Cards Can't Hold Early Lead; UK Wins 8-3
Louisville softball welcomed the University of Kentucky in a midweek matchup that was moved up in the day to try to beat the impending storms. The game was windy but dry, and it was an exciting evening of softball. Unfortunately, it turned out to be more exciting for the visiting Wildcats in the end. Louisville took the lead in the first inning and held it until the fifth before a big seventh inning blew open the tie. The Cards now move to 20-16 on the season while UK improves to 22-15.
Alyssa Zabala got the start for the Cards, opening the game with a strikeout. She gave up a four-pitch walk to follow but the Louisville defense stepped up to erase it with an inning-ending double play. That sequence would turn out to be very telling throughout the game. The Cards' defense was up to the task, but the circle proved to be an issue.
Louisville was playing without Char Lorenz, who was listed as injured following last weekend's series against Duke. The Cards shifted the order around, moving Ally Alexander, who is quietly having the best offensive season of her career, up to third. After an Easton Lotus ground out, Chelsea Mack singled and did what she does best: turned a single into a double via steal. Alexander followed with a double to give Louisville the lead, and Bri Despines very nearly made it a 3-0 game with a ball that the wind carried all the way to the fence. Despines' fly ball was caught, bringing Camryn Lookadoo to the plate with two outs. She grounded into what should have been a routine ground out, but UK's defense let their adventurous side show and airmailed the throw to first, allowing Alexander to score. The play was reviewed for Alexander leaving second early, but replay evidence was inconclusive and the run stood. A strikeout ended the inning, but Louisville led 2-0.
Zabala returned to the circle in the second and gave up a single to the dangerous Peyton Plotts. A sharp sacrifice bunt attempt could have gotten the lead runner, but Zabala panicked a bit and rushed the throw to first, putting it in the dirt where a covering Lotus couldn't reach it. Both runners advanced, and Zabala found herself in a pickle with runners on second and third and nobody out. A ground out to Lotus held the runner at second (I'm not sure why), but Plotts scored from third. The runner staying at second proved very costly for UK, as the next batter blooped a soft liner straight toward the bag. Taylor Monroe caught it on the run and her momentum carried her onto the base for the double play. Another defensive save, but UK cut the deficit to 2-1.
UK changed pitchers after just one inning, bringing in their "ace" in Sarah Haendiges. In a mid-game interview, Coach Rachel Lawson (a former UMass teammate of Holly Aprile's) indicated that it was due to Carson Fall's propensity to be a fly ball pitcher. With Despines having already proved that the ball would carry, UK didn't want to risk Louisville's limited but very real capability to get the ball over the fence. That pitching change would prove devastating for the Cards. Haendiges went on to pitch the remaining six innings and gave up just three hits with one earned run, two walks, a wild pitch, and an HBP. She struck out six.
Louisville had their chances to extend their lead, but they weren't able to capitalize in the second or third, stranding three in that time. Zabala, meanwhile, appeared to have settled in with a 1-2-3 third inning, but the Cardinal defense had to step up again in the fourth to help her navigate a lead-off walk and a sacrifice to move the tying run into scoring position. Aprile chose to (un)intentionally walk Plotts to fill the open spot at first and a fielder's choice was followed by a pop out to end the inning. It looked like it would be a quick bottom half for Louisville after a fly out and a foul out, but Monroe sent a no-doubter to left field to extend the lead to 3-1.
The pitching woes came home to roost in the fifth, with Zabala giving up back-to-back singles before being replaced by Sam Booe. Booe picked up a strikeout to open her slate and it appeared that she'd be able to skate out of the jam as she has so many times before. Louisville's defense was primed behind her, having turned multiple double plays, but Booe took the ball out of their hands. Literally. A full-count walk loaded the bases before Booe issued a four-pitch walk to a freshman to score a run. Sam settled down and picked up a strikeout, but her two walks set up a situation nobody wants: Peyton Plotts to the plate with the bases loaded. Booe pitched well to the corners, but the eighth pitch of the at-bat was ruled just wide, and Plotts walked in the tying run. Lindsey Mullen came on to relieve Booe and got a fly out to center to end the inning.
Softball is a game of momentum, and despite Louisville's home run, UK had just done a good job of seizing ol' Uncle Mo. If the two walked-in runs to tie the game didn't do it, the 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, which consisted of the 2-3-4 batters in the Cardinal order, did. Mullen returned in the sixth and pitched a strong inning to keep Louisville in the driver's seat as the home team, she gave up a walk with one out, but UK didn't really threaten and it was still tied going into the bottom of the sixth. Remember that momentum? Well there isn't much more to build it than a three-strikeout inning. Louisville split the strikeouts with a walk, and the game was stilted a bit by a long interference discussion, but the result was the same. Louisville sent four batters to the plate and three of them went down without putting the bat on the ball.
That set up the ultimate showdown: final inning, tie game, rivalry, trying to beat a storm. Kentucky stepped up to the moment. A bunt single that just happened to die in the dirt going up the first base line caught Louisville off guard and put the go ahead run on base. Louisville was right when they anticipated a sacrifice, but too many players got excited to make a play. Four Cardinals converged on the bunted ball, and Despines had no throw to first as the other three fielders crowded around her. Two on, nobody out. Uh-oh. Another sacrifice attempt nearly resulted in the exact same thing, but Despines made the throw this time to get an out, but both runners moved into scoring position. Aprile made the wise call to, again, put Plotts on first base, but UK scored the go-ahead run on the next pitch. It got away from Mullen and went straight into the batter's box for an easily taken HBP off the elbow guard. A pinch hitter knocked a bloop single into centerfield, scoring another run and keeping the bases loaded with just one out.
Zabala returned to the circle and got a ground out that Monroe smartly fired home to get the force and keep the UK lead at 5-3. The next pitch sealed the game, though, as it was lifted high to left, and Zabala clearly thought it was headed out of the park right off the bat. It didn't quite have the juice, but the wind made it just strong enough to fall beyond the outstretched glove of a diving Lookadoo in left center. With two outs, everyone was running, and the triple cleared the bases. A walk ended Zabala's day and Brooke Gray entered to pitch. Gray got a free out when the runner from first left early, and the Cards headed to their final chance down 8-3.
It was a great spot in the Louisville order, with 9-1-2 due up, but a Monroe ground out was followed by a strikeout from Lotus that capped her unfortunately timed 0-4 day. Chelsea Mack singled up the middle with two strikes, but the rally wasn't on. Alexander lifted a soft fly ball to left and that was that.
Louisville pitching issued ten free bases. Nine walks and a hit-by-pitch. UK could have won the game without picking up a single hit with runners in scoring position, as their first four runs came on a ground out RBI and three bases-loaded free passes. That's not good. I don't have much else to say on that.
The Cards are on a conference bye week this week, so instead of a three-game series, they'll play a double header against Oakland on Saturday (weather permitting). Louisville will then head to Bloomington for another regional rivalry in next week's midweek outing. The Cards will hope to get the aftertaste of this ugly game out of their mouths and get some more wins under their belts in both non-conference and conference play.
PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON
Until next time, Go Cards!
Case
