Softball Falls in Extras -- Lax at Cardinal Stadium -- Final Four -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Falls in Extra Innings

Last night was not kind for Louisville softball, who fell to Liberty in eight innings, 9-7. Early game and late game hitting helped the Flames push past the Cards, who dropped to 18-13 on the year.

It was Liberty to put a run on the board first, piecing together a couple hits and a Louisville error for a run in the first inning. The Cards answered with a three-piece immediately after. Four walks were the key component of the inning to go along with a single by Taylor Roby.

Four hits and a fielding error allowed Liberty to jump back ahead, posting four runs in the second inning. Louisville would go on to even the score later that inning. Carmyn Greenwood led off with a triple. The wind almost gave her enough edge for an inside-the-park home run... almost. An Ally Alexander walk followed by a Roby single would drive Greenwood home and Alexander would capitalize on a throwing error in the same play to race home. 

Liberty would go on and add a run in each of the third and sixth innings to pull by ahead by two. Louisville found an answer with a two-run rally in the sixth inning. Alexander reached base on a hit by pitch and Roby followed with a homer out by the scoreboard.

Not following the traditional runner on second in extra innings, both teams would open up the eighth inning with the bases clean. Runner or not, Liberty rallied with a home run for a two-run lead. Louisville would get a pair of runners on base with the game-winning run at the plate multiple times, but could not bring any runners home.

Roby was in the circle for the entire game and dropped her record to 8-5. She allowed 12 hits and nine runs, only five earned.

On the offensive end, Roby led the way with four of the Cards' nine hits. Alexander reached base three times through a hit, a walk, and a hit by pitch. The freshman has reached base safely in 14 straight games.

The Cards travel to NC State this weekend for a three-game series before returning home to host Kentucky next Wednesday.

Lacrosse Hosts Ohio State for Match at Cardinal Stadium

Two evening matches at Cardinal Stadium last season were popular enough to warrant more matches there this season. The first of two matches at Cardinal Stadium this season will be tonight when the Cards host Ohio State at 7:00 p.m.

Admission is still free for fans, and Gate 2 will be open for fans to enter, per GoCards. Gate 2 faces Floyd Street.

The Cards hope to break a three-game losing streak and get back to .500 on the year with a win against the 7-4 Buckeyes.

Scoring by committee has been the theme this year for Louisville, with four players having scored 20 or more goals this season. Hannah Morris is the frontrunner with 32 goals and Nicole Perroni is hot on her tail with 29.

Goalkeeping remains to be one of the biggest questions this season. J Pleck and Sara Addeche have split time in goal nearly 50-50 and have a combined .353 save percentage and 79 saves.

The weather appears to be more promising this evening than last night, but you'll still want to bundle up with the temperature hovering around the low-50s and high-40s.

Final Four is Nearly Here

The Final Four is nearly here! 1-seed Louisville will go up against the top overall 1-seed South Carolina on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. 1-seed Stanford and 2-seed UConn will then tip off around 9:30 p.m.

South Carolina is 33-2 on the year. They received an at-large bid after falling to Kentucky by two points in the SEC final. Their only other loss was a one-point loss at Missouri to close out 2021. Their NCAA Tournament path for the Gamecocks has featured wins over 16-seed Howard, 8-seed Miami, 5-seed North Carolina, and 10-seed Creighton.

Stanford boasts a 32-3 record. They were an automatic qualifier after winning the Pac-12. Their three losses came against Texas, South Florida, and Stanford, all NCAA Tournament teams. Their road in the tournament features wins over 16-seed Montana State, 8-seed Kansas, 4-seed Maryland, and 2-seed Texas.

UConn had a "down year" with a 29-5 record. They earned an automatic qualifier bid after winning the Big East Tournament. The Huskies lost to South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Oregon, and Villanova, all NCAA Tournament teams. As a 2-seed, UConn is the only remaining team to pull off an upset by seed. Their path includes wins against 15-seed Mercer, 7-seed UCF, 3-seed Indiana, and 1-seed NC State.

Louisville is the team we are all familiar with. At 29-4, the Cards earned an at-large bid after falling to Miami in the ACC Quarterfinals. Their other three losses came to Arizona, NC State, and North Carolina, all NCAA Tournament teams. Louisville's NCAA Tournament wins have come against 16-seed UAlbany, 9-seed Gonzaga, 4-seed Tennessee, and 3-seed Michigan.

Hopefully, we will see the Cards get the win on Friday and that it won't be an April Fool's joke. Speaking of April 1, today marks the completion of the first quarter of 2022.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared