Softball Key Returners and Departure -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

While the NCAA Softball Tournament moves onto the Super Regionals, we turn our focus to Louisville softball. The Cards did not make the NCAA Tournament, but we can start to look at who is departing and who should be returning.

Departures

Possibly the most common name across the departures is Ally Alexander. The Spencer County native spent all four seasons with the Cards and played a utility position role. Whether she was thrown in at shortstop, second, third, or catcher, Alexander quickly accepted that position. She posted a career high in batting average her final season.

Sam Booe is another common name. Hailing from less than two hours away in New Palestine, Ind., Booe was one of the go-to pitchers over the span of her career. In her later years, she provided a great deal of leadership to the pitching staff.

Maddi Grant saw her role increase in her final couple years, primarily playing first base. She also proved to be a strong hitter, consistently putting balls in the outfield.

Returners

Alyssa Zabala has been the ace almost since the moment she stepped foot on campus. As a rising senior, her role in the circle should not change and she will be able to mentor the other pitchers.

Easton Lotus had a healthy season this past year and proved to be her most successful yet, as she was one of the top two on the team in batting average and led the team in hits and runs scored. She will have her redshirt senior season left.

Bri Despines transferred in this past season and immediately assumed the starting catcher position. She was one of five players to hit over .300 while also limiting stolen base attempts by opponents. Despines was second on the team in rbis. She will have one season remaining.

Char Lorenz is the odd one out on the returners as she just completed her redshirt freshman season and has three years of eligibility remaining. Lorenz led the team in batting average, doubles, home runs, and rbis. 

With NIL and the transfer portal dominating college athletics, it would not be surprising to see a couple folks transfer out or transfer in. As of right now, no one has declared their intent to enter the portal.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Cards Can't Quite Complete Comeback -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Loses Opener 10-9

In a season of what if's, Louisville softball saw another opportunity for a huge win slip away last night. The game was pushed back to an 8PM start to avoid the last few showers rolling through the area, which may have been a good thing for Louisville's offense, who turned up late to the show anyway. The Cards were bombarded early, though, and despite late innings matching the early big ones from FSU, Louisville needed one more run in the bottom of the seventh to keep the game alive. The #7 Seminoles escaped and moved to 41-6, while the Cards fell to 23-22. 

Louisville got off to an unfortunate start when a full-count pitch that looked to be over the plate was ruled a ball instead of a strike for Alyssa Zabala against the leadoff hitter and a strikeout turned into a walk. Walks will haunt (as I've put in this column before) and this one did. The leadoff walk was followed by single, fielder's choice (run scored on E1), RBI single, RBI single, 2 RBI single (E9), pitching change. The Cards trailed 5-0, a runner stood on first, and nobody was out. Brooke Gray replaced Zabala and got a flyout, a fielder's choice out, and survived a single and Louisville's third fielding error before getting the leadoff hitter, back up for the second time in the inning, to foul out. The Cards nearly went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, but Char Lorenz singled before Camryn Lookadoo was hit by a pitch. Louisville couldn't bring a run in and trailed 5-0.

Louisville had three fielding errors in the inning. The good thing is that those were the only three they had in the game. The bad thing is that FSU just decided to score earned runs in the second inning instead. Gray rang up the first batter, but gave up a four-pitch walk to the second. A flyout gave the Cards two outs and it seemed like they might escape the inning. Two singles scored a run, and a triple scored two more before another single added the fourth of the inning. A fly out ended the side and, all of the sudden, Louisville was staring down a run-rule after two innings. 

Sensing the ability to rest the ace, FSU made a pitching change to start the second. Madison Pickens greeted the new pitcher with a leadoff single, but the Cards went down in order afterwards. Sam Booe replaced Gray in the top of the third, and Louisville managed their first inning without giving up a run. FSU turned their lineup over again, with the leadoff batter of the third being the Seminoles' leadoff batter in the order taking the plate for the third time in the game. Booe, like the FSU pitcher before her, gave up a single to start the inning but picked up three outs in succession afterwards.

In the third, Lorenz continued her normal approach of picking up hits when seemingly no one else can, singling down the third base line for the Cards only hit in the inning. The top of the fourth saw the Cards earn their first defensive 1-2-3 inning of the game, but they followed suit in the bottom half. After two quick flyouts in the fifth, FSU threatened again, using a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. Booe was able to coax a flyout, though, and ended the inning with three runners stranded.

Down to their last opportunity with the run rule on the line, Holly Aprile turned to pinch hitters. Ava Venturelli led off by pinch hitting for Maddi Grant, but grounded out. Katie Thatcher pinch hit for Ally Alexander and doubled to right, quickly being swapped back for Alexander to run the bases. Easton Lotus finally found a gap and singled to left to score Louisville's first run. Riley Janda pinch hit for Chelsea Mack and doubled to left center to put runners on second and third. Lorenz reached once more, this time via fielding error, and Lotus scored to make it 9-2. Unfortunately, Lorenz ran herself off the basepaths by being caught stealing. Lookadoo reached via error as well, and Janda scored an unearned run. Bri Despines made that error burn even more with a two run homer to make it 9-5. Pickens fouled out but Louisville was right back in the game. 

The sixth inning opened with a dangerous double, which was made more dangerous by a ground out advancing the runner to third. Louisville's defense stepped up, though, and a liner to right caught the runner from third off guard. Whether it was an attempt to tag and score, or the runner didn't tag, a cannon from right field to the plate was thrown back to third where the runner was out. Double play, inning over. Louisville was still in play. Ally Alexander walked in the bottom half, but Louisville ultimately didn't threaten. Into the final inning we go, still 9-5. 

Booe opened the inning with a walk, but the runner was replaced on the next at bat by a fielder's choice. A steal meant that there was still a runner on second, though, which became a runner on third with two outs after a grounder. Clinging to hope, the chances got slimmer for Louisville when a single through the left side scored the run. Another single ended Sam Booe's day, and Lindsey Mullen came on to get a fly out and end the inning. 

In previous games, we've seen Louisville step up to the plate in the seventh with the game on the line and fold quickly. Not last night. Chelsea Mack hit a soft grounder back to the pitcher to lead off and beat out the single because of course she did. Lorenz picked a bad time to finally end her on base abilities in the game, though, flying out on the next at bat. Lookadoo doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out. Despines was hit by a pitch and all of the sudden, Louisville looked like they were in business. If not for the run in the top of the inning, the tying run would be at the plate. Pickens struck out, and now the Cards needed a two-out rally. Taylor Monroe was hit by a pitch to bring in a run and put the tying run at the plate. FSU made a pitching change, and Maddi Grant welcomed the new pitcher by walking in another run. Ally Alexander singled to score a pair and put the tying run on third base. Needing a base hit to keep the game alive and extra bases to potentially score the winning run from first, Lotus grounded straight back to the pitcher to end the game at a heartbreaking 10-9. 

That's a tough way to go out, to be sure, but Louisville's resilience was commendable. At the end of the day, the record shows just another loss, but the Cards see the latest in a line of missed opportunities against very good teams. With some luck, Louisville will be able to keep things rolling the way they did near the end of the game rather than repeat the early issues in today's second game of the series. The Cards will honor their seniors prior to the 3PM first pitch, with Izzy Harrison, Ally Alexander, Maddi Grant, and Sam Booe listed as seniors on the roster. Weather should hold out, so get out and support the team if you can. If not, the game will be carried on ACC Network Extra.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have three on board today, with Paulie, Jared, and me bringing you the latest in Louisville women's athletics. As is tradition, we'll be off next week for the Kentucky Derby, so check out this week's episode before the brief break. Check out the show after it posts around 1PM, and be sure to subscribe so that it comes to your feed automatically. 

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

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

Cards Comeback Comes Up Short

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

No CCRHP This Week

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

Until next time, Go Cards!

Cards Fall Flat in ACC Quarters -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Offense Struggles in 61-48 Loss to Duke

Louisville women's basketball played its second consecutive game without Jayda Curry and Merissah Russell last night and let's hope it's the last time they have to do that this season. After surviving in overtime against Clemson on Thursday, Louisville's offense looked lost against a suffocating defense, leading to the worst scoring half of the season when they headed to the locker room with just 18 points. Louisville tried to make a game of it late, but their momentum was halted and they'll now await their fate on Selection Sunday. 

The Cards' shooting woes started early, as they managed just 5-16 from the floor in the first quarter, a mark of 31.3%. Duke shot 50% from the floor in the first, but they turned the ball over a handful of times and Louisville was able to stay close. The Cards trailed just 15-11 at the end of one, and it looked like they might be able to keep the game in hand. Unfortunately, Louisville couldn't make it out of the quarter without Nyla Harris, Ja'Leah Williams, and Olivia Cochran all picking up their first fouls. Even more concerningly, Taj Roberts started the game just 1-6 from the floor. With Curry out, Roberts is Louisville's leading scorer, so the team will go as she does without Curry.

Louisville's hopes of keeping the game close fell apart in the second quarter, as their shooting woes continued. The Cards were 3-10 from the floor in the second, and while Taj Roberts hit her second three of the game, Duke stretched their lead from 4 to 13 at the break. Duke opened the second with a three, and Louisville made their first basket of the quarter with a Mackenly Randolph jumper but failed to score for the next six and a half minutes. Fortunately for the Cards, Duke went on a long scoring drought as well. Unfortunately for the Cards, Duke's ended with a scoring run, rather than a single basket. The Blue Devils finished the quarter on an 11-5 run. Louisville had six turnovers in the quarter. They trailed 31-18 at halftime. 

If you're doing the math on the final score, you know how the second half went, but it started with a third quarter that looked as though Louisville might lose the game by 30. Louisville remained largely unable to score, mustering their first basket over two minutes into the half and sitting on 20 points for four minutes after that. Isla Juffermans made 1-2 free throws to go to the under 5 timeout, pushing Louisville to 21 points with just 14 minutes left in the game. Duke went to the line with 3:31 remaining to extend their lead to its peak at 22 points. At that point, Louisville's offense finally found a bit of rhythm. Louisville closed the third quarter on a 9-2 run to move into the final stanza down by 15 with some momentum. While it isn't great to be optimistic about a 15-point deficit, it was, as I mentioned, threatening to be much worse.

The Cards continued their comeback bid to open the fourth quarter, scoring the first seven points of the fourth to cut the lead to eight at 45-37 and force a Kara Lawson timeout with 8:18 remaining. Briefly, it looked like game on... and then it didn't. Louisville had a chance to cut the lead to six, but a missed jumper in the paint and a missed put-back (both of which had decent shouts for fouls, in my opinion), gave the ball back to Duke, who got a layup and drew the foul to complete the three-point play. A five-point swing meant that instead of 39-47 it was 37-48. After that point, Louisville struggled avoid turnovers, and Duke started to make threes, quelling any further comeback efforts. The Cards didn't see a single-digit deficit for the remainder of the game. A desperate attempt to play the foul game late pushed the lead back to it's final mark at 13 and the Cards' run in the ACC Tournament ended with a 61-48 loss. 

For the second game in a row, Ja'Leah Williams struggled to stay out of foul trouble when she was depended on to be the floor general. After fouling out of the Clemson game, Williams picked up only two fouls in the first half against Duke but got a quick one in the third and was called for her fourth foul just four minutes into the third quarter. Williams was able to avoid fouling out, but she was off the floor for key minutes, and Louisville's offensive fate was in the hands of true freshmen in a hostile environment and a tournament setting. It didn't go great. Roberts, Izela Arenas, and Imari Berry combined for nine of Louisville's 21 turnovers. While a couple of Williams' fouls were suspect (one was whistled while she had both hands on the ball for a jump ball attempt), she will need to find a way to avoid ticky-tack situations if she is going to be depended on to run the floor. 

Despite Louisville's struggles, Mackenly Randolph somewhat quietly had her best game of the season. Randolph played 34 minutes and scored a personal-best (and tied for game-high) 13 points. She was 5-7 from the floor, including 1-1 from three, and made both her free throw attempts (each of which were and-ones). She did commit two fouls and two turnovers, but she had a pair of rebounds and another pair of assists (a lot of twos in the box score). Randolph has shown flashes so far this season, and last night's game (Robert's woeful shooting aside) was another indicator that this could be a very strong core group of players moving forward. 

We have given Olivia Cochran some flak this season, but she played hard in last night's loss. She was only 4-10 from the floor, but she made all three of her free throw attempts and finished with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds). She only had two fouls and her three turnovers were unfortunate, but not game-breaking. As Louisville's spiritual leader, her efforts in helping prevent the blowout were considerable, and I hope for a celebratory end to her illustrious UofL career in the NCAA tournament. 

The FRED Report

F-Free Throws: Louisville didn't take their first free throw until well into the third quarter, but they managed to do well at the line, despite the season averages of those that took the shots. The Cards finished 9-11 from the line, just under 82%. I can never quite remember the difference between a capital f and a lowercase f, but I'm crediting Cochran, Randolph, and Juffermans for their 7-8 performance. Capital 'F'.

Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) models my facial 
expression for much of last night's game.

R-Rebounds: Louisville didn't get run off the boards, despite how it felt at times last night. Each team had 34 total rebounds, and Louisville had 17 each of offensive/defensive rebounds compared to Duke's 16-18. Louisville lost the second-chance points battle, but not by much (12-8). Duke outrebounds opponents by 6.7 per game on average, compared to just 3.3 for the Cards, so I'm going to award a capital 'R'. Again, I'm rewarding an individual effort here, as Cochran was the only player with double-digit rebounds. 

E-Effort/Execution: Ok, here is where my generosity runs a bit thin. Louisville shot just 32% from the floor, which isn't solely down to Duke's defense. They also had 21 turnovers, 11 of which were Duke steals. The Cards had only 9 assists on their 18 made baskets, and had multiple scoring droughts over five minutes. I'd like to reward the fact that they never gave up, but it's hard to ignore their worst offensive output in a single half (18) and their second worst scoring performance of the season. In retrospect, it's kind of crazy that they scored more than 18 in both halves when they managed just 42 points against NC State. No letter. 

D-Defense: Hmm. This one is a bit of a stumper. The Cards forced 18 turnovers, but just three of those were steals. A couple were turnovers in which they gave the ball right back. They were a bit slow on closeouts, and while Duke was just 41.5% from the floor overall, they were 6-18 from three. Louisville gave up 24 points in the paint, 13 fast break points, and it could have been worse if Duke hadn't shot 58% from the free throw line. I don't think Louisville's defense kept them in the game in the second half so much as Duke couldn't quite run away with it. No letter. 

In a weird game like last night's, it's hard to expect much more than the weird final score of F-R-_-_.

Louisville's fate is now in the hands of the committee. With conference tournaments going largely as expected, the Cards' resume won't be dramatically improved or harmed by outcomes across the country, so we just wait and see. After last night, Louisville's NET ranking remains in the mid-30s (35) and Charlie Creme still has them as a 7-seed in the Spokane region. NET rankings and bracketology will go out the window in eight days, but they're all we have for now. 

2025 Cardinal Couple ACC Pick'Em Update

Despite a couple of potential upsets, the day was largely chalky yesterday. After dropping his perfect bracket in the first quarterfinal matchup, Nick O saw his lead slip away in the last QF of the night. Five entries now sit on 9 points (Nick O, Curtis, Karen J, Kenny S, and Case) with three (Thomas, Jeff, and Daryl) close behind at 8. 

Nick O and Karen J will each drop another game having both picked FSU over NC State today, but they join the other six entries with Notre Dame as their champion. Paulie and Blue Lou (both with 7) will be rooting for Duke upset, which would upend the standings. Paulie needs Duke to win the championship for it to come down to tiebreakers, while Blue Lou could win outright with NC State over Duke in the final. 

Softball Soars in ACC Opening 9-2 Win

Louisville very nearly walked off Notre Dame in the sixth inning, but the Irish got one more attempt in the seventh. Sam Booe, who took the win from Alyssa Zabala, closed it out, though, and Louisville opened their ACC season with a big win over a middling Notre Dame squad. The Cards will get the Irish twice more this weekend, including a 1:00 PM matchup today. 

Louisville and Notre Dame each had ten hits in this one, but the Cards were able to do more damage with runners in scoring position, as Louisville pitching and defense stranded 11 on base for the Irish. The Cards left just five on base. Coach Holly Aprile manipulated the lineup slightly again, with Bri Despines batting fifth in this one and Madison Pickens taking the cleanup spot. Pickens made good use of it, sending her first career home-run to right field in the first inning to score Chelsea Mack and give the Cards a 2-0 lead. Pickens had a two-run single in the sixth inning to set up the potential walk-off, giving her four RBI in the game. 

Joining Pickens with two hits in the game were Easton Lotus, Chelsea Mack, and Taylor Monroe, with Lotus and Mack also each scoring two runs. Lotus had a timely RBI triple in the fifth, kicking off a four-run inning after Notre Dame trimmed the lead to 3-2 in the fourth. Louisville's offense, unsurprisingly, wreaked havoc on the base paths, as they had infield singles, a forced error (for runs), and finished with seven steals (two for Mack). A small-ball delight on a team that also has some pop. Can't be mad about it. 

Alyssa Zabala had a bit of trouble in the cool evening weather, but she was serviceable and in line for the victory. Zabala pitched 3.2 innings and gave up seven hits, three walks, and two runs (both earned) while striking out a pair. Sam Booe came on to relieve her in the fourth with the tying run on base. Since Zabala was on the hook for the potential game-tying run upon her departure, the win ultimately went to Booe, who is now 4-1. Booe had another great outing in the circle, as she gave up just three hits and one walk in 3.1 innings and struck out five. She also did well to keep the ball out of danger as just two of her batted balls in play were in the air. All three hits were short outfield singles and she gave up just two fly ball outs. 

Louisville's win moves them to 15-6 and pushes Notre Dame below .500 at 10-11. I would expect Brooke Gray to get the start this afternoon, but Booe and Zabala are both capable on short rest if Gray struggles. The Cards took down the Notre Dame ace yesterday, giving Micaela Kastor just her second loss of the young season. If Louisville's offense can continue to build confidence, especially among the freshmen, this could be a fun year. 

Postgame with Madison Pickens

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have four (with a potential showing from the fifth) in the booth today to recap the past week. There has been some bad, but a lot of good, so we'll do our best not to dwell on the negatives as we advance the mission of bringing you the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. 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!

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Splits Friday at USF -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Beat Kent State 13-3; Fall to Wisconsin 4-1

Louisville softball improved to 8-3 early yesterday afternoon before falling to 8-4 later in the day. The Cards rode two big innings to beat Kent State 13-3 in a run rule in their first game in the USF Tournament and later couldn't find the offense against Wisconsin. Louisville continues the tournament today with games against Michigan and USF, and they'll get a second shot at Wisconsin tomorrow. 

Sam Booe has largely established herself as the second starter in the rotation so far this season, picking up many starts that I think we would have expected to go to Brooke Gray. Booe started game one yesterday and gave up one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts in three innings. Not too shabby. Gray came in for the fourth and was a little shaky. She pitched only the fourth inning and gave up two runs on three hits while picking up just one strikeout. Katie Thatcher got another opportunity in the circle, striking out one in two thirds of an inning and Lindsey Mullen finished the game and ended the fifth inning with a line out. 

Offensively, Louisville looked poised to start their scoring early, but they couldn't convert with the bases loaded and two outs. Coach Holly Aprile has shifted the lineup slightly, working to get more hitters in the top of the order. Easton Lotus is still leading off, but Chelsea Mack has moved to the second spot. With Char Lorenz still batting third, Bri Despines was in the cleanup spot. 

Kent State actually opened the book with an RBI single in the second. Booe looked in danger of giving up a handful as she started the inning with a strikeout and then couldn't miss a bat. Kent State went double, single, RBI single, fielder's choice ground out, and ground out. If one of those last two ground outs made it through a hole, Louisville would have been down even more. 

The Cards responded in the bottom half, with Maddi Grant opening the inning with a walk and being replaced on the base by pinch-running Riley Janda. Janda moved up to second on a Katie Thatcher single, and both advanced with an Ally Alexander sacrifice bunt. Lotus had a productive ground out to first, which scored Janda, but Thatcher was stranded at third on another ground out. 

The third saw Booe return to form with a three-up, three-down inning on just nine pitches. Then it was Louisville's turn to open it up. Lorenz walked on at 13-pitch at bat and Bri Despines reached on catcher's interference. Madison Pickens singled to score Lorenz, and Taylor Monroe did the same to score Despines. Grant walked to load the bases, prompting Kent State to make a change in the circle. The new pitcher walked a run in. Alexander hit a sac fly, and Thatcher stole second to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Easton Lotus brought both in with a double, but for reasons unclear to me, those runs were considered unearned. Mack moved Lotus to third on a ground out, and Lorenz walked. I assume Kent State just stopped paying attention when walking Lorenz, because Louisville executed a double steal on the walk to get Lotus home. Despines was walked intentionally to get a force out at any base, and Pickens flied out to mercifully end the inning after Louisville scored seven runs. The Cards led 8-1.

The fourth saw them get a pair back in Gray's short outing, but the Cards went right back to work in the bottom half. Again, they opened the inning with a walk, and Maddi Grant singled to move Monroe all the way to third. Thatcher had a ground out RBI and Alexander was walked. Camryn Lookadoo, who replaced Lotus at second base, greeted Kent State's new pitcher with a walk, and Jordan Williams, pinch hitting for Mack, did the same. During William's walk, one of the pitches was wild and Grant came home to score. Char Lorenz grounded out, but Kent State couldn't turn two so one run scored. Ava Venturelli came in to pinch hit for Despines and kept the good vibes rolling, singling in two runners. All in all, Louisville scored five runs on two hits and no errors in the inning. Thatcher and Mullen made quick work of Kent State in the fifth and the run rule applied with a 13-3 victory. 

Louisville finished the first game with just six hits while scoring 13 runs. That's incredible. With that, they still managed to leave seven on base. Kent State just really couldn't find the strike zone, ultimately walking 12 batters and giving up one hit by pitch. Louisville, potentially, should have saved some offense for the second game. 

The Cards opened game two as the away team, and we saw right away that Aprile had returned the lineup to its previous shape. Unfortunately, Lotus, Despines, and Lorenz went down in order on just eight pitches. Alyssa Zabala got the start in this one and made similarly short work of the Badgers in the first inning, needing just nine to go three-up, three-down. 

Pickens opened the second inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. She might have fallen asleep at second, though, as she was picked off with a throw behind from the catcher and officially earned a "caught stealing". Grant walked after a full count but Thatcher struck out to end the inning. The second got off to a less-than-stellar start defensively, with runners on first and second after an error and a walk. Zabala looked as though she might tight-rope out of the jam, getting a pop-out and a ground out to give Wisconsin two outs. She was made to pay for the productive ground out, though, as a single up the middle scored both runners. Louisville trailed 2-0. 

In the top of the third, the Cards once more looked like they'd put some runs on the board. Alexander grounded out to open the inning, but Mack singled, and Lotus turned a sacrifice bunt attempt into a single as well. Despines grounded to second, but Wisconsin couldn't turn the double-play, so Char Lorenz came to the plate with runners on the corners and two outs. She flied out to left field.

After seeing the ball well in the second resulted in the ball staying on the ground for the Badgers, they converted that into putting the ball into the air in the fourth. A first pitch pop out was followed by a double to the gap in left-center. Zabala didn't flinch, though, and ultimately stranded the runner with help from the defense. She picked up a fly out to left and the inning ended on a fly out down the right field line, where Madison Pickens saved a run. 

For her defensive efforts, Pickens was rewarded with a strikeout to open the fourth inning. Monroe singled, but Wisconsin still kept the Cards off the scoreboard with a double play. The Badgers kept up their quality at-bats in the bottom half. Zabala once again opened the inning by getting the first batter out, but the next fly ball to left field got all the way over the fence for a solo home run. That was followed by another fly ball to left that was caught, while the next batter doubled to right center. A ground out ended the inning, but the Cards' deficit had grown to 3-0.

Louisville finally broke through in the top of the fifth, but alternating reaching base with outs will quickly end an inning. Thatcher drew a full count walk to open the inning before Alexander flew out to center. Mack continued to show her small ball skills at the plate with a bunt single to put runners on first and second with one out and the top of the order up. Lotus flied out to left center. Seeing a trend? Despines singled between first and second base, and she and Mack each moved up an extra base on the throw home that couldn't stop Thatcher from scoring. With two runners in scoring position and two outs... Lorenz flied out to left center. Cards cut into the lead to make it 3-1.

Zabala returned to the circle for her fifth inning of work and got the first batter out before giving up a single. The Wisconsin runner stole second while Zabala picked up a strikeout. As it turned out, the steal was unnecessary, as a double would have scored her from first. A fly out ended the inning, but the run erased Louisville's comeback progress. Wisconsin brought in a new pitcher to help close out the game and the middle of Louisville's order went down in a hurry with two strikeouts and a first pitch groundout. 

Sam Booe replaced Zabala in the sixth and followed a foul out with a hit by pitch. Bri Despines caught the pinch runner stealing, and Booe picked up a strikeout to end the inning. Down to their final three outs, Louisville didn't go down quietly, although the box score doesn't really indicate that. The line ultimately says one hit, one line out, and two ground outs. But Thatcher opened with an eight-pitch at bat that ended on a full-count liner to the hot corner. A pinch hitting Jordan Williams got ahold of the ball for a ground out to put the Cards up against it. Venturelli came in to pinch hit for Mack and got a first pitch single. She was immediately swapped back out to get the disruptive Mack on the base paths with the top of the order up. Lotus got the bat on the ball on her second pitch with a ground ball, but it was fielded by the shortstop and the game ended on the fielder's choice. 

Despite how some of the early games have gone so far this season, yesterday's was Alyssa Zabala's first loss this year. She finished with six hits and a walk in five innings, giving up four runs (two earned) with one strikeout. I'll also push the limit a bit and say all four of those runs are kind of earned, since she was the one who committed the error. The offense let Zabala down a bit in this one, earning seven hits and two walks, but leaving six on base. The Cards will need more consistency at the plate going forward this season if they want to return to the NCAA tournament. 

Today's games are against Michigan, with that one starting at 9am, and the hosting USF at 1:35. The USF game will be available on ESPN+. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have four on board today, as Jared heads to the Yum! Center for a noon MBB tipoff. We'll have plenty to cover this week, as there have been games galore. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Sweeps Friday -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Wins Pair of 5-1 Games

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

I'm out this week for some home improvement items and Jared remains away. Daryl, Jeff, and Paulie will still bring you plenty of show with an exciting week for WBB and good showings from softball and lacrosse. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Cards Nearly Sweep Friday -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Lacrosse Upsets Denver in Opener

Louisville lacrosse, which we discussed a lot last week after Paulie and Jared's interview with Scott Teeter, opened their season yesterday with a midday game against the 15th-ranked Denver Pioneers. As Teeter  mentioned in that interview, the team was ready to play someone other than themselves. That showed when Louisville opened with a 5-1 first quarter. Louisville weathered storm after storm, ultimately holding on through a 1-4 fourth quarter to win the game 10-8. 

Denver opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game when Olivia Ripple scored from Raegan Wilson. Louisville was undeterred, though. Lauren Figas scored her first, an unassisted goal, just 35 seconds later to tie the match. With both teams back on level footing, they settled into a rhythm or, if you rather, a game of cat and mouse. Neither team could score for about ten minutes before Reese Whiteman, a sophomore set to see more time, scored from Negai Nakazawa with just under four to play in the quarter. That goal was the start of a 4-0 run to close the quarter with Ella Berg and Erin Nicholson scoring unassisted goals and Figas scoring her second on Nakazawa's second assist. 

The second quarter started basically the exact same way, with Olivia Ripple scoring her second goal just 1:22 into the quarter. This one was unassisted, but Raegan Wilson would add another point to her tally by scoring herself with 1:08 remaining in the first half. They were the only two scorers in the quarter, and Louisville held on to a 5-3 lead heading into the locker room. 

I think Teeter may have mentioned Olivia Ripple's trend during the break, because she didn't score the third goal of her hat trick until there was only 5:50 remaining in the third quarter. By that time, Nakazawa had extended Louisville's advantage by two, once unassisted and once from Berg. Figas matched the Ripple hat trick less than a minute later and Rian Adkins got on the board to push Louisville's advantage to five with 2:34 remaining in the third. 

The fourth returned to form for Denver in more ways than one. They scored less than a minute into the quarter, but this time it was Caroline Colimore. Adkins scored a minute and a half later to push Louisville's lead back to five, but it would be the last time they scored in the game. Fortunately, the defense was able to bear down. The Pioneers scored three more goals (including a fourth by Ripple), but their last goal came with 6:27 remaining. The Cards were able to keep them at bay for the remainder of the game and hold on for the huge season-opening upset. 

Louisville's defensive was aided by a player advantage, as Lindsey Wilmot of Denver was shown a red card with 4:18 to go. The penalties were certainly fewer than last season, as Teeter alluded to when discussing the rule changes, but there were still five yellows and a green to go along with the red. Louisville picked up three of the yellows, while Denver had the remaining penalties. 

Louisville's win was impressive, and a lot of the credit goes to the defense. Denver outshot Louisville by 16 overall (37-21), but the Cards were strong and forced a ton of uncomfortable shots. In the end, the teams finished with the same number of attempts on goal: 17. Louisville may not have had as many opportunities, but they were clinically efficient. J Pleck started in goal, as the senior inherited the position from the graduating Sara Addeche, and finished with a career high in saves with nine. Pleck also helped hold the Pioneers to 3-10 on free position shots while Louisville matched the goals with three on seven attempts.

In addition to the overall shots battle, Louisville had to weather being disadvantaged in turnovers (18-13) and ground balls (16-5). Denver just had the ball more often, which is why I give so much credit to the defense. The Cards did win the draw control battle 11-10. 

All in all, it was a great start to the season for Louisville. As expected, Teeter was spot on when he name dropped some of his expected standouts, and we'll surely see more from them and others as the season rolls on. Louisville is next in action when they host Cincinnati on Tuesday at 3PM. 

POST GAME SCOTT TEETER AND PLAYERS

Softball Goes 1-1 on Opening Day

Louisville softball one-upped the lacrosse team by playing two games on their opening day. Unfortunately for Holly Aprile's squad, they could only come up with the same number of wins. The Cards opened the evening with an 11-3 stomping of Middle Tennessee (who have officially changed their logo from MTSU to MT) but closed with a 9-4 loss against Liberty. 

Sam Booe got the start in the first game and pitched six strong innings. She struck out seven, walked two, and gave up five hits. Her three earned runs came on a three-run homer in the third inning. Booe was relieved by Brooke Gray in the seventh to keep Gray warm for game two. Gray snagged two ground outs and a strikeout in a quick inning. 

The real show in game one was Louisville's offense. Louisville was the away team in this one, and Easton Lotus (who has moved into the leadoff spot as we welcome the R-Jr back from injury) opened the game with a triple. After Char Lorenz, the R-Fr utility player, coaxed a walk, Lotus stole home to get the Cards on the board. Bri Despines, Louisville's new transfer catcher from Kent State, drew a catcher's interference call (savvy) to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Unfortunately, Louisville could add no more runs as the next three batters went down on a pair of flyouts and a strikeout. 

Louisville got back on the board in the second when a bases loaded error on a Lorenz grounder to short scored Chelsea Mack and Taylor Monroe. Despines scored Lotus on a sac fly to give Louisville a 4-0 lead. In the third, Mack drew a bases loaded walk to score Riley Janda and Lotus hit a productive groundout to score Thatcher. Middle Tennessee would break the shutout in the bottom of the third with the aforementioned homer to make the score 6-3. 

Louisville was held scoreless for the first time in the fourth inning, but they scored one run each in the fifth and sixth. Jordan Williams singled for Thatcher to score her second run of the day and Madison Pickens scored in the sixth on a bases loaded wild pitch. In the seventh, the top of the order got back to work, with Lorenz doubling in Lotus and then scoring herself on an error that saw Despines go from the batter's box to third base. Despines came home for the 11th and final run on a Pickens sac fly.

It was an exciting game for new Cards, as Despines was joined by freshmen Lorenz, Pickens, Janda, Monroe, and Williams in having a hit and/or RBI. It was also a great return to the field for Easton Lotus, who scored all three times she reached base (two hits and a walk) and earned an RBI. 

The second game was much tighter, but ultimately saw the away team take the victory again. Unfortunately, Louisville was the home team in this one. Alyssa Zabala took to the circle for the start of this one and held Liberty scoreless for the first two innings. A freshman connection scored the Cards first run when Taylor Monroe singled in Riley Janda in the second. The Cards lead was short-lived, though, as a two-run homer gave Liberty the lead in the third. Though the homer came with two outs, Zabala wasn't missing many bats in the inning. A double preceded a pair of line drives before the home run and a triple followed. Fortunately a ground out ended the threat. 

Louisville couldn't answer in the bottom half, unfortunately seeing Mack, Lotus, and Lorenz go down in order. Lorenz watched strike three on a full count, so it's hard to blame her but it stings a bit. After a fly out opened the fourth, Liberty put runners on first and second with a walk and a single. Another single scored a runner and advancement saw runners at second and third with one out. Zabala played with fire by giving up three straight foul balls to the next batter, but she ultimately picked up the swinging strikeout. Aprile still decided that it was time to give her a break and Gray came in to take over. A flyout ended the inning. 

The two teams exchanged 1-2-3 innings after that and headed to the bottom of the fifth with the score still 3-1. Katie Thatcher took a plunking to open the inning and we saw Aprile employ some of her traditional small-ball. A pinch runner moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and Ally Alexander followed with a single. Unfortunately, the single was to left center, meaning Williams couldn't advance and making the prior sacrifice functionally a free out. Aprile put a lot of faith in her contact hitters after that, trusting Chelsea Mack to lay down another sacrifice to bring the top of the order up with runners on second and third and two outs. Lotus delivered with a single to score Williams, and the catcher missed the catch on the throw in, allowing Alexander to come in and tie the game. A pop up ended the inning but Louisville had reset things going into the sixth. 

Liberty responded with small ball of their own. A single and a sac bunt put a runner in scoring position and another single scored the go-ahead run. Unfortunately, Louisville had an error of their own on the throw in, keeping a runner in scoring position. Liberty took advantage, singling for the third time in four batters to make it 5-3. A caught stealing by Despines and a pop up ended the inning. Louisville was unable to answer in the bottom half and the game moved to the final frame with the Cards down two. 

After some shuffling in the bottom of the sixth, Louisville was forced into an interesting substitution pattern in the seventh. Gray gave up a double to open the inning and Katie Thatcher moved into the circle in a change that put Despines back behind the plate and Pickens in right field. Thatcher wasn't listed as a pitcher on last year's roster and I really question the move to test her out in the circle given the situation. Liberty's leadoff runner stole third, and Thatcher threw four straight balls to follow. That runner stole second while Thatcher walked the bases loaded. I'm not sure if either walk was intended to get force outs on base, but a leadoff double while you're down only two is recoverable, so I don't understand what appeared to be giving up defensively. A sac fly scored a runner and a pinch runner stole second to keep runners on second and third with one out. A swinging bunt caught Despines off guard and her errant throw kept runners on second and third and allowed another run. Another walk to load the bases saw freshman Ryann Sanders called into the circle. A single up the middle scored two more before a double play ended the inning. From 5-3 to 9-3 just like that. Gross.

Louisville showed life with a leadoff double of their own in the bottom half. It was followed by a fielder's choice that failed to secure an out and gave Louisville runners on the corners with nobody out and the turn of the order coming up. Unfortunately, Mack, Lotus, and Lorenz weren't quite up to the task this time. Mack popped out, Lotus picked up a consolation RBI on a ground out, and Lorenz lined out to end the game. 9-4 final. 

After the encouraging start to the day and the comeback bid in the second game, I'm still scratching my head about the choices in the end. However, there's a long season ahead and Liberty isn't a bad team. We'll have plenty more chances to see the Cards succeed, starting with two games today against Rutgers (1PM) and Radford (3:30). Both are available (at a cost) on the FastPitch Network. 

Tennis Opens Season 4-1

I wanted to give a shoutout to tennis, who we haven't covered much yet this season, as they're doing well to open the year. Their latest victory was a sweep over Austin Peay. While that may not sound like much, it included a doubles win by Alice Otis and Elisabeth Iila over the 25th-ranked doubles pair in the country. The latest win the Cards' second sweep of the year is added to their victories over UNC Greensboro, UT Chattanooga, and Dayton. Their loss came on the road at Middle Tennessee. Louisville gets a week off before heading to Indiana next week. Conference play begins the week after with a trip to SMU on 2/23. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have three on board today as Jared cruises and Daryl tries to fight off illness. There's plenty to cover, to be sure, so be sure to tune in. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case