Sunday Cardinal Couple - Field Hockey and Softball

 Softball Wins Big

Louisville scored in every inning of their game against Georgia Tech yesterday.  Eventually winning it on the run rule, 10-2 in the 6th inning.  Meanwhile, GT would only put up single run innings in the 1st and 6th.

Carmyn Greenwood is settling in to her lead-off hitting position well, and did so yesterday with a single on the first pitch.  A steal to take 2nd positioned her to score the run on Makayla Hurst's single.

Maddy Newman was the scorer in the 2nd inning, getting it started by using her speed to beat out the throw at 1st.  Sydney Bickel walked to push Newman to 2nd and then, back at the top of the lineup, Greenwood fired the ball out to left field, giving the quick Newman time to reach home.

UofL put a crooked number on the board in the 3rd.  Taylor Roby singled, followed by Makayla Hurst taking a shot beyond the fence in right center field.  That makes six homers for Hurst for the year, and brough the score to 4-1.

Celene Funke used her speed, and took advantage of an error to reach, and then of course stole 2nd, which is nearly a given for Funke.  She then had it somewhat mooted by a pair of walks to Roby and Jennifer Leonhardt.  Charley Butler used an infield single with the bases now loaded to bring Funke home.

Moving to the 5th inning, the other Greenwood sister got it started.  Cassady doubled and then scored on a hit by Maddy Newman.  Newman then advanced to 2nd thanks to a Bickel sacrifice bunt.  Carmyn Greenwood then struck a well hit ball to left field.  After the bounce, Newman advanced to 3rd and while GT was trying to get her out there, Greenwood moved onward to 2nd.  Now with two runners in scoring position, Funke put it down the right field line, and made a double out of it, scoring Newman and Greenwood in the process.

Finally, in the 6th, Charley Butler again showed her speed, first by getting on base thanks to a fielding error by the GT short stop, then by stealing 2nd, again by taking 3rd on a wild pitch, and finally by getting home before the throw on a Cassady Greenwood single to the short stop.  Greenwood took 2nd on a wild pitch and then would score when sister Carmyn snuck a shot through the infield and out to left field.  That brought the score to 10-1 in the middle of the 6th inning.  Georgia Tech needed to at least score two to keep the game going into the 6th, but they were only able to get one across.

The fourth and final game of the series will be today at noon available on The ACC Network Extra as usual.  While there is a significant amount of rain down along the Florida panhandle, that is expected to stay well south of the Atlanta area, which result in a beautiful day for Softball, sunny and 74 being the forecast for the day.

Field Hockey

UofL vs Duke in Field Hockey seems to always be a recipe for a great and exciting game and this one was no exception.

You would've been excused for doubting this was going to be the case at halftime as the only score of the game to that point had come from Alli Bitting putting a rebound off of a penalty corner shot into the cage in the half.

The 2nd half was rather different, though.  Duke got the equalizer within a minute of the 2nd half starting.  UofL would get back on top, though with India Reed feeding an assist to Aimee Plumb to make it 2-1.  Duke would bookend the 3rd quarter, however, with a penalty corner goal to even the score at two apiece.

The Blue Devils got their first lead of the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter on another penalty corner goal.  Mercedes Pastor received a penalty stroke opportunity midway through the quarter and scored it to even the score back up at three.

The knot up at three would hold through the end of regulation and through two 7v7 overtime periods, leading a penalty strokes to decide it.  Mackenzie Karl, Katie Schneider, Charlie van Oirshot, and Mercedes Pastor, and made their shots, but were matched by four by Duke.  After the initial five strokes, the sudden victory strokes decided it for Duke after two additional rounds.

Field Hockey returns home for the regular season finale, bringing in Wake Forest, and presumably celebrating Senior Day.  Saturday, April 17th at noon will be the time for this one.  At this point, no video link is shown on UofL's site, but I would expect it to be available on ACC Network Extra.

Today's Schedule

Today's schedule is a little lighter than we've seen over the past few weeks.  Tennis hosts Clemson starting at noon at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.  And, of course, the aforementioned Softball game, also at noon at Georgia Tech.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

Case, Jared, Paulie, and I spent a few minutes talking about everything but UofL women's sports at the beginning of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast, but did get down to business.  Mostly we talked about Softball, but did cover Lacrosse, and Field Hockey, and a touch on Volleyball and Basketball.  Check it out below.