Softball and Derby Thoughts -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

Softball Drops 2nd Game and the Series

It was an epic softball game in Raleigh as NC State took 11 innings before finally putting the game away against UofL.  In doing so, they also clinch the series, with a game still to play today.

NC State would win it in dramatic fashion with the 11th inning solo walk-off homer.  That wasn't the only yellow orbs lifted beyond the fence, though, with Rebecca Chung and Megan Hensley also sending the Spalding sailing.

The Wolfpack got off to an early start, with 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning.  Hensley's solo shot came in the top of the 4th to get one back, and then the Cards would tie it in the top of the 6th.  Hensley played a smaller role in this one, getting a walk to get on, and then Rebecca Chung came to the plate and took it yard to bring the two of them home.

The 3-3 tie would hold through the 9th inning.  Cassady Greenwood and Celene Funke and Sidney Melton both singled, with Melton beating out the throw on an infield hit, to load the bases up.  Megan Hensley once again played a role with a sacrifice fly to deep left field that brought Greenwood home and advanced Funke and Melton.  Kyra Snyder singled and the speedsters Funke and Melton were both able to finish their circuits to put the Cards in the lead 6-3 in the 9th.

The tides turned for the Cards in the bottom half of the inning, with pitching faltering.  A hit batter and a trio of walks pretty much gifted NC State a run and left the bases still loaded for a double to score another pair.  The game continued for another two innings, until the NC State long ball would end it in the bottom of the 11th.

The Cards will play the final game of the series with the Wolfpack at noon today.

Hangover Day

It's Hangover Day in Louisville.  It's a term for today that I just coined, but it seems apropos.  The Kentucky Derby is, of course, the first Saturday in May.  That means that the Sunday after the first Saturday in May is a day that Louisville seems to mostly spend recovering from the roughly 2 week long party atmosphere that prevails in the city.

The Derby is a wonderful event for the city of Louisville, and the community largely embraces it, relishing our moment every year, when we get to show our the greatness of our city to the rest of the country, and even the world.

That comes with a bit of a price to pay, however, and the sense, on Sunday morning, of the city collectively exhaling, catching our breath, and starting to come to grips with the need to get back to "normal," whatever that may be.

The term "Hangover" is something of an analogy, here, although, there are certainly plenty of folks in the community dealing with literal hangovers given the copious quantities of alcohol that gets consumed on Derby day.

The results of the race haven't helped, this year, with a roughly 20 minute delay from the end of the
race before the results were official due to objections filed that resulted in the first horse to cross the finish line being disqualified.  The sports pundits and social media continues to hash out the rules and whether it was justified, with plenty of nattering nabobs claiming that the race was "given" to the officially winning horse, while plenty of others pushing their rules-lawyer glass up the bridge of their noses and pointing out where the rules were violated.

Frankly, I don't care, and truth be told, when the race was actually run, I was sitting in the kitchen of the house of the Derby party that I have attended for years, chatting with a friend that I hadn't seen in some time, and completely missed the running of the race.  As much as I fully embrace the pageantry and celebration of my home city, I don't apologize for missing the actual race and catching up with a friend instead.

As for the results, Country House was your official winner, with Maximum Security getting the DQ.  Code of Honor came in 2nd, with Tacitus showing.

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JMcA