Softball sweeps Friday games at Pirate Clash

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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Louisville defeats Virginia, ECU in Greenville

-Which sisters are more popular?

-Women's swimming leads BIG EAST Championships...tennis falls at Akron

Katie Keller's double beats UVA.

The University of Louisville softball team won their Friday games in the East Carolina Pirate Clash. The Cardinals knocked off Virginia 2-1 in the opener and East Carolina later in the afternoon 5-0. The wins take Louisville to a 7-0 record.

In the first game, Katie Keller smashed a two out double in the bottom of the seventh to give the Cards the win. The Cards came to bat trailing 1-0 but freshman Kayla Soles tied it with her first career home run. After Trista Cox and Whitney Arion were retired by the Cavaliers, Kristin Austin singled and Jennifer Esteban drew a walk. Keller boomed a long shot to right field to score Austin and win the game.

The Cards struggled for most of the game against Cavalier pitcher Rachel Gillen, getting just four hits off her in six innings. For Louisville, Tori Collins pitched five innings of two hit, one run softball before giving way to Chelsea Leonard...who shut down the Cavs with no hits in two innings of relief. 

Torrid Tori Collins retired 12 Cavs in a row.

Virginia took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth when Marcy Bowdren led off the inning with a homer...spoiling Collins no-hit bid -- she had retired the first twelve batters she had faced and had eight strikeouts. After Kristen Hawkins singled following the base clearer, Pearsall inserted Leonard into the game and she stymied the Cavs the rest of the way.

In game two, Louisville and ECU played two scoreless innings before the Cards broke through with three runs in the top of the third. Singles from Hannah Kiyohara and Esteban with one out gave two baserunners for Austin and she tripled to left field, scoring both. Katie Keller plated Austin with a single. 

The Cards added another run in the fourth when Arion singled and scored on Kiyohara's fielder's choice. Louisville completed the scoring in the sixth when Soles singled, was lifted for pinch-runner Kirsten Stanley and Arion singled to bring home Stanley to  make it 4-0. 

Sophomore hurlers Chelsea Leonard and Caralisa Connell combined for seven innings of two-hit pitching...Connell toiling the final four innings and getting her second win of the season. 

Taner caught both games
Friday. Hey, batter,batter...
SWING!

The Cards had 11 hits in the ECU game and the pitchers combined to strike out eight Pirates. 

Taner Fowler filled in for injured Maggie Ruckenbrod behind the plate in both games and versatile Hannah Kiyohara covered first base for Alicja Wolny.

Louisville returns to the diamond this morning to face Hofstra at 9 a.m. and UNC-Greensboro at 11 a.m.

GO YOU SOFTBALL CARDS! 

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Are the Schimmel sisters the most popular sister duo in women's college basketball? We think so, although west coast residents may argue the case for Stanford's Nnemkadi and Chiney Ogwumike. The Cardinals' girls vs. The Cardinal girls. The Stanford duo is a little more prolific in scoring than Shoni and Jude..but the UofL girls are younger. 

Andrell Smith
USF version.

Another duo we know of are Andrell and Andrea Smith for the USF Bulls. These high scoring sisters will have a final season together next year -- Andrea having to sit out this year because of a knee injury. 

Andrell Smith UofL
version.

Imagine all six of them on the same team...a radio broadcasters nightmare. Who do you get to coach them? WE'LL go with the famous pro football coaching brothers Jim (San Francisco) and John (Baltimore)Harbaugh. Assistants? How about Patty Coyle at Pittsburgh and her sister Mary Coyle Klinger at Rutgers Prep? 

Speaking of Jude -- Jenny (yes, she's still out there readers - just on a short hiatus.) sends this link about Jude. It's a very good read. 

http://espn.go.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7584730/jude-schimmel-perfectly-comfortable-role-little-sis-louisville-cardinals


And, the 2012 Winter-Spring issue of University of Louisville Magazine has an excellent article on Shoni and Jude as the cover story. Link is:

http://louisville.epubxp.com/title/11139

And, the women's BB mock selection for the Tournament is out. Link is:

http://womenshoopsblog.thehrr.com/2012/02/s-curve-womens-ncaa-mock-selection.html

WE like the Louisville seeding (14th in the nation) but hope that the region doesn't develop the way that the mock selection has it bracketed. They stuck Louisville in with Notre Dame, Kentucky, Texas A&M, St. John and Arkansas. Messy!



(Thanks to Mark Schneider for the detective work on the links...)



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Finally, the University of Louisville's women's swimming and diving team stretched out their lead in the BIG EAST Championships in Pittsburgh, while the men hold steady in second place. Winners for the women on Day 3 were Tanja Kyllainen (400 IM) and Eszter Povazay (100 backstroke) Louisville has 539.5 points, followed by Notre Dame with 403.5 and WVU is in third with 357.

Women's tennis lost a close one on the road to Akron yesterday...falling 4-3. The Zips swept the doubles competition - Louisville's Sarah Miller, Rebecca Shine and Gabrielle Duncan won in singles matches.

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