters box...Maryssa Becker has been named the ACC Player of the Week in the final week of conference play. 

The Medford, OR. senior went 7-12 in the three game sweep of the NC State Wolfpack and had a phenomenal slugging percentage of .917.  She had four doubles in the series and also produced two wins in the the pitching circle for the Cards. 

Louisville sweep propelled them into second place in the ACC Conference standings and they'll begin their quest to capture the ACC Tournament against NC State on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Chapel Hill, NC at UNC's Anderson Stadium.

(We're pretty sure it's not owned by CC favorite Jared Anderson...but I guess you never really know.) 

The Cards (31-18, 14-8) won five out of their six final regular season games and were competitive against #1 seed FSU...playing them to within one run twice when the 'Noles visited Ulmer Stadium. 

An amazing end to the regular season for Sandy Pearsall's Hit and Pitch Cards. An infield that was basically patchwork at one time came together to be effective. Losing starting shortstop Sidney Melton early in the year to an ACL injury, Pearsall pressed true freshman Caitlin Ferguson into action and she performed well. A battle for the 'hot corner' at third eventually evolved into catcher Alison "Mike" Szydlowski nailing down the job and getting work done. Jamie Soles won the competition for second base and gave Louisville a steady glove at the spot. Oft-injured Tiarra Sanabria came back and had a healthy, productive year at first base....along with a powerful bat.  

The outfield provided stability...with Nicole Pufahl, Jordan McNary and Morgan Meyer becoming not only accurate fielders but leading hitters. Jenna Jordan locked down the catcher spot and Becker and Megan Hensley were brilliant at times in the circle and two of the top hitters on the squad. 

The "next season" starts Thursday. Let's hope the team that finished the "first" season so well can remain hot, focused and take the Cards through the ACC and NCAA Championships on a winning note. 


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THEY SAID IT

I ran across this great interview with Cardinal and Washington Mystics' Asia Taylor that was recorded while she was playing for the Sydney Flames in Australia's WNBL. Enjoy! 

ASIA TAYLOR TALKS HOOPS

Yesterday, Washington cut Mehryn Kraker, Ally Malott, Ashley Morrissette and Caira Washington...so it looks like Asia's dream of making the Mystics is almost a reality now. With the reduction, the Mystics now have 13 players left on the roster....four of them listed as forwards, forward-center or forward-guard. Hang on, A-Tayy!!!!


paulie
xxxxx

LACROSSE GETS NCAA BID, SOFTBALL IN ACC TOURNEY AND SHONI -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

LAX CARDS HEADING TO NCAA TOURNAMENT

For whatever nervousness that might have been present prior to the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Selection Show, it quickly dissipated when Louisville was announced as a participant fairly early in the broadcast Sunday night.  

The LaxCards are headed to Happy Valley and the Penn State campus to begin their NCAA quest. They'll face James Madison first on Friday, May 12th. in University Park...the winner to face #4 seed Penn State on Sunday. 

Although the two squads have never met, Louisville head coach Kellie Young arrived at Louisville 10 years ago to take the head coaching job after being the head coach at James Madison. It would be another first if the Cards advanced...they have never played Penn State either. 

Coach Young on the selection: 

This selection is one of the most proud moments in my coaching career. This team and these players have worked every day to move us forward and make it clear that we are hear to stay. Now it is a new season and time to prove our footing on the national scene. 

It is the fourth consecutive year the the LaxCards have made the tournament. Louisville received one of the 13 at-large bids...probably due to the win over Syracuse near the end of the season. The two schools are joined in the 26-team tournament field by four other ACC participants...Virginia, #2 seed North Carolina, Boston College and Notre Dame. 

We'll have more on this Friday. 




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SOFTBALL SWEEPS NC STATE, GETS #2 SEED FOR ACC TOURNEY

Louisville Softball concluded their weekend stay in Raleigh, NC Sunday with a 7-0 whitewash of the Wolfpack. Maryssa Becker provided three hits, drove in three runs and got the save inside the circle for Louisville (31-18, 14-8).  

The Cards got all they needed in the first when Morgan Meyer singled to start the game and scored on a Becker single. In the third inning, Louisville added two more runs..."Mike" Alison Szydlowski and Jordan McNary singled and came home on a Becker double. 

Becker moved from DH to pitcher in the fourth when the Wolfpack loaded the bases on starter Megan Hensley with one out. The Oregonian senior proceeded to strike out the next two batters to get the Cards out of danger. 

Nicole Pufahl made it 4-0 with a bomb to left center in the fourth. The Cards added three more in the sixth...Jenna Jordan's two run fence-clearer and a Pufahl single that got pinch-runner Michala Riggle to the plate. 

The win, coupled with a Boston College loss to Notre Dame, propelled Louisville to a second place finish in the league. They'll begin the ACC Tournament against North Carolina State on Thursday...5 p.m. first pitch scheduled at Anderson Stadium on the North Carolina campus. 


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SHONI WILL SIT FOR THE 2017 WNBA SEASON

Shoni Schimmel will be sitting out the 2017 WNBA season. 

"I'm very grateful to the New York Liberty for allowing me to take this season to deal with some personal issues. I look forward to rejoining them next year." 

Schimmel began her career at Atlanta and was selected for the WNBA All-Star game where she received the MVP award. A season of ups-and-downs that first year for her

The success she had in producing the occasional excellent game came less often in her second season with the Dream. Schimmel’s points, assists, and win shares per 48 minutes all dropped; she still went for 7.6 points, 2.5 boards, and 3.2 assists, earning her a second-straight All-Star Game appearance. The second nod from the fans was not enough for Atlanta, though, which traded Shoni to the Liberty for a second-round pick at the end of the season, reportedly in part because Schimmel appeared for training camp and games during the regular season out of shape.

Schimmel looked to be in fine condition this past season, but she struggled to earn minutes or produce on the court with the Liberty, coming off the bench to play in 17 games before a concussion sidelined her for the remainder of the season. She finished the season averaging 2.1 points and 0.6 assists per contest.

However it turns out for Shoni, we hope it is for the best and we see her back on the court with that flash and style we came to love. 

paulie

Softball secures series...seeks sweep at State -- Lacrosse awaits their fate --Radio Show -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

MIKE, MIKE, MIKE PROVIDES THE SPIKE IN 4-3 LOUISVILLE SOFTBALL WIN

It has been a year of transition for Cards Softball slugger Alison "Mike" Szydlowski. A switch from her catcher's role to handling 'the hot corner' at third base took a bit of adjustment. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is the hitting prowess she has shown during her tenure at Louisville. 

Yesterday, in sunny Raleigh, NC...she drove home the tying runs in top of the seventh inning and then produced the winning RBI in the eighth to give Louisville a 4-3 win over the Wolfpack. 

Jenna Jordan scored Louisville's lone run prior to that...in the second inning after a walk and then scampered home on Caitlin Ferguson's double to left. Jordan was on base when "Szyd" sent a shot soaring over the center field fence in the top of the seventh to set the score at 3-3.

The bags were full of Cards in the top of the eighth with two outs when "Mike" went to the plate and smacked a solid single to center that scored Tiarra Sanabria. Winning pitcher Maryssa Becker kept NC State silent in the bottom of the inning to give the Cards their 30th. win on the season and her 21st. 

The two will close the series today at noon. ACC Network Extra has the coverage. 


LACROSSE AWAITS THEIR FATE TONIGHT

Louisville Lacrosse will find out whether they are part of the 26-squad field for the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championships tonight at 9 p.m.

13 conference automatic qualifiers will receive bids and 13 at-large teams will be selected to make up the field. 

Louisville (11-7) is currently ranked 18th. in the nation by the IWLCA Coaches Poll, 19th. by the Inside Lacrosse Poll and has an RPI ranking of #29. 

The thought process is that the Cards will make the field and have to hit the road for their first two games. 

The Selection Show will air tonight on NCAA.com 


THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

Worldwide Jeff McAdams and Case Hoskins manned the broadcast studio and Paulie joined the lads via phone yesterday for the weekly show.  It was a lively broadcast and you can hear the replay at the link below. 

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO 5/6/17



paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Softball falls to UVA in series finale 7-3...MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FIVE IN FIFTH SEND CARDS TO "L" 

For four innings, the Louisville Softball team was playing toward a series sweep against the Virginia Cavaliers. After overcoming a less than glamorous top of the first inning...where they allowed two unearned runs on two singles and two errors...they got the runs back in the bottom half of the inning when they put together a walk and three singles with two outs.  Cards even broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fourth when Jordan McNary singled, stole second, advanced to third on a Morgan Meyer single and got home on Nicole Pufahl's sacrifice fly. 

The fifth, though, was not so kind to Louisville. UVA responded with six hits and used a Cardinal error to put up five runs. A three run homer off Maryssa Becker that bounced off the left center score board was the big blow...Becker gave way to Megan Hensley in the circle after that and the Wahoos sent two more home to complete the inning. 

Louisville left five runners in the next three innings and could not produce any further runs. 

The Cards skipper Sandy Pearsall spoke after the loss: 


"We set the tone early with errors to start the game," said UofL head coach Sandy Pearsall. "Maryssa came out an threw a good game early on and we did not make the plays behind her. It's hard to win games when you don't execute the little things."

Softball clinches Senior weekend series

Softball Run Rules UVA

Everyone hit and everyone scored in the Cards 2nd game of the series vs UVA in the 11-3 run-rule win.

The first inning looked like we might be in for a pitcher's duel with Megan Hensley in the circle for UofL.  No one was making solid contact on the ball, but later in the game, the offense started settling in, perhaps figuring our the pitchers a bit, and we started to see more base runners and scoring.

The Cards would get the scoring started in the 2nd inning, with Megan Hensley taking a plunk to the ankle, which looked like it probably would've hurt, but she showed no evidence of any discomfort in the trot to 1st base.  Jenna Jordan got the first solid contact of the game with a double to right center.  Hensley, not particularly known for speed on the basepaths, but no slow-poke either, stretched it around from 1st to home.  The throw from the 2nd base cutoff hit her helmet as she slid into home safe.  A rough round of the bases for the sophomore, but the Ashland native wasn't concerned about it once she touched home and put the first score up on the scoreboard.  Jenna Jordan would subsequently score on a fielding error.

UVA juggled their fielding arrangement in the third, bringing their right fielder in to the pitching
circle, and sending the previous pitcher out to right field.  It didn't help.  Moe Meyer got hit by a pitch, Nicole "Poof" Pufahl doubled out to left field, scoring the speedy Meyer.  Maryssa Becker singled, scoring Poof, and then advanced to 2nd on the throw.  She got to third on some gutsy running on a wild pitch.  The pitchers stuck together with Hensley doubling to bring Becker home.  Hensley would get tagged out at 2nd when a fast grounder to the short stop from Jamie Soles left her scrambling to get back to the base, and didn't get there in time.  With two outs, Tiarra Sanabria ripped her 2nd home run in two games, lifting this one to the fitness track in left.  The yellow shirts had to retrieve it from the FirstBuild parking lot across Brandeis.  Alison "Mike" Szydlowski would eventually get tagged out trying to get home on some aggressive base running.  Don't blame Mike for that one, Coach Pearsall, in the post-game interview took responsibility for sending her, thinking it was a good bet with a solid lead already in the board.

UVA would score 2 in the 4th, and then in the bottom half of the inning would switch their pitchers back to their original fielding locations and had good success.  Two foul fly balls caught, and a fly out to center would sit the Cards down in order.

The Cavs would put another on the board in the 5th, bringing the score to 7-3.  The Cards were looking for a quick exit on the warm day, and they would have it.  Jamie Soles would get to first on a single up the middle, surrounded by a pair of pop outs.  So, with 1 runner on 1st, and two outs, the Cards went to work, though to be fair, some of the credit goes to the UVA pitcher.  Sanabria got to take a stroll, then Mike got hit by a pitch, loading the bases.  Jordan McNary got to take a stroll, scoring Jamie Soles.  Moe Meyer singled up the middle then advanced on the throw, scoring Mike and Sanabria, while moving Mike to 3rd.  UVA, looking for answers, switched their pitchers again, and again it didn't really help.  Poof got to take a stroll, and then Becker smacked a single to center which scored McNary.  If you've been keeping count, that puts the score at 11-3 in the bottom of the fifth, resulting in a run-rule win for the Cards.

The Cards hope to be back in action today at noon, weather permitting (your correspondent is looking out of the window at a solid rain at the time of this writing), for a Senior Day celebration.  The Cards will be honoring Maryssa Becker, Moe Meyer, Tiarra Sanabria, and Jordan McNary.

LINK: POST GAME SANDY PEARSALL

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 4/29/17

-- JMcA

Softball Opens Series with Win -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Two Big Innings Lift Diamond Cards

Louisville opened a weekend series with Virginia yesterday afternoon trying to beat the rain. After failing to close any of the three games against Florida State last week, Louisville needed some conference love this week. Last night, the offense was able to make it happen. The Cards trailed twice yesterday, and twice they were able to string together enough offense to take the lead. 

With all of the solo shots, yesterday's game felt like an
exhibition of power.

Virginia opened the scoring with a bases loaded, two run single in the second inning. The Cards were unable to answer immediately, but put together a three run third inning, highlighted by a Tiarra Sanabria solo homer to jump out in front. Virginia, not to be outdone, hit solo home runs in each of the next three innings. Fortunately, Louisville pitcher, Maryssa Becker, was able to limit the damage to just those dingers and Louisville trailed 5-3 in the sixth. What followed was a combination of small ball, grit, and luck. Louisville put together a 4 run bottom of the sixth using no more power than a one out double. They trailed 5-4 with runners on second and third and two outs. Three straight two out singles (with a couple of errors) plated unearned runs to put the Cards up 7-5. Becker opened the seventh inning by allowing the first two runners to get on base before Coach Pearsall put Megan Hensley, the starter of yesterday's game, back in for the save opportunity. Hensley made short work of the three batters she faced and that was the game.

Louisville now sits at 27-17 and 10-7 in conference play. They're fourth in the conference, just a game and a half behind third place Boston College. The Cards are actually even with the Eagles overall with BC having played two more games. Virginia, at 8-14 is fourth from the bottom in the conference and Louisville desperately needs this sweep to keep the gap behind BC minimal. Boston College is currently playing Georgia Tech, the second to last place team in the league. Barring any rain difficulties, Louisville and Virginia will continue their series today at Ulmer at 1PM.

Radio Heads

The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is back again, unable to be scared off by storms that wake up the entire city in the middle of the night. Paulie, Jeff, and I will talk softball, postseason play for lacrosse and tennis, what new things we know about men's and women's basketball, and anything else we can fit into the hour. Tune into 100.9 WCHQ FM, download the WCHQ FM app, or hit up Crescent Hill Radio's website at 11AM to get your fix of the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics live on the air.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

FSU nips Louisville Softball 5-4...TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

7th Inning Score Gives Noles win over Louisville Softball

Another close game against FSU Softball Monday night for Louisville at Ulmer Stadium...the Noles getting the 5-4 win with a run in the top of the seventh inning and then keeping Louisville at bay in their final at-bat. 

Another rough start for the Cards to begin this one...the first five batters in the FSU lineup reached base against starter Megan Hensley and FSU built a 3-0 lead with three singles and two walks in the top of the first. 

Louisville did not give up the battle, though. Hensley powered a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to 3-1. Three walks and a single gave FSU a 4-1 advantage in the top of the fourth...but the Cards rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning to tie it up at 4-4. Singles from Nicole "Poof" Pufahl , Hensley and "Mike, Mike, Mike" Alison Szydlowski loaded the bases for the Cards with no outs. Jenna Jordan grounded out to score Pufahl and then "The New Pride of New Egypt" Jamie Soles belted a double to deep center that brought "Szyd" and Hensley to the plate. 

Meghan King had replaced Noles starter Jessica Burroughs in the circle after the Cards fourth inning outburst and kept the Cards at bay offensively the rest of the way. Coincidentally, Burroughs had been named the first draft pick during the fourth inning in the NPF (National Pro Fast Pitch) softball league. Hensley had settled down and kept the Seminoles from getting any further runs over the next two innings.

The teams entered the top of the seventh deadlocked at 4-4. FSU got a single from the speedy Cali Harrod, she stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. That set the stage for a Zoe Casas single which scored Harrod.

Pinch hitter Lillie Goetz drew a walk for the Cards in the bottom of the seventh but was unable to advance to the plate and FSU got the one-run win and a sweep of the series. Sandy

Tough losses in two of these...a mere run...against #3 in the nation. Our own Jeff "Worldwide" McAdams was on-site for last night's game and got comments from UofL head coach Sandy Pearsall after the contest: 

LINK: POST GAME PEARSALL WITH CARDINAL COUPLE


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The NPF is a five-team, professional softball league that fields teams in Akron, OH, Chicago, Texas and Florida. Besides Burroughs selection, FSU first baseman Alex Powers was selected in the second round. No other ACC teams had a draft pick in the five rounds...there was a possibility that UofL pitcher Maryssa Becker might get selected, but it didn't happen. Arizona has it going on...four Wildcats were picked in the draft. 

Several former Cards have played in the league in past years but there are currently no Louisville softball players on the rosters.  

paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Softball drops two to Noles...More on the transfers -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS SWEPT BY FSU

#2/3 Florida State took two against the Louisville Softball team on Sunday. The Noles were dominant in the opener, run-ruling the Cards 11-0 in the first and then coming back to win the second 4-3 in ten innings. 

The less said about the first contest the better. FSU jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead that Louisville contributed to with four errors. Three Seminole singles and a walk also contributed to the early hole that the Cards dug for themselves. 

Maryssa Becker and the Cards did settle down in the circle and on the field for a couple of innings after that but couldn't find any batting success against FSU hurler Jessica Burroughs. FSU added three runs in the top of the fourth and three more in the top of the fifth to hold the 11-0 lead as UofL approached the plate in the bottom of the fifth. Burroughs was three outs away from a no-hitter and got two of those before Morgan Meyer connected on a double to bust up the attempt. 

Coach Pearsall on the run-rule: 

"We started off on a bad note, with an error, and...unfortunately, that set the tone for us. That first inning hurt us. After that, we settled down but you can't make those kinds of mistakes against a team like Florida State. We knew they were going to hit the ball...so we can't give them runs." 

The second contest was a pitcher duel that was a battle of the Megan's. The Cards' Megan Hensley FSU's Megan King kept the zeroes piling up until Louisville broke through in the bottom of the sixth. Singles by Meyer and Jordan McNary and an error that allowed Caitlin Ferguson to reach first loaded the bases for Becker. She responded with a 2 RBI single to give Louisville the lead. 

FSU would not be denied and countered with two in the top of the seventh. Louisville went down in order to bring on bonus softball. After a scoreless eighth, the Noles Carsyn Gordon blasted a shot to left center to make it 3-2. The Cards used a double play to get out of danger and tied it back up in the bottom of the ninth when Nicole Pufahl singled and eventually scored on an Alison "Mike, Mike, Mike" Szydlowski single.

Louisville was in a great position to win the contest as the inning went on when Meyer reached on a two-out error to seemingly load the bases...but Szydlowski was caught in a rundown between third and home and the final out was recorded when she tried to slide into home. 

The Noles put together two hits to regain the lead at 4-3 in the top of the tenth. Louisville would counter with runners at first and third with two outs but could not push across the tying run. 

Sandy Pearsall was proud of Hensley's effort: 

" This was Megan's best effort since she returned from her injury. I was pleased that she was able to throw that many innings today and thought she did a good job. The outcome was not what we wanted...but we fought and dug and kept coming back." 

The two squads will complete the series tonight at Ulmer with a first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. ESPNU will provide coverage. 


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CARDINAL TRANSFERS 

We've received a lot of e-mails, messages and phone calls about the three transfers from the Louisville women's basketball squad over the weekend. People wanting to know "What's the real story behind Mariya Moore leaving?"... "Why would she want to go with one year left?"..."Why is Ciera Johnson going when it looked like she was going to be the starting center for next year?..."Will there be more transfers?" 

And so on and so forth...

Most everyone seemed to think that it was a good move for Brianna Jones "Jonesey" to go to a place where she could get more playing time. Cardinal fans will miss that bright smile and she seemed to be a great teammate to all. Here's hoping she can find the time she desires at Georgetown and she lights up the Big East. She goes to a roster that currently listed eight players for 2017-18 and five of them are seniors. So, after sitting a year, she'll have a shot to compete for a starting role on a squad that just might need some quality, experienced players. 

The Ciera Johnson situation stemmed from her desire to play closer to her family after trying a season away from them. She's has a great family and will be missed...but players make decisions and hers was to try her fortunes hopefully somewhere in the Lone Star State. The Duncanville, TX center had some bright moments for the Cards...in my personal opinion, though...and mirroring what some of you have mentioned to me...she could stand to lose a few pounds and develop better hands. We're not exactly sure which schools Ciera will be contacted by or will contact. If she's is Big 12 bound...she'll need to use that season of sitting to get ready for some very tough post-players in the conference. 

Mariya Moore was the first to announce and was the one who, by far, caught the vast majority by surprise. Mariya expressed a desire to play her final season closer to her home in Hercules, California (a suburb of San Francisco) where her parents could make more games.  The decision to leave after three successful seasons as a Cardinal had to be a hard one...but college is a time where a student-athlete has a limited window to acquire a degree and perform. Moore's decision also coincides with her younger sister (Minyan) and her decision to leave USC. Is there a plan for them to play together somewhere? Is it because of the coaching change at USC? California or maybe even the University of San Francisco would appear to be logical possibilities if this was the motive and driving factor. As far as any other reasons for Mariya leaving...we won't play conspiracy theorists here. 

As we have stated before, the success of a unit depends on its core and unity. The Cards will have plenty of strengths on their (as of now) 12 player roster. Some of you have even started discussing starting line-ups for 2017-18. We won't go there just yet. Coach Walz and staff still have Hines-Allen, Durr, Shook, Jazz Jones, Fuehring, Carter, Zambrotta, Dunham and Laemmle on the roster and add Duvall, Evans and Kakala. That's a very strong roster of 12.

Will there be more attrition? Any add-ons? Not that we know of as of this morning. Anything, of course, is possible in the world of college basketball. Everyone was ready to hand UConn the 2017 NCAA women's basketball crown. Transfers much large than the trio of Cards leaving have already occurred this spring. 

We will follow women's college basketball with a dutiful interest the rest of the spring, through the summer and the rest of the year. But, we will also explore the end of softball, lacrosse and the other spring sports currently taking place on campus. 

There's a lot of joy and excitement still to report. We're on it!!

paulie
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Walz selected U 23 head coach...Softball wins 1-0 over WKU -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

JEFF WALZ NAMED HEAD COACH OF U23 SQUAD

Coach and CARDINAL COUPLE hero Robbie Bartlett

Jeff Walz has been making a habit lately of spending part of his summers overseas. That will continue this summer..he's been picked as the head coach of the U-23 USA women's basketball team. It's the first time USA has had a U-23 team and the squad will participate with three other nations (Australia, Canada and Japan) in a round-robin tournament from Aug 12-15 in Tokyo. 

To be considered for the squad, players must be USA citizens, under 23 and currently a freshman, sophomore or junior in college. 

It'll be a 12-player squad and tryouts will start July 31st at the United States Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. They go at it through Aug 4th...the squad will be selected and they'll leave for the land of the rising sun Aug. 7th.

Walz will have an old buddy as one of his two assistants. Michelle Clark- Heard...head coach at Western Kentucky and a former Walz assistant at Louisville...along with Courtney Banghart (Princeton) will be the brain trust for this unit. 

Walz was with USA Basketball as an assistant in 2014 and 2015...helping the squad compile a 12-0 record. In 2016, he took the Cards to Cuba. It's a great honor for the coach to be working with the best and the brightest in the college game and further shows that the Louisville head coach is one of the top echelon coaches in his profession as a college coach. 

Walz states: 

"I am beyond thankful for the honor to work with USA Basketball again," Walz said. "I had amazing experiences the past two summers as an assistant coach. Professionally, it's something I dreamed of doing, and it became a reality. Now, to be asked to be a head coach and work with these student-athletes, is incredibly humbling. USA Basketball possesses impeccable standards and a winning tradition, and I am excited for the opportunity and eager to be entrusted with such an important role.

"I was fortunate to have worked with Michelle (Clark-Heard) when she was on staff at Louisville," Walz added. "She is a terrific coach, has a great understanding of the game and an unmatchable work ethic, and I'm excited to coach with her again. I'm looking forward to working with Courtney (Banghart) and getting to know her better. I've been very impressed with what she has done throughout her career. The teams that she has put on the court always are very well-coached and play extremely hard."

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WON BY ONE...CARDS SOFTBALL DOWNS WKU

It wasn't a slug-fest any any means...but Louisville Softball scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning and that was enough to get them by the visiting Hilltoppers. 

Thank Megan Hensley for the Wednesday night triumph. She tossed a seven-inning one-hitter at Big Red and drove in the lone run with a double...scoring Nicole *Poof * Pufahl, who had also doubled earlier in the inning and advanced to third on a beautifully executed sacrifice bunt by Maryssa Becker.

( I know...the words "bunt" and "Becker" don't normally appear in the same sentence very often...but the Oregonian slugger showed her versatility with the "lay-down")  

The Cards (26-14) managed only five hits against WKU starter Kathryn Downing...which leads to the conspiracy-theory that UofL's bat collection never made it back from Blacksburg, VA...where the Cards crushed  29 runs on 38 hits against the Hokies in a three game sweep last weekend. Or, the BatCards have a hitting phobia when facing non-conference schools. Against Kentucky, Lipscomb and WKU...Louisville scored three runs in 19 innings. 

Good to see Hensley (7-6) firing on all eight cylinders again. The sophomore has struggled with injuries and a broken nose this season (necessitating the mask she wears while pitching). The Cards will need her to stay on that same level...conference leader FSU comes to town this weekend for a three-game series. Scheduled to start Saturday at noon, there are provisional plans to possibly move the opener to Sunday for a double header if the weather is too dicey in the 'Ville on "Thunder Day". 

No air show or fireworks yesterday at Ulmer...but the Cards did what you have to do in order to win games...score more than the opponent does...and got the "W". 

SANDY PEARSALL TALKS ABOUT THE WIN
paulie
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