Softball clinches Senior weekend series

Softball Run Rules UVA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LINK: POST GAME SANDY PEARSALL

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

-- JMcA