ACC Softball..Louisville's "second season" begins today -- Women's Golf in Lexington region -- WEDNESDAY CARDINA COUPLE

CAN CARDS PITCHING GET THEM THROUGH THE ACC TOURNAMENT?

And, so, it has come down to this for Louisville women's softball. The ACC Tournament, The single elimination test of 12 teams. Louisville is the 10th seed in the affair and that means they have to play first day, against seven-seed Virginia. Win, and advance, Lose and ,in the Cards case, the season is over. 

The chance of Louisville advancing thru the tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament is basically down to how the Cards pitching staff can perform. It's four games in four days and the opponents get tougher the further you go. #2 seed Clemson awaits the winner of Louisville vs. Virginia.

When we look at the nucleus of Alyssa Zabala, Brooke Gray, Sam Booe and the rest of the seven on the Cardinals pitching staff, is the skill and ability there to quell the bats of ACC competition for four days? The Cards bats have been pretty much in a deep slumber at times...and lately it's been an on-again, off-again, performance for the UofL hitters.

So, what gets UofL into the NCAA dance? I'm going to hypothesize that UofL needs to reach the Friday semifinals to even get a sideways look by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. 26-24 and 9-15 in conference doesn't exactly speak volumes...but a good performance in the conference tournament just might get them in. Winning the ACC Tournament definitely would...but, four wins in four days might be too big a task for these Cards. 

 

Anyway, 5 p.m. in Newton, Mass...on Boston College's home field... (or thereabouts -- starting times depend on the previous two games...) is when "second season" begins for Cards softball. 

Let's hope the arms are firing out of the circle and the bats are productive. 

WOMEN'S GOLF COMPLETES SECOND DAY OF NCAA TOURNAMENT QUALIFYING. 

After two days in the Lexington Regional, the Cards have gone from sixth place to ninth place. They currently are 10-over par 298 on Nicholasville's Keene Trace golf course and nine strokes behind the qualifying pace to move on. 

None of the Cards golfers has an under-par day in the second round...Carmen Griffiths and Bailey Burkett both fired two-over par 74's to lead the Louisville golfers. 

FSU was far and away the leader after the regional with seven under par after round one.  Tied for second are Kansas St. and Georgia Southern.  They increased that two -14 under par at the end of day two.  Georgia southern improved to five under and in third is Kansas St.at even.

paulie