Softball banquet: All about the appreciation -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CAPACITY CROWD FOR SOFTBALL'S BULLPEN CLUB DINNER 

There was a consistent theme at the UofL Softball Bullpen Club Dinner Saturday night at the Brown & Williamson Club in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and it dealt with appreciation.   

Appreciation from the players on being able to play at Louisville and with their teammates. Appreciation from head Softball coach Sandy Pearsall for her players, staff, sponsors of the program and the attendance of the event...plus appreciation for keynote speaker Lauren Chamberlain.

Chamberlain continued the theme during her remarks, encouraging the players to appreciate their college years and the chance to play college softball. She also encouraged them to keep up the positive attitude that was present during the evening's events and appreciate the efforts of their teammates, coaches and fans.

SONJA AND PAULIE LISTEN TO SEAN QUIZ LAUREN

We were certainly appreciative of being there and Sonja and I ran into Worldwide shortly upon arrival and appreciated the chance to talk with and interview some great people.

Coach Pearsall was effusive in her remarks about the crowd, the players and the upcoming speaker. We also got a few words in with the "pros"...both Whitney Arion and Kelsi Jones were in attendance. Both were able to play professional softball after graduation this summer. Arion is a softball coach now at Eastern Kentucky University and Jones working in an administrative capacity at Ball State. 

We saved our final interview for the chance to speak with the Soles sisters...Kayla graduated and working with 8-12 year olds...teaching them the fundamentals of the game and sophomore sister Jamie working to gain a spot in the Cardinal infield this season. 

We'll have all the interviews on the next CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR...and they were great fun to conduct. 

Sonja and I were fortunate enough to be at the table where redshirt sophomore outfielder Nicole Pufahl and sophomore utility player Ashley Nikolao and her parents were sitting. Both were stunning in their dresses (one gets used to seeing them in uniforms and when the girls get dressed up for events like this, it's a pleasant surprise and sight for viewing) and the two will be part of the power contingent that Pearsall will send to the plate against foes this season. 

Keynote speaker Chamberlain was a delight to listen to and the post-address interview with emcee Sean Moth revealed that she's been fortunate enough to meet and talk with stars Peyton Manning and Justin Bieber. 

The evening ended all too soon and it was a great night of casual conversation with old and new friends and a chance to hear from the girls that will be shaping the future of college softball at Louisville. A time to be appreciative. 

As Chamberlain commented during her address: 

" I'd give anything in the world to trade places with you and be sitting where you are right now...with a season ahead of you and so many great experiences and opportunities ahead. Appreciate them, because when they are over...I can tell you...you'll miss them so much and wish you were still playing college softball." 

(And Coach Pearsall would probably appreciate her bat in the lineup this season). 

___________________________________________________

The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour from yesterday is now up and available on the Crescent Hill Soundcloud. Another fun show! 

LINK: https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-012316

paulie
xxxxx

Golf finishes 2nd in BIG EAST, Soccer and Lacrosse Awards, Cats v. Cards

.
WET WEDNESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

Anna-Karin Ljungstrom forced
a playoff for the individual title.

(Here's hoping everyone made it through the storms

last night that hit Louisville. Paul slept through them.)

-Women's Golf 2nd in BIG EAST TOURNEY

-Softball Heads to Lexington

-Negron receives lacrosse award

-Kuric gets women's soccer honor

-Smith on the way to Louisville

The University of Louisville's women's golf team finished second in the BIG EAST Tournament with a third round effort of 305..for a 915 three day total. Sophomore Anna-Karin Ljungstrom  closed well for the Cards, firing a final day 73 to tie for lowest round and the tournament lead. She faced St John's Harin Lee in a sudden death playoff for the title...but lost on the 4th hole of the match. Still, a big effort from the Cardinal.
Notre Dame captured first place...12 strokes lower than Louisville.

Sara-Maude Juneau had a 77 on the final day, along with Laura Anderson. Maria Castellanos finished at 78 for the final eighteen and Tara Lyons took 83 strokes to finish the third day.

The Cards now await their NCAA Tournament fate...to be announced Monday April 25th. A great season of chip and putt for the ladies and good job, 'Coach K' with a team that had no home meets and just might have travelled further to compete throughout the season than any other sports squad at UofL. Unpack those bags and rest awhile, ladies!

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

The Softball Cards travel to Lexington to face the Wildcats for a single game today. The #16 ranked UK squad dropped a previous meeting this season to Sandy Pearsall's squad 6-0 in Ulmer Stadium. A quick turnaround for the Louisville Sluggers...they begin a three game series at Ulmer on Thursday against Providence that will conclude the home part of the regular schedule for the Cards.

Freshman Hannah Kiyohara is
batting .387 for the Cards. 

Although the Cards are unranked in the polls, they are having a great season at 32-13 and 10-4 in the BIG EAST. They are in 4th. place in the BIG EAST standings, behind DePaul (10-1) South Florida (9-1) and Notre Dame (7-1). With the return of Tori Collins to the pitching rotation, they have two pitchers that are headaches for opposing teams to face. Caralisa Connell (18-6) had a twelve game win streak earlier in the season and has a 2.38 ERA.

Louisville also has tons of firepower when at the plate. Hannah Kiyohara leads the Cards with a .387 batting average and has 18 RBI's on the year. Colby Wherry is at .370 with five home runs and third baseman Chelsea Bemis has smashed eight base cleaners, driven in 37 RBI's and sits at .368.

Freshmen Maggie Ruckenbrod, Katie Keller and Taner Fowler have contributed heavily to the Cards offensive attack and Alicja Wolny is a threat to reach base anytime she steps into the box.

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

Louisville lacrosse in 10-4 this year and 3-2 in
BIG EAST play.

Monica Negron has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the week in lacrosse for her excellent work against Rutgers and Villanova in the Cards last two wins. She held Rutgers leading scorer Marlena Welsh to just one goal in Louisville's 10-8 win over the Scarlet Knights. Against the Wildcats leading scorer, Justine Donodeo, Negron limited her to no goals and just four shots.

The lacrosse Cards face a decisive road trip beginning Thursday...visiting 13th. ranked Syracuse (5-7, 3-1) and then Connecticut on Saturday. Here's hoping the Cards high-powered offensive attack of Bergan Foley, Liz Lovejoy and Katie Oliverio can find the net successfully and frequently against the Orange and Huskies....

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



Katie Kuric was a BIG EAST
All-Academic selection.



Louisville women's soccer player Katie Kuric was named Senior of the Year Monday night at the Student Awards banquet. Kuric complied a 3.945 GPA during her four years at Louisville (OK, whose the kill-joy who gave her a "B"?) and was a four year competitor in women's soccer. She was a Dean's Scholar, a Black and Red Scholar and made the Dean's list and A.D. Honor roll. Kuric chronicled her journey overseas with brother Kyle last year on a trip to Egypt during summer break at http://www.uoflsports.com/ . Seeing the pyramids is on the "Bucket List" for us at CARDINAL COUPLE. Not that we're going anywhere soon, mind you.  

Kyle is an outstanding hoopster for Rick Pitino's Louisville basketball team and his out of this world, "are you kidding me" dunk against Notre Dame this past season was the Papa John's Dunk of the Year in college basketball. The one-handed throw-down in South Bend against Scott Martin near the end of the first half was simply amazing. Kyle will be a senior wing for the Cards this fall.

Katie has her degree in Management and is a great example of combining academic excellent and athletic dedication on the collegiate level. Louisville Soccer will miss her...but WE have the feeling that you'll hear plenty more about Ms.Kuric after her college days are done...

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



Bria Smith visits Louisville today. Where
would you take her?



Bria Smith lands in Louisville this morning for an official visit to the Cardinal campus. She's still uncommitted to a college and is ranked the eighth best player in the class of 2011...and second at her guard position. We have no doubt the the Lady Cards basketball staff, coaches and players have a full and exciting day planned for her. We were speculating on the top five things that you'd want a perspective recruit to see while in Louisville. By no means is this how her day will go...but the list of things to see below would make for a fun visit to "the Ville". 

1) The KFC YUM Center. A must stop for any potential hoopster contemplating UofL. The showcase by the Ohio River draws over 10,000 for women's hoops.

2) Cardinal Park. The multi-use athletic facility offers a great walking and jogging track to stay in shape during the off-season and also has three state of the art stadiums for track, field hockey and softball.

3) Churchill Downs. The legendary Twin Spires and a jaunt thru the Kentucky Derby Museum never fails to fascinate even the horse racing novice.

4) Cardinal Arena. Lady Cards spend a lot of time there...practicing, training and the locker rooms, player access areas and coaching offices are state of the art.

5) Ali Center. A magnificent tribute to "the Greatest"...Interactive displays and a testament to the will and desire of the greatest boxer of all-time.
.

Enjoy your stay, Ms. Smith and here's hoping your flight this morning wasn't too bumpy. Take it all in and have fun...because if you choose UofL...four years in the greatest college sports town in America await...

.

Reviewing the Seton Hall win...Softball blanks Wright State

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:


-Reviewing Seton Hall win


-Watson reviews the game (sort of)...


-Softball shuts out Wright St.


-One week left to vote for Steve
.

Asia Taylor, pictured here, drives for two while Sherrone Vails and Seton Hall's Whitney Wood mix it up in some sort of tantric yoga exercise...

.
(Photo from Charlie Springer, UofL Card Game)
.
Louisville didn't have one of their better outings against the Pirates...but once again...defense helped the Cards notch their 19th win of the season. The Cards allowed six Pirate points in the first four minutes and then held them to just 43 in the final 36 minutes of the game. Seton Hall shot 9 for 27 in each half...a 18-54 outing at 33%. The Cards went 23-54 against S.H.U. (42.6%). Free throws were another area that both teams missed opportunities at...Seton Hall 8-15 (53.3%) and Louisville 9-17 (52.9%). It should be noted that the referees really went to the whistle in the second half...against the Cards...four fouls in the first twenty minutes and 12 in the final twenty. Seton Hall committed 12 first half infractions but only eight in the 2nd half.
.
Leading the Cards in scoring was Monique Reid with 16. Keisha Hines aded 12, Becky Burke 10 and Asia Taylor nine. Sherrone Vails tossed in five, Tia Gibbs with four and Polly Harrington knocked down a 3 pointer for her three points. Shoni Schimmel, Shelby Harper, Antonita Slaughter, Charmaine Tay and Rachel Story also played but had no points. Seton Hall's Jazzmine Johnson led all scores with 19 points and Tajay Ashmeade hit double figures with 11.
.
Louisville won the rebounding battle 39-35 with Hines grabbing 10. Burke and Reid had five each, Vails added four, Taylor and Schimmel three, Slaughter and Story two each and Harper and Harrington had a grab. Seton Hall got a yeoman effort from 6'3" Ashmeade on the misses...ending with 15 rebounds and a double double.
.
Louisville's freshmen combined for eight points and ten rebounds. This was the first time this season Schimmel had been shut out for a game. The playing time was evenly distributed by Walz Saturday...the Cards had nine players see 13 or more minutes...Burke getting 26. The Cards scored 30 points in the paints...Seton Hall 22. Louisville won the points off turnovers battle 23-15 and second chance points 19-8. The Cardinal bench was worth 18 points...Seton Hall's 17.
.
9875 witnessed the win where Louisville improved to 19-10, 10-5. The Cards finish with 162,892 attending 15 games in the KFC YUM Center...tops in the BIG EAST in average (10,930) and total. Connecticut could catch Louisville in total with one home game remaining Monday night at the Gampel Pavillion.
.
Coach Walz revealed in the post game presser that the diminished playing time for Charmaine Tay lately was not from an injury...but because she is dealing with some off-court issues and effectually is in the 'doghouse' until she gets them straighted out. We saw Walz do this earlier in the season with Asia Taylor and although we do not know the circumstances involved in this issue...we can only conjecture that Tay will be back in the regular mix once she completes her issues to Walz's approval. Tay did see brief action yesterday in a mop up role...maybe the worst is over for her. Gotta play by all the rules...on court and off...and pay the price if you don't.
.
Louisville said goodbye to Hines, LaToya Johnson and Laura Terry in pregame ceremonies. The three will be missed and their hard work and contributions were monumental in the success of this Cardinal team.
.
Louisville's men play Pitt in a big hoop-de-do down at the YUM today and the press row was basically cut in half yesterday by technicians working on setting up for the nationally televised game. Crowded and cozy conditions for the members of the working media...WE'RE not ones to ever complain...but...they needed 24 hours before the game to get all this together? And, the guys didn't seem too very busy during a certain two hour stretch yesterday...WE weren't in our normal viewing area next to Professor Abramson but got to spend two fun hours next to UofL Card Game owner and 'observer' Charlie Springer.
.
It was Charlie who commented on the noticable weight loss on a couple of UofL assistant coaches. While we'd never call trusted Jeff Walz assistants fat...it is obvious that there has been some pounds shed and we encourage their efforts and results. Hey, if Paul can drop 35...anyone can...keep going, girls!
.
***********************************************************************************
.
DAVID WATSON was in the stands for the Seton Hall game with his youngest daughter and files this report...(We like the fact that David is in town for two days...and is taking us out to eat Sunday Night.)
.
It was a good day for being in downtown Louisville yesterday. The pizza at Impelliezeri's post game is always top notch and the weather conductive to strolling down 4th Street Live after. The action in the KFC YUM Center was less than perfect but it goes to show what I've been saying for the last couple weeks...Seton Hall isn't the push-over patsy that most people consider them to be. Anne Donovan has made big strides coaching this young team ( 1 senior, 7 freshmen and sophomores) this season and will continue to do so. Watching Anne on the sidelines (she's hard to miss at 6'8") is a lesson in coaching. She is on top of each and every play, rotating between shouting out assignment and switches to her players, keeping a rolling and lively dialogue going with any officials within earshot and talking to her assistants. Anne, like Jeff Walz, doesn't spend much time sitting down.
.
Her players are hustling, aggressive competitors that may have skill sets a bit behind the cream of the league but won't get out-worked. Give her a couple of years and the battle for women's college basketball supremacy in Jersey might just tighten up a bit.
.
As for the Cards yesterday, I can't say much positive except for the play of Hines, Taylor and Reid. I'll miss Keisha Hines. She was usually overlooked when people pointed out the strengths of Louisville teams. She was her usual pound it out and refuse to back off Keisha again yesterday and it's the Keisha we've come to know and respect. Asia Taylor seems to wake up each year at the end of the season. Her effort yesterday is what Cardinal fans have expected all season. Maybe Walz could put her on a intramural team on campus that starts in August. By December, she'd be in top form and a year long contributor. Monique Reid just shines when she wants to and she decided to after a slow start yesterday. Put the determination and hustle of a Shelby Harper in that skillful Reid body and you'd have another Maya Moore.
.
As much fun as yesterday was, I must admit that Sunday is going to be a bigger blast for my daughter and I. The seats for the Pitt game aren't nearly as good but the atmosphere in the KFC YUM! Center when it's full and the opponent is top notch is like nowhere else in college hoops. It'll be only our second men's game this year and I can't wait!
.
David Watson is a special correspondent for CARDINAL COUPLE and can also sing over a dozen MONKEES songs in Japanese...
.
*************************************************************************************
.
The University of Louisville softball team notched their third straight shutout of an opponent yesterday at Ulmer Stadium...white-washing Wright State 8-0 in the Red & Black Tournament. Tori Collins went the distance and allowed just two hits while striking out eight...improving her record to 5-3 on the season.
.
Louisville began the rout early with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Alicja Wolny's single drove home Jordan Trimble. Chelsea Bemis and Wolny scored when Maggie Ruckenbrod delivered a two RBI single. The Cards tacked on another run in the second when Chelsea Jordan walked, stole second and greeted her teammates in the dugout on a fielding error.
.
The Cards ran it up to 7-0 in the fourth inning. Katie Keller drew a walk and Jennifer Esteban and Trimble followed with singles. Keller and Esteban scored on a throwing error and Trimble joined them with a run scored on another Raider throwing miscue. The Cards closed out the scoring in the fifth when Katelyn Mann reached first on a fielder's choice, advanced to second on a fielder's choice from Christina Roesel and got third on a wild pitch. Mann scored on yet another throwing error from Wright State to make it 8-0.
.
Louisville concludes action in the Red and Black with games against Miami (OH) at 2 p.m and Wright State at 4 p.m.
.
*************************************************************************************

.



Steve Springer is hanging tough in the race for Biggest Fan contest in the BIG EAST and we appreciate all of you that have gone over to vote for him at:
.
http://www.uoflcardgame.com/
.
We've never met Steve but think the world of him and his dad...Card Game guru Charlie Springer. Steve is a remarkable person...a high school teacher that someone manages to be the sole bread provider for a family of six. His daughter Mackenzie was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis last April and his wife Casey had to put her college aspirations on hold to be the primary caretaker to the wheelchair bound eight year old. Please take time to read this heart-touching and inspirational story at http://uoflcardgame.com/biggest-fan-of-the-big-east-experience-3/23424 and continue to vote for Steve daily.
.
We owe a lot to Charlie Springer for many reasons. He got us actively involved in his web site http://www.uoflcardgame.com/ as contributing writers and heartily encouraged us to go forward full speed ahead when we were debating whether to start Cardinal Couple or not. Anytime we need sound counsel, a photo or just dialogue and friendship...Charlie and his wife Barbara have been there for us. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree and Steve is a brilliant writer and dedicated young man. Please help Steve win this portion of the contest and repost, comment, Twitter and spread the word about Steve and his family's amazing journey.
.

Soggy Softball Starts today...

FRIDAY as seen through the eyes of CARDINAL COUPLE:


-Red and Black Softball Tournament today


-Catching up on Girls H.S. hoops.


-Seton Hall set to visit LADY CARDS Saturday


Take off those soggy tennis shoes and have a cup of cocoa (bring two!) coz' it's time for the Friday edition of Cardinal Couple! (insert applause...)

Day One of softball's RED and BLACK Classic is scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. this morning with four games on tap (weather permitting). The events today at Ulmer Stadium:

11 a.m. Boston University vs. SIUE
1 p.m. Louisville vs. SIUE
3 p.m. Louisville vs. Boston University
5 p.m. Miami (OH) vs. Wright State


The Cards roll into the three day event with a 5-5 record. This is Louisville's home opener...having spent the last two weekends on the road. The Cards participated in tournaments in Texas and Alabama...facing stiff competition in both from the host schools, Syracuse and Tulsa...among others. The Cards will play five games over the weekend...giving Sandy Pearsall's young pitching staff another tough test. We think Connell, Leonard and Collins will come through just fine...Chelsea Bemis (pictured above) should have a big weekend swinging the aluminum...


The Cards will open against Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE). The Cougars are 3-6 on the year and have been playing some very tough competition in UCLA, Tennessee and Long Beach State. They play in the Ohio Valley Conference and this is the first time the Cards and Cougars have ever met. Senior pitcher Erika Taylor is 1-4 on the year and shortshop Kasey Schlafke leads the team in home runs and runs scored.


Next, the Cards face Boston University. The Terriers haven't played yet this season but they have won the America East Conference two years running...so they'll be a good test for Pearsall's players. They're picked to finish first again and boast April Setterlund...who is on the National Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. The senior outfielder set six school records in 2010 and was the AEC Player of the Year. First ever meeting between the Cards and Terriers.


The rain is supposed to be gone by game time and Ulmer is a great place to watch softball, so grab the coat and hat and head on out for a fun afternoon of pitcher versus batter. Admission is free and they sell coffee and hot chocolate. CARDINAL COUPLE will be there and will provide our readers will all the activities over the three day event.
.

*************************************************************************************
.

We've gotten a little backed up in high school girls basketball coverage but tonight is a big night in district play. Both Manual and Mercy have advanced to the Seventh Region playoffs and Manual's Mechael Guess has been named Seventh Region Player of the Year. Guess, a senior, is headed to Pittsburgh to play college volleyball for the Panthers.
.
Manual beat Mercy in 25th district action 74-68 but both move on to the regionals. We're glad to report that Rockcastle County and Sara Hammond won the 47th. district finals and will advance to the regionals, too. Makayla Epps, Kyvin Goodin-Rogers and Bre Elder lead Marion County into the 20th district finals tonight. Other local district action:
.

21st - Holy Cross vs PRP tonite for the title
22nd - Doss and Butler tonite in the finals
23rd - Central 59- Presentation 41 (both advance)
24th - Bullitt East 57 - Bullitt Central 43
26th - Fern Creek vs. Assumption (GO CREEK!)
27th - Sacred Heart 53 - Ballard 51
28th - Christian Academy 49 - J'Town 40
.

Good luck to all!

*************************************************************************************
.

Louisville plays their final home basketball game of the year against Seton Hall Saturday and it will be Senior day for Keisha Hines and Laura Terry. Terry no longer suits up for the Cards (knee injuries) but has been a valuable and hard working assistant student manager for Jeff Walz and the 'Ville'. We'll always remember Terry's saving defense in the final seconds of the Louisville win against Rutgers in the BIG EAST tournament in the 2007-08 season. (Laura and the beautiful smile pictured here.)
.
Hines is the other Cardinal that was brought in by former coach Tom Collen. Jeff Walz calls her a "survivor" and is the only Cardinal on roster to have played four years at Louisville. Hines came in as a backup to Chauntise Wright during her freshman year and impressed Cardinal fans right away with 25 points against Florida in only her sixth game as a Card. She moved into the starting position her sophomore year and has patrolled the post for the Cards ever since. Hines has been a blue collar, behind the scenes foundation for Louisville teams since she's been here. Never flashy of flamboyant...she's worked the paint against some of the best post players in college basketball over four years and always battled gamely and physically against them. Her play in the 2009 run to the Final Four was outstanding...despite the fact her grandmother passed away...she had a career game a day later against Oklahoma. Keisha has been like so many of us out here...gets up each day, goes out and does the job without any headlines or superlatives and does it well. (Keisha pictured on the job here.)
.
We know that Anne Donovan hasn't has the kind of season to go running down the Jersey Shore yelling and celebrating about..but Seton Hall must be respected Saturday. A win over Louisville would be the high point of their season and they are fighting to stay out of the cellar in the BIG EAST. We hope the Cards have practiced well for this one and that Mo's ankle has held up. WE think the Cards win rather handily in this one and give the Louisville fans in the KFC YUM Center plenty of fond memories of playing and being in the YUM Center to carry over to next season.
.
Certainly no pressure here, but if the Cards win, Rutgers falls to WVU, UConn beats Georgetown and Marquette loses to DePaul...Louisville would be alone in 4th place at 10-5 with one game to go. 4th place means a double bye in the BIG EAST TOURNAMENT. Make it so, Cards.
.



.

Women's track takes BIG EAST Indoor Championships

MONDAY through the eyes of CARDINAL COUPLE:

-UofL takes title in BIG EAST indoor track and field.

-Cardinal softball wins final in Alabama

-Lacrosse wins opening game.

The University of Louisville women's track team captured their first indoor conference championship...with some strong performances by several individuals. Head Coach Ron Mann and his staff were also named BIG EAST Indoor Women's Coaching Staff of the Year. Louisville had to rally to get the title after leading on Day 1. It came down to the final event of the day, the 4x400 relay. Louisville got a inspired performance from Chelsea Brown, Margret Harris, Charachesicia Lockhart and Ahlivia Spencer to take third place in the final. scoring enough points to pass UConn and finish tops overall with 110 points. The Huskies ended up with 108.5.

Other Cardinal participants in the final day:

SHOT PUT

1st. Khadija Abdullah

2nd. Chinwe Okoro

3rd. D'Ana McCarty

4th. Amashi Kendall

60 METERS

2. Sarvina Richardson

5. Margert Harris

500 METERS

4. Ahlivia Spencer

3000 METERS

13. Kim Grieshaber
17. Monica Herdandez

18. Emily Borsase

HIGH JUMP

3. Michelle Theophille

7. Megan Schubert

POLE VAULT

6. Andrea Sabbatine

11.Chelsea Lucas

TRIPLE JUMP

4. Lockhart

17. Maggie Gilbertson

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

Softball ended their stay in Alabama with an extra inning win Sunday over UTSA 7-3. Trailing 3-2 going in to the top of the seventh inning, Katie Keller drove home pinch runner Tesha Payton to tie the contest. The teams remained scoreless until the Cards got four runs in the top of the tenth inning...a Chelsea Bemis double scored Jordan Trimble. After Colby Wherry reached on an error, Maggie Ruckenbrod hit a two RBI single. Wherry scored the final run when Hannah Kiyohara singled.

Jennifer Esteban and Bemis were named to the All-Tournament team.

Louisville returns to action Friday in the Red and Black Tournament over at Ulmer Stadium. SIU-Edwardsville and Boston University visit.

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

Louisville lacrosse got off to a strong start of the season by winning the home opener 18-4 over Binghamton. UofL's Katie Oliverio scored just eight seconds into the game. After two Binghamton scores, Emily Dashiell tacked on two points within 19 seconds of each other. Louisville led 11-4 at the half and shut out the Bearcats 7-0 in the second half.

The Cards were led Bergan Foley with 6 goals. Foley led the nation in goals last year. Sammy Allen and Dashiell finished with three each for the Cards. Freshman Ashley Herbst started at goalkeeper and had 12 saves while limiting Binghamton to just four points.

The lacrosse team returns to action Saturday at home against Old Dominion. Action begins at 1.

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

Louisville's baseball team went 3-0 over the weekend in the BIG EAST vs. BIG TEN Challenge in St. Petersburg, FL. Dan McDonnell has a strong pitching staff on this year's Cardinal team and a bunch of sluggers to score for him. No word yet from whether the Parrish House bunch that winters in Naples, Florida made the trip up.

.

Softball splits, Swimming and Diving wins BIG EAST

SUNDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:



-CARDS split in softball

-CARDS sweep BIG EAST SWIMMING Championships

-CARDS lead after 1st round of BIG EAST track CHAMPIONSHIPS

-Commentary and comments on LADY CARDS WBB win over USF.

Louisville softball split Saturday in Tuscaloosa, AL. in the 'Bama Bash...beating UT-San Antonio 2-1 and falling to Alabama 9-8.


In the first game, the Cards fell behind early to the Roadrunners when Tori Collins gave up a solo shot to Molly Fischer in the top of the second. Louisville countered with a run in the third when Jennifer Esteban reached on an error and scored on a Alicja Wolny single. The Cards scored the go ahead and final run in the fourth...getting a double from All-American Chelsea Bemis and pinch runner Tesha Payton greeting the umpire on a Maggie Ruckenbroad single.



Tori Collins turned in a solid performance on the mound for Louisville...fanning 12 and allowing only three hits in seven innings. Bemis had two hits to lead Louisville in batting.



Against Texas, Caralisa Connell got the start and Louisville gave her a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first when Esteban singled, moved to third on a fielding error and wild pitch and touched home on a Kristin Austin fielder's choice. The Cards pushed it out to 3-0 in the second. Jordan Trimble singled, Ruckenbrod sent her to third on a single and a Katie Keller ground out scored her. Pinch runner Katelyn Mann found the plate on a passed ball.



The Crimson Tide made it 3-1 in the top of the third but the Cards fired back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning...Chelsea Bemis drilling a right field fench clearer that scored her and Colby Wherry. Bama crawled back with a run in the top of the fourth to make it 5-2. The Tide added a run in the fifth when Jackie Traina smashed one over the center field fence off of Connell.



Louisville built a seemingly unreachable 8-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Bemis walked and Trimble, Fowler and Ruckenbroad all singled to make it 7-3. Two straight bases on ball scored Fowler for a 8-3 Cardinal advantage.



Alabama came back, though, with four runs in the top of the sixth, getting a solo blast from Keima Davis and a three run shot from Cassie Reilly-Boccia to change the scoreboard 8-7 Cards. The Tide took the lead in the top of the seventh on a two run fence clearer by Davis and Louisville couldn't score in the bottom of the inning.



The Cards fall to 4-5. Collins got the loss in relief of Connell...allowing five runs and five hits in 2 pitched innings. Louisville plays UT-San Antonio Sunday @ noon for their final game in the Bash.



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



Cardinal swim teams swept the BIG EAST Championships in the Ralph Wright Natatorium yesterday and head coach Arthur Alberio was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year. The ladies snapped a 14 year Notre Dame hold on the title, outpointing the Irish 820.5-655.



Therese Bergstrom finished first in the 200-breaststroke for the Cards. Aileen Cole finished a very close second in the 100-freestyle and Eszter Povazsay claimed second in the 200-backstroke. Raine Thompson swam to second in the 200-fly and the relay team of Cole, Breann McDowell, Krissie Brandenburg and Grite Apanaviciute narrowly missed in the 400-relay against the Irish by .34th of a second.



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



Women's track and field has the lead after Day One in the BIG EAST Championship competition in Akron, Ohio. D'Ana McCarty won the weight throw..an event that the Cards swept the top three spots in and Charachesicia Lockhart leaped to a first place finish in the long jump.

Gabrielle Jackson is currently fourth in the pentathlon and Sarvia Richardson (2nd) and Margert Harris (4th) qualified for the 60 meter dash finals. Richardson also qualified for the 200 meter finals...finishing fifth in the qualifier. Ahlivia Spencer's 5th place put her in the 500 meter finals.
In addition to McCarty's win in the weight throw...Al-Amashi Kendall claimed second and Patrice Gates tossed for third. The UofL squad leads with 42 points...WVU follows in second with 30 and Syracuse is third at 22 points. Action continues Sunday.

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

JEFF WALZ'S POST GAME COMMENTS after the win over USF:

" Well, I told the girls that we definitely wanted to send you out Jim (Kelch) with a win on your last road trip. It was the pre-game speech..it was all about Jim Kelch...We wouldn't be where we are without you and we appreciate all you've done for the last four years..."

On the win:
"Without a doubt, I was really proud of the kids. It was a win we had to have, a road game that we had to come down here and get. We played well at times today...and at times we didn't. We really were taking care of the ball until the last four minutes and then we had some crazy turnovers that we have to address...but overall I was really, really pleased about the way we played today.

On the 18 turnovers and early low percentage passing by Louisville:
"I thought we took pretty good care of the ball...I know at one point in the game Shoni had nine assists and nine turnovers...but I thought she played a really good game for us.... she had some really nice passes into the post. She goes 6-16 from the field...not a great shooting percentage...but again, she's not taking bad shots. She gets a steal and misses a layup..there could have been some contact. I thought Mo(nique Reid) played as well tonight as she's played in awhile. It's tough...I guess..for people who don't get the chance to see us play on the road..but Mo actually wanted the ball tonight, compared to Wednesday night at Syracuse...where Mo actually kind of hid. It's hard for us to get her the ball when she doesn't want it. Tonight she wanted it and did some great things with it."

On scoring depth:
"We're still trying to find one more great scorer. Tia Gibbs hits a big three there for us in the second half when they started to make a little run at us. I've got to get Becky Burke to do a little bit more than just being a spot up three point shooter for us. I need her to be able to read screens. She came off a screen, a double stacker that we set for her...she was wide open to drive it through on the curl to the basket...but she's always looking to shoot the three. I know she has the game...I've seen her do it at times...but we need to get one more player besides Monique and Shoni to be a creator."

On Keisha Hines' performance:
"She did play well. I get on Keisha sometimes because we actually throw it to her and she passes up a lot of shots. She only took five tonight. I want her to score. We need her to be a scoring threat for us... every night she could get 10 to 12 points for us and if she could do that...Mo is going to get her 16-18, Shoni's going to get 16-18 and we got to get one more to get that 8-10 each night and then we'll have four out there that everyone has to worry about.

On Walz's pregame promise to the team that a win over USF would get them Sunday off:
" I told them that it (Sunday) is an off day. I did encourage the one that did not get to play much that...I personally would get in the gym and get some shots up. That's just me. Not mandatory...it is completely an off day if you want. Like I try to tell them all, though...are you somebody that wants to play basketball, or are you a basketball player?

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

We love the "basketball player" comment above by Coach Walz! Looking at the basketball played yesterday by the Lady Cards...several things stick out to us. Monique Reid's 11-15 shooting shows that she can be deadly when the Cards run the offense and work to get her open inside. Secondly, five offensive rebounds for the entire game is pitiful. Even though the Cards shot 50%...USF had 22 defensive boards. Only three Cardinals managed to grab a rebound after a Louisville missed shot. 23 chances, five second chances. Gotta improve that.

The Louisville freshmen accounted for 16 points of the 66 Louisville total...all from Schimmel. Walz did not play Charmaine Tay and there was no mention of why she didn't hit the court. Sherrone Vails saw only nine minutes on the court and Antonita Slaughter just two. Sophomore Shelby Harper had her second straight extended amount of time on the court yesterday with 10 minutes after being barely visible for most of the season. WE think Walz had her out there to harass USF leading scorer Andrea Smith. Harper did hit two free throws and get a rebound, assist and turnover while on the court. Smith ended with 16 points, slightly below her season average.

A brief appearance yesterday for starter Asia Taylor. Only 12 minutes of court time after starting each half. One shot, no points, two rebounds and fouls for the sophomore. Different approaches for different opponents we're guessing...but could have more Taylor led to more Cardinal rebounds? Four cards accounted for all but two of the Cards 27 grabs...Hines getting seven, Gibbs six, Schimmel five and Reid four. We'd never question Coach Walz's decision making...mind you. Just an observation.

An announced crowd of 683 watched the event. Not surprising, given the Bulls record and a beautiful Saturday outside in Tampa. The Bulls students are known for their catcalls directed at opposing players and harassment of officials and we could hear plenty of that going on yesterday over the radio. We'll never forget a trip to the Sun Dome several years back when we were vacationing in Florida and happened to go to a UofL men's game down there. Wouldn't have wanted to be on the Cardinal bench that afternoon...the students sit directly behind the benches..in a small balcony type setting and the language and taunts coming out of the section directly behind the Cardinal bench would have made the late George Carlin blush.

A big time match up awaits the Cards Wednesday night when DePaul rolls into town. The Blue Demons grabbed sole control of second place when Notre Dame got spanked by UConn yesterday. With just one conference loss, Doug Bruno's team does face a tough test today against dangerous Georgetown...who comes in for a visit. The Cards play well in the YUM (usually) with a big fan base present and a huge turnout is needed Wednesday night for the DePaul game. Bring a buddy, tell a friend..load up the kids and that neighbor who tells you they'd like to catch a ladies game and get down there!!! Tip is at 7. Wazoo Sports is televising it locally if you can't attend...
.

Swimming leads, Softball falls, Sypher sentenced..

SATURDAY at CARDINAL COUPLE PRESENTS:


-Swimming still #1 after Day 3 of Championships

-Softball drops two in 'Bama Classic

-Sypher gets 87 months in extortion case.

-Watson's take on South Florida hoops vs. Lady Cards

-And the Panera winner is.....

-Pitino's Cards cage the Huskies in the YUM

The University of Louisville's men and womens swim squads still lead after Day 3 of the BIG EAST Championships. 'Sharin' Karen Sypher, pictured above, had to miss the competition...trying to swim out of her own cesspool down at the courthouse yesterday. She sank...

The women's swim squad has a commanding lead over Notre Dame 623.6 to 430.50 as the final day of splashing starts today. Several Lady Card swimmers touched the wall first in races yesterday in the Ralph Wright Natatorium. Let's look at the action:

Raine Thompson took the women's 100-fly with a new conference record 53.10. The Cards also had good finishes from Mary Mittel (5th), Esther Povazsky (7th) and Lacy Bobo (8th) in the final.

Therese Bergstrom captured the 100-breast stroke, defeating last year's champion from Notre Dame, Samantha Maxwell. Cardinals Giselle Kohoyda, Aileen Cole and Kameron Chastain also picked up points in the event.

The Cards also got a third in the 400-IM, second in the 200-free and second in the 100-back. The highly heralded 400 medley relay team of Bergstrom, Thompson, Cole and Krissie Brandenburg just missed against the Irish...who set a new BIG EAST record with 3:35.89.

The men go into the final day clinging onto a 591-570.5 lead over the Irish..


************************************************************************************.


Tough Friday for Sandy Pearsall's softball team in Tuscaloosa, Al. at the 'Bama Bash. Losses to Syracuse and Alabama drop the Cards to 3-4 in the young season. Against the Orange, Louisville jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning...Alicja Wolny's double scoring Jennifer Esteban. 'Cuse roared back, though, with a 3 run blast from Stephanie Watts in the top of the third. The Cards got back within one and had a chance to win it in the top of the seventh. Tanner Fowler, Esteban and Katie Keller reached on infield singles to load the bases with two outs. An error got pinch runner Chelsea Jordan to the plate but Syracuse reliever Jenna Caira stopped the rally...leaving the Cards one run short. Caralisa Connell (1-1) took the loss, allowing three runs, five hits and getting five strikeouts in seven innings. The 3-2 win pushes the 'Cuse to 5-0.


In the nightcap, Alabama jumped on Cards hurler Tori Collins early with four runs in the second inning. A two run double by Kendall Dawson and two run homer from Jackie Traina did the damage. 'Bama added two more in the third and led 6-0 until the top of the fourth when Louisville countered with two runs. Colby Wherry put one over the fence, bringing Katie Keller to the dugout with her. The Tide would add two more in the fourth and fifth innings for the final 10-2 score. Collins took the loss...giving up ten runs, 14 hits and fanning five in 4 innings.


The Cards look to rebound with a noon game against Texas-San Antonio today.


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

Sharin' Karen Sypher received a seven year, three month sentence for her extortion attempts on Rick Pitino in Federal Court Friday. Her attempts back in 2003 to force Pitino into forking over cash, cars, college educations and a house for her and her kids is going to put the blond bad girl away with no chance of parole or reduced time served, since it is a federal case. Sypher plans to appeal and won't have to start serving the sentence immediately...as was pleaded by the prosecution. Think she takes a southbound to Georgia and dyes her hair black?


WE at Cardinal Couple feel that she got what she deserved. Although WE do NOT approve of Pitino's indiscretion with her, or the fact that money was provided for what ultimately turned out to be a Sypher abortion...what Sypher did, six years later, was much more severe. Her bizarre attempts to present the facts in a totally opposite and implausible reenactment and her equally strange appearances on obscure radio and TV talk shows indicate to us that she needs some serious psychological observation and help. She's isn't the sharpest pencil in the pile and her alleged previous 'gold-digging' attempts and successes on others show us she needs to be sequestered to a place where following the line in an orderly fashion and doing laundry eight hours a day is the agenda. (See 'ya and wouldn't want to be 'ya.)

Hey...she'll be eligible for AARP and Shoney's breakfast bar discounts when she gets out.....


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


.


Shoni Schimmel and Monique Reid search for their missing shooting stroke today in the Sun Dome against USF. Our special correspondent David Watson provides his take on running with the Bulls below. You can e-mail David at mrwatsonipresume@insightbb.com if you get extremely bored...





Call me irresponsible or foolish (both usually apply) but I see good things in store for the University of Louisville's womens' basketball team Saturday in Tampa. It's Florida, for goodness sakes, who wouldn't be happy to be there in the middle of February? South Florida isn't exactly the Beast of the BIG EAST this year. They've notched one win in the brutal BIG EAST so far this season. They have a win over Seton Hall. I conservatively figure that my son's Catholic Youth team could give a respectable run for the money against the Pirates.

Andrea and Andrell Smith are the two main horns on a Bulls squad that won't be running with the crowd in the NCAA Tournament. They weren't present for USF's stunning upset over UofL last year in Freedom Hall and they might want to consider heading over to Sanibel Island and collecting seashells instead of suiting up for today's impending rout. Louisville is desperately seeking win # 8 in conference play and they'll get it if Walz can convince the Cards to block out, be patient in the offensive sets and not take a deep sea fishing expedition in the Gulf of Mexico.
.
Say what you want about the road woes for the Cards this year. This is no Marquette, Syracuse or Connecticut that Hines and company are tipping it up against this afternoon. These Lady Bulls (excuse the oxymoron) are not proficient in rebounding, shooting or playing defense. At home or on the road. If Louisville can manage to lace up both shoes, find their way out of the locker room and shoot at the correct basket each half...then they stand a excellent chance of winning.

(David Watson occasionally sends us his views and observations on Louisville sports when he isn't too busy trying to persuade his oldest daughter to attend
Louisville instead of Notre Dame in two years.)

WE'LL HAVE FULL COVERAGE HERE LATER TODAY AFTER THE GAME IS FINISHED
.
A tip of the tap and free Panera Card to Kenneth Stark, Sr. for having this week's winning entry in the random draw. His was the final entry that Bill the Goat tried to eat after a wild night on the Drunken Amish farm. Ken wrote:

"OK. Hope you don't actually have to have a favorite since I have never actually been to one. Maybe a coupon or something free will entice me? If/when I do go to one, it would be the Poplar Level Rd location.
P.S.-love your site!"

Well here's your big chance to break your maiden, Ken! We've got a Panera Gift Card headed your way and we're confident it'll be the first of many trips to Panera for you. We like the Poplar Level Road location, too. Even if we have to tie Bill the Goat up outside before we go in...
.
************************************************************************************* .
We'd be remiss if we didn't offer the Pitino Cards a slap on the back and hearty "attaboy!" following their win over UConn in the KFC YUM Center last night. Gorgui Dieng with a double-double and Peyton Siva with some high flying magic for the 'Ville. 20 wins for Preston and the bunch and even Musburger and Knight gave Louisville some hearty praise on the four letter network. Always great to beat UConn in anything and Louisville has done it twice now this season in men's basketball. Boo-yah!
.

Pearsall adds Scott to Softball coaching staff

Courtney Scott has joined the University of Louisville coaching staff. Scott was an All-American catcher during her playing days at UC-Berkley and played in four Women's College Softball tournament...leading the Golden Bears to the championship in 2002 and 2nd place in 2003. She also played in the pros...catching for the NYNJ Juggernaut and in Japan for three years. She also served as a graduate assistant on the nationally recognized Oklahoma Sooners team.

Most recently, she was an assistant at Maryland where she worked with the pitchers and catchers for two years and was a recruiter. With the young Cardinal pitching staff and graduation of Melissa Roth at catcher for the 2011 season, Scott's experience and knowledge will be of great benefit as Louisville competes in the Big East.

"We're happy and pleased to have Courtney on our staff." says Pearsall. "She brings a wealth of experience as a player and a coach. She's a high caliber person, player and coach and will share her great ideas and enthusiasm with our program. She is one of the top assistants in our game."

Another Maryland assistant lands at the 'Ville. We all know how that worked out when Jeff Walz came to Louisville. Here's to shutouts and low ERA's.

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

Churchill Downs conducted it's final "Friday Night Under The Lights" last evening and it was a boot-scootin' , beer drinking, barbecue eating cowboy and cowgirl affair. Over 32,000 were in attendance and the party was still going full blast when Paul left after midnight. His highlight of the evening? Cashing in on big BIG TALL PAUL in the 4th race...minutes after talking to trainer Paul McGee and his lovely wife Angie. The little buckaroo ended up home sporting a cowboy hat, bandanna and sheriff's badge that weren't part of his attire when he left the house. He claims he has no idea how he got them. I suspect his henchman in arms Tom...but sometimes it's best to let sleeping bears lie. HAPPY 4TH TO EVERYONE...and if you're looking for a few hours of fun on Sunday...Churchill will be offering $1 hot dogs and beers and free admission on the final day of their Spring Meet. Derby winner from 2009 MINE THAT BIRD returns to the track that day for the FIRECRACKER.

Just look out for 6'4" cowboys that have a mischevious gleam in their eyes.

Roth named to All-American team

Senior catcher for the University of Louisville Melissa Roth has been selected to the 2010 Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America second team. Roth made the squad last year also and is the first Softball Card to ever receive the honor twice.

Roth finished her senior year with a .389 batting average and pounded 16
home runs. She also had 49 RBI's and scored 59 runs. She was the lead off batter for the Cards and stole 15 bases this year...not something you normally associate with a catcher.

Melissa had quite the career here at UofL playing for Sandy Pearsall. She was a four year starter...playing in 235 games... and take a look at the career records she holds:

-Batting average (.379)
-Runs Scored (204)
-Doubles (68)
-Hit by pitch (77)
-Slugging percentage (.665)
-On-base percentage (.503)

It's going to be tough to replace the California native behind the plate. Thanks, Melissa for the always sunny attitude and wonderful things you've done as a Cardinal.

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

So, you say you don't know the difference between a linebacker and a lineman? Get confused when the ref announces that there was illegal participation on the preceding play? Have no idea what a weak side blitz is all about?

Charlie Strong wants to clear all that up for you. So, he's having a Women's Football Clinic on Saturday, June 19th.

It's for girls only...you guys will have to go fishing, get the oil changed or maybe
hit golf balls in the woods. Certainly couldn't expect you to do a little yard work.

Registration start around 8 a.m. and the clinic runs from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m.
Lunch will be served and you get a t-shirt as well. Cost is $50.

Sign up ends on June 9th...so call (502)852-6325 and get in the know.

Don't worry..I don't think he's going to make you do windsprints or put you in helmets. A good friend of CARDINAL COUPLE did one of these a few years back and had a great time.

Now, she thinks she's John Madden, Vince Lombardi and Brett Favre all rolled into one...(Thank goodness she doesn't look like any of them...)

June brings hope...promise

Hard to believe, but it is that time of year again. First day of June. Kids getting out of school for the summer, summer itself not too far from officially being here...although the weather around here lately is already summer-like and a temporary dismissal of the sweaters, coats and gloves for several months.

On campuses across the nation, it marks a time where the athletes are preparing for the upcoming fall sports seasons. Returning players to campus...along with the newest signees and recruits. A couple of months of bonding, awareness and workouts before the rigors of balancing the classroom, travel, practice and drama that surrounds the college semesters.

The smack of the field hockey stick against the ball. The solid repetition of a orange sphere bouncing against the hardwood, a brief silence and then either the rewarding sound of leather thru net or the clang of sphere off of the iron. The pop created when volleyball contacts with human skin and footsteps.

Sweat, sweatbands, sweatsocks and footsteps.

A time of year when footsteps outnumber fans. Determined paces...in groups or solitary...wiping the sweat away, climbing the dreaded hill and getting the body ready for the cuts, jumps, contact and motions that await against competition in the fall. No pain, no gain. Remembering the pain is a sign that weakness is leaving the body. Realizing that weakness is the difference between a two point win and a one point loss. A time of year when success gained is the result of effort expended.

There will be cookouts, late night pranks in the dorms and the sometimes unintelligible chatter devoted to the secret script between teammates and situations. There will be failures and frustrations and dogged determination to get a little better each day. Taking the extra shots when the body screams for rest. Remembering the stinging, screaming commentary right next to your ear from the coach who wants a little more, needs an improvement here...a better decision there. One more effort from exhausted arms and screaming legs.

But, it is the best years you'll ever know. These 1460 days that make up the 4 years of transition between high school and the real world will give you the friends, experiences, blunders, shining moments and silly scenarios that will fuel the talk and memories of decades to come.

One day, trust me on this one...you'll wake up, groan as the grandkids bounce around you and tell you it's time to get up and play... but somewhere in a brief, flashback mode of self awareness...the recollection of putting one in the back of the net on a sunny afternoon or swatting one into the empty space on the other side of the net will come back to you. You'll smile, ignore the aching shoulder and cranky knees and follow the pre-teen entourage into the kitchen for coffee, Cocoa Puffs and conversation.

Enjoy these days when the rim seems five feet wide and the orb you toss at it is as small as a golf ball. Smile...get out of bed and think to yourself...I guess I am the sum total of my experiences and it's going to be a good day.

Keep lifting the weights, running the hills, working on the crossover and finding the open teammate. Time is a fleeting ghost in the wind that slips by so quickly and leaves you with memories, reflections and great stories for the wide-eyed, knee high Shrek clutching little darlings who can't believe that "Grandmama" could knock that hard rubber ball 30 feet into a protected net or hit ten straight free throws.

And remember this. Don't quit. Don't ever quit. To do so is a blatant act of cheating yourself out of the potential triumphs over adversity and victories over uncertainy.

McCoughtry named Player of the Week

Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry has been named WNBA Eastern Conference player of the week as the first week of the WNBA concludes. The former University of Louisville All-American helped lead the Dream to a perfect 4-0 record.

It was a very good week for the Baltimore, MD native. She averaged 21 pts., grabbed 5.5 rebounds and dished out 3 assists per game. Angel went off for 32 points against the Connecticut Sun and scored in double figures for each game.

In her sophomore season in the WNBA, Angel has proved to be a "go-to" small forward for Atlanta and seems to mesh well with the rest of the Dream's front line this year. The #1 pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft, McCoughtry needed a little adjustment time to the big league...but once she was inserted into the Dream's starting lineup, her full court play and court awareness helped the Dream make the WNBA playoff in only their second year of having a franchise.

Keep flying high, Angel.

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

Although Louisville softball did not advance to the NCAA Softball Tournament Super Regionals, they did tie for the best record of the four Big East teams that were in the field of 64. None of the Big East schools made it to the round of Sweet Sixteen.

Louisville and Notre Dame posted 2-2 records to lead the way for the Big East. The Irish ended up losing to #2 ranked Michigan in the Ann Arbor region. The Cards were eliminated by #15 Tennessee. The Vols and Wolverines will try to get to Oklahoma City in a 3 game series against each other in Ann Arbor in the Super Regional.

DePaul ended their year by going 1-2 in the Columbia regional. Syracuse dropped both games in the College Park regional.

Out of the sixteen teams advancing, the Pac 10 leads the way with six member schools winning in regional play. Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, California and Arizona continue toward the prize. The SEC has four teams still penciled in...Georgia, Tennessee, #1 seed Alabama and Florida. The University of Kentucky went 1-2 in the Columbus regional.

Missouri, Oklahoma, Michigan, Hawaii, Lousiana-Lafayette and BYU round out the winners.

Playing softball for Hawaii...yeah, I think I could have handled that back in my college days.

Softball wins two to advance to regional final

Jordan Trimble's hot bat helped the Cards take two Saturday in Knoxville.

With their backs to the wall after losing to Virginia yesterday, Sandy Pearsall's University of Louisville softball team knew that wins would be the only thing able to get them to the regional final on Sunday against Tennessee. They pulled off the feat, beating Ball State 5-1 and Virginia 7-4 Saturday to reach the final game.

After watching the Vols send Virginia to the losers bracket, Louisville faced Ball State. BSU took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first but Louisville tied the game in the top of the third with back to back doubles by Vanessa James and Melissa Roth.

The Cards took the lead in the top of the fourth when Alicja Wolny's single brought home Jordan Trimble. Louisville added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh for the final margin.

Tori Collins (18-5) went the distance for Louisville on the mound...allowing
seven hits and striking out six

The Cards started off the rematch against Virginia by scoring two runs in the top of the first when Trimble singled, Chelsea Bemis drew a walk and both scored on a Wherry double.

Louisville added a run in the fourth with another Trimble single and another Wherry double. The top of the seventh saw Louisville increase the lead to 7-0 when Jennifer Esteban opened with a single, Austin drew a walk and Roth loaded the bases after getting hit by a pitch. Trimble responded with a 2 RBI double and Roth scored next when Bemis grounded out. Wherry blooped a single to bring home Trimble to end Louisville's scoring.

The Cavs did rally for four runs in the bottom of the seventh...but Kristen Wadwell was able to finish the game and get the win. She allowed four runs, two earned, on seven hits and struck out three to improve her record to 18-11.

The Cards will face Tennessee at 1 p.m. Sunday in the finals. If they win, they'll play the Vols again for the championship.

Cards fall to Tenn. in 9 innings 3-1

Cardinal Couple has found out that senior forward/center Laura Terry will not play basketball for the Lady Cards in the 2010-11 season. Knee problems force the popular player to the sidelines.

Louisville's softball team lost Sunday to the Tennessee Vols 3-1 in 9 innings to end their season. The Cards had reached the finals of the Knoxville Regional with two wins Saturday and needed to beat UT twice Sunday to claim the title.

The Cards took an early 1-0 advantage when Chelsea Bemis blasted a shot deep over the left center wall. Cardinal starter Tori Collins allowed a run in the fifth to tie the game. Both teams had opportunities to score in the successive innings but UT ultimately ended up capitalizing in extra innings with two runs, laregely due to two Cardinal throwing errors in the field.

Tough end to a wonderful season for Sandy Pearsall's squad. Louisville won 40 games this year and has a strong team returning with Bemis, Jordan Trimble, Colby Wherry, Jennifer Esteban, Tori Collins and Alicja Wolny just a few of the girls that will be back next year.

Louisville does lose ace pitcher Kristen Wadwell and four year starter at catcher Melissa Roth to graduation but Pearsall's youth movement contributed big and often to the Cards successes and recruiting has gone well for Louisville for next season.

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

As mentioned above, Laura Terry's career as a Lady Cardinal basketball player for Jeff Walz has ended because of her knee problems. Terry gave the CARDS three years of hustle and depth in the paint and was a decent three point shooter as well.

We'll miss that determination and lockdown defense on the hardwood but that big smile and positive attitude will still be on the Cardinal sidelines cheering her teammates on. We'll always remember Terry dashing down the court at the end of the Rutgers game several years ago to protect a loose ball from getting into the Scarlet Knights' hands and preserving a Cardinal win.

Thanks for the memories, Laura and remember that you will always be a part of the sisterhood known as Lady Cards hoops.

Cards fall to Cavs 1-0

The University of Louisville women's softball team opened play in the NCAA Knoxville Regional Friday with a 1-0 loss to the Virginia Cavaliers. In the double elimination format, the Cards next face Ball State Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Louisville had several chances to tie or win the game, especially in the late innings. The Cards had runners in scoring position in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings but could not get one across the plate.

Their best opportunity came in the bottom of the seventh when they managed to load the bases with two outs but Colby Wherry lined a shot to the first baseman to end the game.

Virginia scored the only run of the gsame in the top of the fifth when Alison Pittman tripled and then scored on a fielder's choice.

Tori Collins (17-5) took the loss for the Cards...allowing only four hits and fanning five in six innings of work.

Louisville next faces a Ball State squad that fell to Tennessee 5-0 in the second game. The Ball State Cardinals are making their first NCAA softball tournament appearance in 12 years.

The winner today survives and will play the loser of the Virginia vs. Tennessee game. The loser goes home.

************************************************************************8

Angel McCoughtry pours in 32 for the Atlanta Dream last night in a win over the Connecticut Sun. Atlanta is undefeated and getting great play out of Angel, Sancho Lyttle and Shalee Lehming.

That's our girl...Get her the ball and get out of the way..
Written by Paul
5/22/10

Roth, Bemis selected for All-Region team

Back to back honors for the Cards' California connection of Melissa Roth and Chelsea Bemis when it was announced yesterday that they had been selected for the NFCA All-Region squads. Both made the teams in 2009.

For Roth, another first team apperance. She led Louisville in batting average (.398), home runs (16) RBI's (47) and runs scored (57).

Bemis made the second team...which is a little surprising considering she was the Big East Player of the Year. Her second half of the season spurt helped her bat .311. She put 12 over the fence and drove in 44 base runners.

Congratulations to both...who are also elgible for All-America honors.

Louisville begins regional play today at 4 p.m. in Knoxville, TN against the Virginia Cavaliers. This is the Cards seventh straight NCAA apperance.


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

CARDINAL COUPLE got a nice e-mail from Portland, OR. sports writer Jerry Ulmer yesterday. He writes some really great article about the Portland high school sports scene. He pretty much told us that they're in the dark in Portland as much as we are in the 'Ville when it comes to high school recrruit Shoni Schimmel. With that info, we here at CARDINAL COUPLE are going into the "watched pot never boils" mode and we won't mention her again (promise!) until a decision is offered by her.

A noted psychologist once recalled a club that he and his brother formed as kids where the requirements for membership were based on standing in the corner of their bedroom and not thinking about polar bears. We're doing the same but substituting the girl we're not mentioning for the bears.

Written by Sonja
5/21/10