Softball outlasts WKU 3-2 -- LAX closes regular season at Notre Dame -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Hello readers,


It's Daryl here! Tag, I'm it!  Checking back in on a non-Friday. The Bats had a day game this week, freeing up my Wednesday evening to check in with the Cardinals programs. 

The weather is really starting to warm up as we look ahead to Thunder weekend in downtown Louisville.  If you are going down there, please be vigilant and courteous to those around you. We as a community have to look out for each other... This is one of my favorite events of the year!  

Let's see what's going on with the Cards!!


Louisville Softball

Cardinals win!! 3-2 

Louisville got the 3-2 victory on the road vs. in-state rival Western Kentucky University.  The Cardinals fought off the Hilltoppers attempt to come back on them up through the very last inning... when they left the tying run stranded at second base with one out.   

 
Taylor Roby (9-5) picked up the win in the circle and Paige Geraghty went 2-3 at the plate.  

After my struggles to find this one live (user error as usual), once I got my eyes on the game, the Cardinals were able find some offense.   

Louisville broke through in the top of the 4th. to make it on a solo HR from Sarah Gordon and a RBI double for Paige Geraghty. It was 2-0 Cards.  

Hannah File's ground rule double to lead off top of the 5th.  Roby finds the gap in LF to put runners on the corners. File came home to make it 3-0 on a Gordon groundout.   

In the bottom of the 5th WKU struck to put 2 runs on the board after a one out single.  

Cards making some bonehead mistakes in the top of the sixth to try and extend the lead... Winkler pops it up to 1B on the first pitch and then Alexander advances to second on the overthrow to 1B to put a runner in scoring position but then ran into the live ball on the next hit to Short stop for the second out and a great stretch by the WKU first basemen from SS would retire the Cardinal offense.  

WKU gave it one last push in the bottom of the 7th but the Cards shut the Topper attack down one more time, this time behind the pitching of Alyssa Zabala. 

 

I saw my first shift in softball -- for Taylor Roby! 

Louisville LAX

Location: South Bend, Ind. | Arlotta Stadium

April 20th 7 p.m.

TV: ACCNX

The Cardinals are closing out the regular season Thursday evening on the road in South Bend, Indiana facing #7 Notre Dame. The Irish are 11-4 on the season and 5-3 in the conference having won 3 matches in a row and narrowly losing to #5 Boston College 12-11 at home back on April 8th. They are 7-1 at home this season.  ND 6-1 record all-time over the visiting Cardinals.

Over the course of their last three games, the Irish have outscored their opponents 64-15, including a program best road performance of 26 goals at Butler April 10 where they defeated the Bulldogs 26-3...setting a couple of season records. The 23-goal victory was also the largest margin of victory for the Irish this year and their three goals allowed was second fewest in 2023.

In their most recent outing, ND beat RMU 21-6, behind goals from 11 individuals. 

Madison Ahern and Kasey Choma lead the Irish with 49 goals apiece, while Jackie Wolak has 38 goals and 36 assists for a team-best 74 points.  Choma now has tallied a team-high 11 hat tricks in the 2023 season and Wolak has tallied nine.

Wolak is ranked in the top five in the ACC for points per game (4.93) and assists per game (2.40). Her assists per game is also 14th-best nationally while her points per game average ranks ninth.

Louisville is 2-13 to ND in the all time series with the Cards falling 14-15 in April of 2022. Seniors Nicole Perroni and Hannah Morris both had 3 goals for the Cards against the Irish which ruined the Senior Day celebrations. Perhaps the Cards will recall last year's heartbreaker and return the favor on Notre Dame's senior day??

As Always, Go Cards 

~Daryl