A Trip to the Ballpark -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Happy Monday, Cards fans! Daryl is out enjoying her vacation with a drink in hand while sitting poolside. In the meantime, I am taking over for today.

We don't cover the men's sports at Louisville, but we certainly want to extend a congratulations to Louisville baseball on their weekend victory and earning a trip to the men's College World Series in Omaha. I spent my weekend out at the ballpark, and you wouldn't believe who you might run into out there.

I bumped into quite a few familiar names and faces on the weekend. One person I was glad to run into was recent Louisville volleyball alumna Anna DeBeer. She was happy to be back on campus for a little and plans to spend much of the summer in Louisville before playing some international ball in the fall. She will use this as a way to stay in shape in preparation for her second season with the Indy Ignite. Anna mentioned she is pretty much entirely healthy minus a little stiffness at times.

I ran into a couple of our field hockey players Gigi Edwards and Rosie Tricase. They mentioned the team was already looking solid, even for spring ball. There was also excitement for the new assistant coach, who recently joined the team. 

Ulmer Stadium, home of Louisville Softball

I got to have an extended chat with a few of our current softball players and alums including Ally Alexander, Easton Lotus, Bailee Richardson, and Paige Geraghty. Alexander mentioned that she'll be staying with the Cards, but will transition into a graduate assistant role. She's excited for a chance to stay with the program. There was also indication that there could be further changes to the roster but no information was given if that meant we would see additions or subtractions to the team.

Our women's sports are enjoying summer break right now, but many of them will probably make their way back to campus sometime in July for practices and training. We plan to have plenty of in-depth coverage as their respective seasons start.

Happy Monday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Key Returners and Departure -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

While the NCAA Softball Tournament moves onto the Super Regionals, we turn our focus to Louisville softball. The Cards did not make the NCAA Tournament, but we can start to look at who is departing and who should be returning.

Departures

Possibly the most common name across the departures is Ally Alexander. The Spencer County native spent all four seasons with the Cards and played a utility position role. Whether she was thrown in at shortstop, second, third, or catcher, Alexander quickly accepted that position. She posted a career high in batting average her final season.

Sam Booe is another common name. Hailing from less than two hours away in New Palestine, Ind., Booe was one of the go-to pitchers over the span of her career. In her later years, she provided a great deal of leadership to the pitching staff.

Maddi Grant saw her role increase in her final couple years, primarily playing first base. She also proved to be a strong hitter, consistently putting balls in the outfield.

Returners

Alyssa Zabala has been the ace almost since the moment she stepped foot on campus. As a rising senior, her role in the circle should not change and she will be able to mentor the other pitchers.

Easton Lotus had a healthy season this past year and proved to be her most successful yet, as she was one of the top two on the team in batting average and led the team in hits and runs scored. She will have her redshirt senior season left.

Bri Despines transferred in this past season and immediately assumed the starting catcher position. She was one of five players to hit over .300 while also limiting stolen base attempts by opponents. Despines was second on the team in rbis. She will have one season remaining.

Char Lorenz is the odd one out on the returners as she just completed her redshirt freshman season and has three years of eligibility remaining. Lorenz led the team in batting average, doubles, home runs, and rbis. 

With NIL and the transfer portal dominating college athletics, it would not be surprising to see a couple folks transfer out or transfer in. As of right now, no one has declared their intent to enter the portal.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Cards Can't Quite Complete Comeback -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Loses Opener 10-9

In a season of what if's, Louisville softball saw another opportunity for a huge win slip away last night. The game was pushed back to an 8PM start to avoid the last few showers rolling through the area, which may have been a good thing for Louisville's offense, who turned up late to the show anyway. The Cards were bombarded early, though, and despite late innings matching the early big ones from FSU, Louisville needed one more run in the bottom of the seventh to keep the game alive. The #7 Seminoles escaped and moved to 41-6, while the Cards fell to 23-22. 

Louisville got off to an unfortunate start when a full-count pitch that looked to be over the plate was ruled a ball instead of a strike for Alyssa Zabala against the leadoff hitter and a strikeout turned into a walk. Walks will haunt (as I've put in this column before) and this one did. The leadoff walk was followed by single, fielder's choice (run scored on E1), RBI single, RBI single, 2 RBI single (E9), pitching change. The Cards trailed 5-0, a runner stood on first, and nobody was out. Brooke Gray replaced Zabala and got a flyout, a fielder's choice out, and survived a single and Louisville's third fielding error before getting the leadoff hitter, back up for the second time in the inning, to foul out. The Cards nearly went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the first, but Char Lorenz singled before Camryn Lookadoo was hit by a pitch. Louisville couldn't bring a run in and trailed 5-0.

Louisville had three fielding errors in the inning. The good thing is that those were the only three they had in the game. The bad thing is that FSU just decided to score earned runs in the second inning instead. Gray rang up the first batter, but gave up a four-pitch walk to the second. A flyout gave the Cards two outs and it seemed like they might escape the inning. Two singles scored a run, and a triple scored two more before another single added the fourth of the inning. A fly out ended the side and, all of the sudden, Louisville was staring down a run-rule after two innings. 

Sensing the ability to rest the ace, FSU made a pitching change to start the second. Madison Pickens greeted the new pitcher with a leadoff single, but the Cards went down in order afterwards. Sam Booe replaced Gray in the top of the third, and Louisville managed their first inning without giving up a run. FSU turned their lineup over again, with the leadoff batter of the third being the Seminoles' leadoff batter in the order taking the plate for the third time in the game. Booe, like the FSU pitcher before her, gave up a single to start the inning but picked up three outs in succession afterwards.

In the third, Lorenz continued her normal approach of picking up hits when seemingly no one else can, singling down the third base line for the Cards only hit in the inning. The top of the fourth saw the Cards earn their first defensive 1-2-3 inning of the game, but they followed suit in the bottom half. After two quick flyouts in the fifth, FSU threatened again, using a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. Booe was able to coax a flyout, though, and ended the inning with three runners stranded.

Down to their last opportunity with the run rule on the line, Holly Aprile turned to pinch hitters. Ava Venturelli led off by pinch hitting for Maddi Grant, but grounded out. Katie Thatcher pinch hit for Ally Alexander and doubled to right, quickly being swapped back for Alexander to run the bases. Easton Lotus finally found a gap and singled to left to score Louisville's first run. Riley Janda pinch hit for Chelsea Mack and doubled to left center to put runners on second and third. Lorenz reached once more, this time via fielding error, and Lotus scored to make it 9-2. Unfortunately, Lorenz ran herself off the basepaths by being caught stealing. Lookadoo reached via error as well, and Janda scored an unearned run. Bri Despines made that error burn even more with a two run homer to make it 9-5. Pickens fouled out but Louisville was right back in the game. 

The sixth inning opened with a dangerous double, which was made more dangerous by a ground out advancing the runner to third. Louisville's defense stepped up, though, and a liner to right caught the runner from third off guard. Whether it was an attempt to tag and score, or the runner didn't tag, a cannon from right field to the plate was thrown back to third where the runner was out. Double play, inning over. Louisville was still in play. Ally Alexander walked in the bottom half, but Louisville ultimately didn't threaten. Into the final inning we go, still 9-5. 

Booe opened the inning with a walk, but the runner was replaced on the next at bat by a fielder's choice. A steal meant that there was still a runner on second, though, which became a runner on third with two outs after a grounder. Clinging to hope, the chances got slimmer for Louisville when a single through the left side scored the run. Another single ended Sam Booe's day, and Lindsey Mullen came on to get a fly out and end the inning. 

In previous games, we've seen Louisville step up to the plate in the seventh with the game on the line and fold quickly. Not last night. Chelsea Mack hit a soft grounder back to the pitcher to lead off and beat out the single because of course she did. Lorenz picked a bad time to finally end her on base abilities in the game, though, flying out on the next at bat. Lookadoo doubled, putting runners on second and third with one out. Despines was hit by a pitch and all of the sudden, Louisville looked like they were in business. If not for the run in the top of the inning, the tying run would be at the plate. Pickens struck out, and now the Cards needed a two-out rally. Taylor Monroe was hit by a pitch to bring in a run and put the tying run at the plate. FSU made a pitching change, and Maddi Grant welcomed the new pitcher by walking in another run. Ally Alexander singled to score a pair and put the tying run on third base. Needing a base hit to keep the game alive and extra bases to potentially score the winning run from first, Lotus grounded straight back to the pitcher to end the game at a heartbreaking 10-9. 

That's a tough way to go out, to be sure, but Louisville's resilience was commendable. At the end of the day, the record shows just another loss, but the Cards see the latest in a line of missed opportunities against very good teams. With some luck, Louisville will be able to keep things rolling the way they did near the end of the game rather than repeat the early issues in today's second game of the series. The Cards will honor their seniors prior to the 3PM first pitch, with Izzy Harrison, Ally Alexander, Maddi Grant, and Sam Booe listed as seniors on the roster. Weather should hold out, so get out and support the team if you can. If not, the game will be carried on ACC Network Extra.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll have three on board today, with Paulie, Jared, and me bringing you the latest in Louisville women's athletics. As is tradition, we'll be off next week for the Kentucky Derby, so check out this week's episode before the brief break. Check out the show after it posts around 1PM, and be sure to subscribe so that it comes to your feed automatically. 

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Spotify: Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Slide Continues -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Lose to IU 8-3

Louisville softball canceled their ACC bye week double-header against Oakland due to weather, which meant they entered last night's regional rivalry game with the taste of last week's unfortunate loss to Kentucky still in their mouths. Whether that played a part in their undoing in last night's game is hard to say, but it seems fair to assume they would have liked having the get-right opportunity to split the two difficult outings. As it was, Louisville saw an early lead disappear before the opposing offense opened it up for the second game in a row. 

Char Lorenz returned to the lineup for this one and immediately got back to her strong offensive ways. After Easton Lotus walked to open the game, her steal was rendered moot by Chelsea Mack walking behind her. Lorenz stepped in with a runner in scoring position and smacked a single up the middle. The hit was too shallow to send Lotus home, though, and the bases were loaded with nobody out instead. Bri Despines kept the bases loaded but failed to drive in a run when she grounded into a fielder's choice force out at home. Ally Alexander also grounded out, but hers was more productive. Shockingly so, in fact, as she earned a two-RBI fielder's choice. Her grounder to short was thrown to second to get the first out while a run scored, but instead of eating the throw to hold the runner at third, the second baseman threw to first to try to get the double play. Alexander beat the throw and Lorenz came home in the meantime. Taylor Monroe hit the third straight ground out and the inning ended with Louisville holding a 2-0 lead.

Alyssa Zabala got a ground out to open the game but found herself in a slight pickle after giving up two straight singles. A foul out put Louisville in a two-out situation and a grounder to Alexander at third gave them an easy third out when she stepped on the bag for the force out and an unassisted fielder's choice. 

The Cards threatened to score again in the second, with an error on a throw behind Camryn Lookadoo at second base allowing her and Easton Lotus to move up a base to put runners on second and third with two outs. A full-count strikeout ended the opportunity. Zabala gave up a walk to open the second and IU tried to employ some small ball. A sacrifice bunt put Indiana's potential first run in scoring position, but Zabala responded with two strikeouts to maintain the Louisville lead. 

Again the Cards put a runner on base early in the third, with Lorenz reaching on an error and advancing to second. She advanced to third on a one-out sacrifice bunt, but she was stranded there for Louisville's fourth runner left on base. Those runners would prove to be costly. IU greeted Zabala in the third with a first-pitch home run. Slightly rattled, Zabala played with the corners a bit too much and walked two straight batters on five pitches each. In a jam, she earned a foul out and a fly out to put the defense back on level footing with two outs and runners still only on first and second. A single up the middle tied the game at two before a ground out ended the inning. 

Entering the fourth, it was a new ball game, so Madison Pickens responded to IU's third inning homer with one of her own. It was the only run Louisville would score, as they stranded another runner at first base, but they had retaken the lead 3-2. Their newfound lead was short-lived. 

A pair of singles opened the bottom of the fourth, and Zabala heard her name called from the bullpen. Sam Booe entered and immediately made her job more difficult by walking the first batter she saw on four pitches. Bases loaded, nobody out. Worst spot to be in for a defense. A strikeout improved the situation slightly, but a full-count single on the 12th (!!) pitch of the at bat erased the Louisville lead and gave them a deficit for the first time. A steal put runners on second and third with one out, and IU laid down a squeeze bunt. Squeezes don't really work in softball since the runner can't leave early. The result of the play, since Louisville didn't want to give up a run for an out, was a bunt single, and the bases were reloaded with one out. Another two-strike single, this time only on the ninth pitch, scored another run and a fly out to center worked as a sacrifice with IU's sixth run tagged and scored. A strikeout mercifully ended the inning, but Louisville trailed 6-3. They would not recover.

The Cards had one runner reach in each of the final three innings, but they did not earn another hit. The runners came on an HBP, a walk, and an error. The seventh inning saw IU pick up the dreaded four-out inning (with three strikeouts), as Lorenz reached on an error after her third strike was dropped. The middle of the order struck out behind her and that was that. IU had poured it on against Booe in the fifth with a single and a homer before Izzy Harrison relieved her. Louisville's defense got to flash in that inning, with a one-out fly ball resulting in a double play. Runners stood on first and second, and a ball high and deep to left gave IU the chance to tag and attempt to advance. Lorenz made the catch and fired to Alexander, though, and the runner was tagged out to end the inning. Harrison returned in the sixth and gave up a single and walk before Brooke Gray came on to close the game in a desperate situation for the Cards for the second week in a row. 

Overall, Louisville managed just three hits, five walks, and reached on an HBP and two errors. They struck out six times and stranded eight runners on base. Meanwhile, IU benefitted from no Cardinal errors, but they had eight hits and seven walks. They struck out just five times and they managed to score eight runs while leaving 10 on base. Yes...  it could have been worse. For the second midweek rivalry game in succession, Louisville pitching wasn't up to the task. All eight runs were earned and the Cards offense, while not spectacular, had put the team in a position to win twice. It is what it is. 

Louisville returns to conference play this weekend, but they remain on the road. The Cards will head to Chestnut Hill for a three-game set against Boston College starting tomorrow at 4. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Cards Drop Battle of the Bluegrass -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

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

Softball Defeats Eastern Kentucky in Five -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Cruise Past Colonels

Louisville softball cruised to a Wednesday 10-2, five-inning victory in a midweek match-up against in-state foe Eastern Kentucky. The Cards walked it off in the bottom of the fifth inning, earning the run-rule win.

With the win, Louisville improves to 17-7 on the year. They are 7-2 at Ulmer Stadium.

After shutting down the Colonels in order to start the game, the Cards managed to get runners on first and second with two outs. A walk helped load the bases with Taylor Monroe stepping up to the plate. The freshman shortstop sent one over the left field wall into the tree for a grand slam. The home run is the first of her career.

The Cards threatened to score in the second but could not get a runner over the plate. They went down in order in the third inning, too

In the fourth, Maddi Grant beat out a wide throw to first base before being replaced by freshman Riley Janda on the base paths. Aggressive baserunning put Janda on third, and she scored on a bunt by Camryn Lookadoo. Ally Alexander followed by getting on base and a hit to the outfield by Easton Lotus plated both runners, giving the Cards a 7-0 advantage. 

Eastern Kentucky would not go down without a fight and pieced together a trio of hits to score both of their runs.

Monroe kicked off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double. Lookadoo pushed a hard grounder to the outfield and Monroe scored. Alexander followed with a hit, putting Lookadoo in scoring position. Easton Lotus sent Lookadoo home with a hit. She and Alexander found themselves in scoring position following a defensive error by the Colonels. Freshman Jordan Williams came in to pinch hit and capitalized on the opportunity. She sent the ball rolling to the wall in left center. While the game immediately ended when the Cards went up 10-2, Williams was in prime position to pull out a triple off the hit and would have had multiple RBIs.

Alyssa Zabala (7-2) got the start in the circle and would go the full game to earn the win. She struck out five while allowing six hits and one walk. It is her fourth five-strikeout performance this season.

The Cards continued their aggressive base running with four stolen bases and even managed to turn a walk into an immediate runner on second opportunity. Louisville earned six walks while striking out twice. Lotus, Monroe, and Alexander each recorded two hits.

There was a scary situation in the first inning when Chelsea Mack was hit by a pitch. The ball hit Mack in the area of the lower neck or upper chest area. She was down in the batters box for several minutes before getting up and walking to first. She remained in for the remainder of the game.

Jeff and Jared caught up with Zabala and Monroe following the game. You can check out the interview here.

Louisville stays at home and welcomes #16 Virginia Tech for a three-game series. The Hokies defeated Kentucky 2-0 last night in Lexington. Emma Lemley was one batter off from a perfect game, walking one batter. Due to weather in the forecast, the three-game series times may be shifted around.

(All photos today by Jared)

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Wins Home Opener -- WBB Senior Day Tonight -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Open Home Season With Blowout Win

Louisville softball had a warm welcome home, both figuratively and literally, as they defeated crosstown rival Bellarmine 10-0 in five innings. Temperatures broke into the 70s for the first time of the 2025 calendar year and the Cards couldn't be stopped with aggressive baserunning.

The Cards pieced together 10 runs on 10 hits while capitalizing on a pair of Bellarmine errors and multiple obstruction calls.

Brooke Gray got the start in the circle for the Cards, earning her third win on the early season. In her three innings of work, Gray surrendered two hits but maintained a shutout. Izzy Harrison came in relief for the final two innings, striking out six and walking one.

Louisville jumped out front early. After Chelsea Mack and Bri Despines found ways to get on base and advance to scoring position, Char Lorenz drove both runners in. The Cards recorded four successful steals in the first inning.

With two outs in the second inning, Louisville pieced together a four-run rally with Easton Lotus, Bri Despines, Chelsea Mack, and Madison Pickens crossing the plate.

Louisville did more damage in the third inning before recording any outs. Maddi Grant led off with the only triple of the game and was followed by a double by Ally Alexander. Easton Lotus followed with a single and the Cards found themselves threatening to run rule the Knights.

In the fourth inning, UofL pieced together two more runs to add a little insurance. The inning was highlighted by a 10-pitch at bat for Taylor Monroe, who capped it off with an rbi double.

Louisville finished the game 8-for-9 on steals with the only unsuccessful attempt coming in the fourth inning. The Cards had five multi-base hits and had no strikeouts on the offensive end.

The Cards remain home to host the Cardinal Classic this weekend. They will play five games from Friday-Sunday. 

Cards WBB Host Clemson for Senior Day

Photo by Go Cards

Senior Day for Louisville women's basketball has already arrived. The Cards will face off against Clemson at 6:00pm for their final home game of the regular season. It will be aired on tv on ACC Network.

Prior to the game, Olivia Cochran, Merissah Russell, Jayda Curry, and Ja'Leah Williams will be recognized in the Senior Ceremony. Cochran and Russell are both five-year players at Louisville. Curry has been with the Cards for the last two seasons while Williams used her final year of eligibility at Louisville this season.

Clemson, under first year head coach Shawn Poppie, is 13-14 this season. The sit near the bottom of the ACC at 6-10. The former Clemson had coach, Amanda Butler, is on the Louisville coaching staff as an assistant

Photo by Go Cards

While the Tigers don't have a ton of strengths, they have been efficient with their three-point shooting and have had strong bench scoring. Loyal McQueen is one of the best point guards in the country, averaging 5.0 assists per game. Hannah Kohn has proved to be one of the best three-point shooters nationally with 75 made threes and nearly three per game.

Louisville leads the all-time series, 12-3. All 12 wins have come since the Cards joined the ACC. Last year, Louisville went down to Littlejohn Coliseum and won 81-64.

WALZ PRESSER 2/26/25

(Softball photos by Jared)

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball Sweeps Friday -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Wins Pair of 5-1 Games

Louisville softball is playing in the Joan Joyce Classic this weekend, and they opened the event with a pair of games against Villanova and Minnesota. After dropping their second game last Saturday against Radford, the Cards demolished Cleveland State on Sunday and entered the weekend 3-2. After yesterday's matching 5-1 victories, Louisville moves to 5-2 with their Saturday game underway at 9am and two games tomorrow. 

In the opener, Louisville played host against Villanova and Alyssa Zabala got the start. She walked the third batter she faced, but struck out the fourth to end the inning. Louisville came to the plate and decided to functionally win the game right out of the gate. Easton Lotus walked, stole second, and then took third on a wild pitch. Bri Despines ended up getting three more out of the zone and walked as well. Like Lotus ahead, she also stole second, leaving a pair of runners in scoring position for Char Lorenz to bring them home on a single. 2-0.

Lorenz wasn't able to be the third Cardinal in a row to steal second, as she was thrown out, but Madison Pickens took her spot after a hit by pitch. Maddi Grant doubled to put runners on second and third again, but Katie Thatcher popped out to give the Cards two outs. Taylor Monroe doubled both runners in, and Ally Alexander followed with another double to score Monroe. Chelsea Mack moved Alexander to third with a bunt single, but the inning ended on another caught stealing attempt. That gave Louisville a 5-0 lead on five hits, two walks, a hit by pitch, and no errors. Pretty good. 

Unfortunately, the Cards were only able to pick up one more walk and two more hits through the remaining six innings. The walk and one of the hits were strung together in the third, but nothing came of them and every other inning was fairly sad. Fortunately for Louisville, Zabala was strong in this one, pitching four innings and giving up just the one walk to go along with three hits. One of those hits was a solo home run in the fourth to score Villanova's only run. She struck out four. Sam Booe relieved Zabala in the fifth and pitched two innings with two hits, two walks, and a strikeout. Booe was replaced by Ryann Sanders for the seventh inning, and Sanders went three-up, three-down. 

Game two saw Louisville win with the same final score but in a rather different manner. Like the first game, Louisville functionally won in the first inning, but they didn't expend all of their offensive output in one go. Louisville was the away team and Easton Lotus opened the game with a single. In an effort to play a bit of small ball, Despines laid down a bunt to move her to second, but Minnesota's pitcher was willing to be a little more generous than that. An errant throw saw both runners go 180 feet rather than just 60, and the play ended with Lotus back in the dugout after scoring an unearned run and Despines standing on third. Despines would go on to score on a fielder's choice RBI by Pickens. 

Alyssa Zabala got the start again, though she would only go 2.1 innings in this one. Brooke Gray relieved Zabala after Alyssa gave up six hits and a run with two strikeouts. After Louisville scored a third run in the top of the third inning (Lorenz walked, Pickens walked, Grant productive groundout, wild pitch to score), Minnesota followed a ground out with a double and two straight singles to score their first run of the game. With runners on first and second and one out, Gray was called on to end the threat, which she did with a strike out and a pop out. Gray would go on to give up four hits and one walk and struck out three in her 4.2 innings. Louisville led 3-1 after three. 

Louisville put a runner on base in the fourth on a single and in the fifth on a walk, but they weren't able to bring either batter around. The Cards looked to be in for a big inning in the sixth when Taylor Monroe reached on an error to lead off and Jordan Williams singled to follow. The good vibes ended pretty quickly, though, when Monroe was thrown out trying to stretch the Williams single into two bases. A ground out gave the Cards two quick outs, but a Chelsea Mack single brought in Williams, who had moved to second on the throw out of Monroe. A fly out ended the inning with the Cards up 4-1. 

Louisville scored their final run on a two-out rally in the seventh. Madison Pickens singled to keep Louisville's inning alive and Maddi Grant rewarded her with an RBI triple. Louisville led 5-1 going into the final frame, and Minnesota looked like they'd consider putting up a fight. After a fly out, the Gophers found a gap for a double and followed it with a single to put two runners in scoring position. Gray was able to buckle down, though, and nab a strikeout to mean any out would win the game. A fly out to center did just that. 

All in all, it was a pretty good afternoon for the Cards. If there's one thing to clean up, it would be to not give up so many hits. While they spread just five against Villanova, they gave up ten to Minnesota and were lucky to not give up more runs. Part of that was not luck, as I'd be remiss to not mention a pair of web gems from Ally Alexander at third base. In one game, she had a leaping grab on what looked like a double if it got over her, and in the other she had a diving stop toward short before popping up and firing to first for the out from a knee. Pretty good stuff at the hot corner. 

Louisville is back in action with one game today against Minnesota, which is going on at the time of publication, and they'll play two tomorrow against Purdue (1:15) and host FAU (4). The Owls are ranked 25th in the country. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

I'm out this week for some home improvement items and Jared remains away. Daryl, Jeff, and Paulie will still bring you plenty of show with an exciting week for WBB and good showings from softball and lacrosse. You can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

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Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

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RadioPublic: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Splits in Pitt -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Take 1 of 2 in Double Header

Louisville softball entered a weekend series with a chance to get back to near .500 in conference against the struggling Pitt Panthers. Instead, they'll head to a rubber match Sunday after gifting Pittsburgh their first conference win of the season in Game 2 of yesterday's double header. The Cards won Game 1 3-2 before allowing nine runs in the second game to fall 9-4. They'll have today off and will wrap up the series at 1PM tomorrow afternoon. 

Game 1

Louisville looked poised to jump on the Panthers early when Daisy Hess singled to open the game and Chelsea Mack walked behind her. Unfortunately, Riley Frizell grounded into a double-play and Gabby Holloway's flyout in the cleanup spot ended the inning. Instead, it was the Panthers who took the lead in the first. Alyssa Zabala, who ultimately settled into a very good game, hit the first batter she faced, and the runner stole second to put someone in scoring position with no outs. Zabala got a pair of pop outs, one on a failed bunt attempt, to put the inning nearly to bed. With two outs, the runner was moving on contact, which was not great when the cleanup hitter sent a ball to center field that was dropped. An unearned run scored and Louisville trailed 1-0.

The top of the second again saw Louisville put two runners on base, but both were stranded on a fly out and a strikeout. Pitt homered to open the bottom half of the inning to put the Cards in a 2-0 hole, but Zabala went 1-2-3 afterwards to limit the damage. As I mentioned, Zabala turned in a very good outing following the bad luck in the first. After giving up the HBP and a walk in the first and the solo home run in the second, Zabala went the final five innings with just three hits, no walks, and no HBP. She didn't allow another run, meaning she gave up just the one earned on the homer, and she came away with the win. It's easy to see why Coach Holly Aprile can get drawn into the trap of leaving pitchers in overlong. They give her good reason to think they'll get out of jams when needed. 

Pitt ultimately didn't threaten again. Their three hits were scattered across innings, and two of the three were erased by double plays. The sixth saw a "ball don't lie" situation after the leadoff batter reached. The second batter bunted, and Zabala fielded it cleanly and fired to second. Louisville tried to get the double play but couldn't turn it to first in time. They challenged runner's interference, but the call stood that the runner was safe at first. The next batter lined it straight to second, who tossed it to first to double up the runner who couldn't tag in time. 

That left Louisville's offense. Where we last saw them, they trailed 2-0 entering the third. As they rolled back to the top of the order, Daisy Hess again gave the Cards a golden opportunity, doubling to open the inning. Louisville's hitting woes with runners in scoring position continued, though. For the third straight inning, they failed to capitalize on having a runner on second with one or no outs. The fourth gave them another shot. Vanessa Miller was plunked to open the inning, and Bailey Richardson shot one right back at the pitcher to pick up an infield single. Ally Alexander stepped in and laid down what was likely intended to be a sacrifice bunt, but reached first to load the bases with nobody out. 

Kylie Goff was first pitch swinging, but fouled out to shallow right. Katie Thatcher was called on to bat for Paige Geraghty and worked a single through the left side on a 2-strike count. As Miller came home to score easily and Richardson followed her, the left fielder booted it just long enough for Alexander to try her luck and rounding the bases. As she got caught in a run down, Thatcher wisely moved up to third. Alexander was called out at the plate, and the call stood after review. Hess couldn't score Thatcher from third with two outs, but Louisville had tied it at 2. 

The Cards put runners on the corners in the top of the fifth, but it was with two outs. A flyout ended the threat. Another HBP to open the inning greeted Louisville in the top of the sixth, and small ball paid off with another error. After Alexander reached, Goff laid down another sacrifice bunt that turned into more for Louisville. This time, Pitt's 1b airmailed the throw, sending Alexander all the way to third. Geraghty fouled out trying to bunt (Why? There were runners on the corners with no outs.), but Goff stole second anyway. Daisy Hess flew out to center field and picked up a sacrifice fly RBI when Alexander scored an unearned run. Another review double checked that Alexander tagged up, and confirmed it, giving Louisville the lead. With the chance to add insurance in the seventh, Louisville went down 1-2-3, but it didn't matter as they took the 3-2 win. 

Game 2

Remember how I said Aprile sometimes leaves her pitchers in overlong? What if I told you that it sometimes extended over multiple games? Alyssa Zabala was called on to take the circle again in the second game and it... didn't go great. After Louisville left two on in the top of the first, Zabala once more plunked the first batter for Pitt. This one didn't come around to score, though, so the two teams left the first 0-0. 

The Cards again put two on with nobody out in the second, and again, they failed to bring a runner home. Alarming trend in yesterday's games... That's when things went sideways for Zabala. After she got a groundout to open the inning, Pitt's Esparza homered to score the first run of the game. You're thinking, "Ok, Zabala hit Griggs to open the first game and gave up a homer to Esparza in the second and then settled into a great game." I'm here to tell you, it didn't go that way again. A single was followed by an error that scored a run, and another home run scored two more. Louisville trailed 4-0 and they wouldn't recover. 

After another uneventful offensive side for Louisville, Zabala gave up a single to open the third and got the hook. Sam Booe kindly allowed the runner to come around after a sac bunt and another single to tag Zabala with her fifth run of the game. The two teams went 6 up, 6 down in the fourth. In the fifth, trailing 5-0 and running out of outs, Louisville found some offense. Chelsea Mack fouled out to open the inning, but Daisy Hess doubled with one out. Ally Alexander singled to put runners on the corners before Riley Frizell flew out. How Hess didn't score on the single or fly out is unclear to me, but Vanessa Miller made it moot when she sent the first pitch of her at bat over the right field fence. Cards now trailed just 5-3. 

Louisville's rally was short lived. The fifth inning went single, single (throwing error), passed ball, strikeout (whoo), three-run homer, single, pitching change (Holloway), double, RBI single, ground out, fly out. Woof. Louisville trailed 9-3 to a team that averaged just under three runs per game entering the second half of the double header. Gabby Holloway opened the top of the sixth with a home run, but the Cards left the bases loaded again to leave the inning down 9-4. Louisville loaded the bases again in the seventh, this time with one out, and couldn't score a run. The Cards left 11 runners on base in the game. 

Another opportunity to get back on track comes tomorrow.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

There will be three on the call today, as Daryl attends to wedding planning and I woke up feeling quite unwell. Paulie, Jeff, and Jared will hold down the fort and bring you all the joy and excitement of the week that was (including a Spring win for volleyball yesterday). As always, you can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Softball Brings in Transfer Infielder -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Bailee Richardson Joins Louisville in 2024

Daisy Hess will no longer be the only former Georgia State player on the Louisville softball roster next season. Hess's former teammate for the Panthers, Bailee Richardson, will join Louisville as a graduate transfer next season. Last season, Richardson led the team in RBIs (33), doubles (8), home runs (9), and slugging percentage (.551). She was 7 for 7 on stolen bases as well. The infielder joined Georgia State after winning back-to-back state championships in high school and being named the defensive player of the year in 2018. 

Similar to Hess, a lot may be expected of Richardson as a touted glove straight out of the gate. We'll have to see how that turns out, but Richardson will also look to give the Cards a boost in an offense that has more holes than expected after the end of last season. For her career, Richardson was a .310 hitter that totaled 29 home runs, 25 doubles, 107 RBIs, and 89 runs. Hitting for average should transfer pretty well across leagues in softball, and Louisville will definitely need some players that can make the most of their time at the plate after losing an OBP leader in Korbe Otis from last season and an RBI machine in Sarah Gordon. 

2022 GSU Softball with Hess (b. row, 3rd from
right) and Richardson (m. row, 3rd from right)

The addition of Richardson may give an indication of what Louisville intends to do about the catcher position. Richardson played some second base, but it feels safe to say Easton Lotus has that position locked down. Richardson's other regular position was the hot corner at third. Louisville has three players listed with catcher as one of their positions on the 2024 roster. Two are freshmen. The third is Ally Alexander, who has primarily played third for the Cards. Sliding Alexander 60 feet and inserting Richardson alongside her former teammate on the left side of the infield could provide the defense Louisville needs, but things might get thorny if one of the freshmen is a better fit behind the plate. The Cards will get one year of eligibility from Richardson before she and Hess graduate from UofL together.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We'll still be without Jared this week but we should have plenty of hands on deck to bring you a full show. We'll have some Globl Jam to talk about after missing last week as well as plenty of news and notes about the joy and excitement of Louisville women's athletics from the last couple of weeks. As always, you can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case