Saturday, February 25, 2012

Softball curtails Creighton...WBB welcomes DePaul Saturday

.
SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Collins shuts down Creighton 8-0


-Lady Cards hoops vs. DePaul Saturday at noon


-Lacrosse downs Longwood 19-8


The University of Louisville softball team got off to a great start in the three game weekend series against the previously undefeated Creighton Jays...winning the first game 8-0. 


Thank the strong left arm of Tori Collins for part of that. 


The senior pitcher left the Jays in the wake of her pitching prowess, allowing no runs and just one hit in a complete game performance that pushed her record to 6-0 on the season. She struck out 12 Jays en route to the win.


She had some major help from the Cardinal bats. 


The game featured a defensive, pitchers battle for the first four and one half innings. It was scoreless when the Lady Cards came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. 


That soon changed. 


Keller blasted a two run
homer in the 4th. inning
Kristin Austin led off the inning with a booming triple. She didn't have far to go after that...Katie Keller scored both of them with a moon-shot base clearer to left. 


That was all the scoring Collins would actually need..but there was plenty more to follow.


Taner Fowler drew a walk and Kirsten Straley came in to run for her. Jordy Trimble's double moved her to third and Straley scored on a wild pitch to Alicja Wolny. Singles from Wolny, Hannah Kiyohara and Whitney Arion drove in three more runs and in her second plate appearance of the inning...Keller drove in the seventh run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. 


The Cards tacked on one more score in the bottom of the sixth when Jennifer Esteban singled, moved to third on a Austin double, and scored when Keller singled. 


The teams play two Saturday. First game scheduled for noon. Tough break on the scheduling for today's action...forcing UofL women's sports fans to have to decide between hoops and softball. One wishes the softball could have been pushed back to maybe 3 p.m. or later to give UofL fans a great afternoon and early evening of Cardinal women's athletics.


IF you choose hoops today, why not head over after the UofL WBB game and cheer them on, Cardinal fans? 


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


Doug Bruno brings the DePaul Blue Demons to town tomorrow to play the Lady Cards in the KFC YUM! Center tomorrow at noon. 


You remember DePaul don't you? They piled it on the Lady Cards earlier this month in Chicago. A game that was rough to listen to on the radio and probably even rougher to have to sit through in person...if you're a 
Lady Cards fan. 


DePaul has been kinda up and down since then. A nice win over West Virginia after being down at the half by 14 and then a puzzling loss to Syracuse last time out. 

The Blue Demons are 8-6 in conference like Louisville and after the Cards, have a winnable one to end the season when they host Cincinnati. 



Time to shut Anna down
Still the same suspects on board for the Blue Demons...Anna Martin, Katherine Harry, Brittany Hrynko and the rest. Payback and revenge factor in play for Louisville? 


Oh, you betcha. The loss earlier this month sparked a couple of "players only" meetings and a dedication and re-commitment by the players (and least most of them) to work harder and get better. It's been sorta successful...Louisville is 2-3 since the loss..but the losses came against UConn, Notre Dame and West Virginia. 


Not exactly Little Sisters of the Poor or Miss Mary's DayCare. 


Time to rise and shine
Bria...
Louisville will need to stop the double-double capabilities of Martin and Harry (sounds like a 60's comedy act doesn't it?) But, these two Blue Demons are quite serious and will take advantage of every weakness Louisville shows them. 


Time to send Doug home with an "L".
Time for Becky to have a big senior farewell game in front of the YUM! faithful. Time for Shoni to shoot like Xavier's on the floor. Time for Bria to shake the freshman slump she's been mired in and time for Asia and the front liners to rebound, block out, score second chance points and block shots. 


Time to win, Lady Cards. Go get it done.


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


Congratulations to Louisville Lacrosse. Opening the season on the road with a win against Longwood 19-8. Seven goals for Nikki Boltja in the win. 


Good start to what looks to be a rebuilding season for the Lady Lacrosse team. One step at a time, one win at a time...


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




.
..
...





3 comments:

  1. Hard to believe that today is Becky's last home game. Seems like yesterday that she was living on the three-point line at Freedom Hall as a freshman. Hope we get a big crowd today. She deserves a great Senior Day sendoff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree 100% Mike. She's one of the most popular Lady Cards in the history of Louisville women's basketball and her senior day, plus the desire see the team to atone for the bump in the road earlier this month against the Blue Demons should be enough to get the YUM! Center faithful in a frenzy today.

      As far as the players, when Walz was asked if the Lady Cards would have extra motiviation because of the previous beatdown when DePaul came to town, he stopped...stared at the question poser and replied.

      "IF that can't motivate them. I don't need them on the team."

      Sounds like "getting up" for today's game won't be a problem.

      Paul

      Delete
  2. Actually on my way out shortly for the game. For anyone who isn't going, the game will be televised on Insight channel 432 or digital 11.2, also live stream on Big East TV (it's free).
    GO BECKY and GO CARDS!!!
    Stark61

    ReplyDelete

Please leave your comments here. We ask you be respectful of other posts, no matter how ridiculous they may seem to you. After all, it is CARDINAL COUPLE.

Any attempts to advertise a product or other website here in the comments section without the prior consent of CARDINAL COUPLE will result in a bill rendered for advertising services and possible legal action. We're serious. No more bots.

Now, have your take...