Sunday Cardinal Couple

WBB Falls to Florida State

In a testament to the high expectations on UofL Women's Basketball, the loss yesterday to 4th seed Florida State, a top 25 team, can only be considered a disappointment.  FSU advanced to the championship of the ACC tournament after a down-to-the-wire battle against the Cards, with a final score of 62-60.  There they will meet NC State who advanced over Boston College.

The Cards started out with shooting woes, shooting only 23.5% from the field in the 1st quarter, resulting in an 18-10 FSU lead.  The Cards would turn it around in the 2nd quarter, however and come roaring back with 58.3% shooting, including a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc.  The 2nd half would somewhat repeat the pattern, with a not-awful-but-also-not-great 35.7% shooting in the 3rd quarter, a quarter that FSU won 18-13.  The Cards would improve to 50% in the 4th quarter to close down that five point lead to the two point winning margin.

Despite Case's suggestion during the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour yesterday that the culprit would be found to be turnovers, the Cards actually won in that stat 12-15.  To be fair to Case's assessment, the comment came as we had watched the end of the game in the studio and FSU did win the turnover stat in the 2nd half.  Overall, though most of the stats were very similar between the two teams.  The biggest discrepancy is probably found in the rebounding stats, and specifically in offensive rebounds which the Seminoles won 14-11 with the result showing up on the scoreboard in 2nd chance points with a 15-7 advantage to the women from Tallahassee.

For individual contributors, Dana Evans and Jazmine Jones had 16 and 15 respectively, with Kylee Shook and Yacine Diop reach double-digits with 10 apiece.  Bionca Dunham rounds out the significant scorers with 6.  'Kasa Robinson had a bucket, and Liz Dixon went 1 for 2 from the charity stripe to round out the scorers for the Cards.

Overall, I would call this a lackluster game overall, with moments of brilliance within in.

The Cards, of course, will get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, likely as a 2-seed in the Ft. Wayne Regional.  As a top-16 team, which is still all but completely assured, the Cards will host 1st and 2nd round games at the KFC Yum! Center.  There had been hope that UofL could creep back up into a one seed, but this loss almost certainly forecloses on that possibility.

I believe we will be getting a Paulie special report from Greensboro with his thoughts and recap of the game as well as the Boston College vs NC State game.

Softball

The Softball Cards are playing the home opener weekend at Ulmer and picked up a good win over Northwestern yesterday, 3-1.  Coming off of a heartbreaking 1-2 loss in 8 innings against Illinois on Friday, the Cards were eager for a win.

Jordyn Wolfe and Carmyn Greenwood were the scoring heroes of this one.  The scoring came late in the game for the Cards, not getting anything on the scoreboard until the bottom of the 5th.  Wolfe reached with a double, and advanced to 3rd on a Jenna Servi groundout.  Wolfe would be joined on the basepaths when Madison Ciaccio would draw a walk.  Carmyn Greenwood would rip a double to bring Wolfe and Ciaccio home for the 2-1 lead.

The other run for the Cards came in the next inning.  Caitlin Ferguson got hit by a pitch, and would use her basepath speed to make it home on a Wolfe double.

Chardonnay Harris gets the win in the circle for this one, and did so in style, limiting Northwestern to only a pair of hits.

The Red and Black Challenge will wrap up today with 4 games at Ulmer.  Oakland and Northwestern will start off the day at 10am, UofL will get another shot at Illinois at around 12:15 and then will take a break while Evansville gets to have a run at the Illini.  The Cards will wrap up the Challenge with a scheduled 4:45 start against the Purple Aces of Evansville.

The weather today should be glorious for a day out at Ulmer, come out and enjoy the sun and some great softball.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Case and I did pop into the library to put out another edition of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour.  We might call this one, the distracted edition.

We were on the stream live during the last quarter or so of the WBB game, and for much of the Softball game yesterday, both events that we were trying to stay on top of a little bit while we talked.  We had WBB streaming in the studio, as well.

My apologies for a long blank section at the beginning, I just plain forgot to switch to the live audio on my streaming software.  Audio starts at about 3:30.  I'll look into trimming the no-audio video at the beginning out, but that will be a bit of a learning process to do that, so bear with me while I figure it out.

We had a good discussion, accompanied by some great photos from Jared from 3 different sports this week.  We covered WBB, Lacrosse, and Softball.  Check it out below.

-- 

JMcA

Softball Drops Two; Lacrosse Opens ACC Play -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Falls to UIC and OK State on Friday

Louisville softball's early season struggles continued yesterday as they dropped their third and fourth games in a row, with three being run rules. The losses to Alabama, while not great, could not be described as unexpected, but Jeff and I discussed last week that dropping them both by large margins could be bad for confidence moving forward. It seems that came to pass yesterday. The Cards were thumped by the University of Illinois-Chicago, a team that had been 4-6 entering the game. They showed a bit more life in the later game against top-fifteen Oklahoma State, avoiding a fourth straight run rule, but were unable to score and dropped the game 3-0.

Game 1: Louisville 2, UIC 10

Taylor Roby took the circle to open Louisville's weekend yesterday and she was met by a lead-off home run from UIC's Samantha Ferguson. Ferguson would go on to score on to score three runs in the game. The Cards got through the rest of the first allowing just one more hit but trailed 1-0 going into the bottom half. Louisville returned the run scoring favor when Celene Funke reached on a four pitch walk. She stole second, advanced to third on a ground ball, and scored on an error. After a ground out, Maddy Newman was picked off at first to leave the bases empty with two outs. Cassady Greenwood doubled, but Carmyn couldn't bring her home. 1-1.

The second inning was pretty uneventful, with just one walk between the two teams, but it started to get away from the Cards after that. UIC scored two unanswered runs in the third inning and added three more in the fourth. Louisville got one back in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Cassady Greenwood homer to make it 6-2, but then gave up another four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Unable to bring the score any closer in the bottom half, the game was called for a five inning run rule. Louisville fell 10-2.

Game 2: Louisville 0, OK State 3

The second game saw Louisville blanked on the scoreboard and nearly blanked at the plate. The Cards kept this one a lot closer defensively, with Chardonnay Harris keeping the Cards in the game from the circle, but a three run third inning from the hosts was the difference. Louisville's offense was held to a pair of hits from Funke and Caitlin Ferguson, a walk from Newman, and a hit by pitch from Eden Mayo. No more than two of those things happened in the same inning. To her credit, Harris held Oklahoma State to just five hits and a walk, but three of those baserunners came back-to-back-to back for that three run inning. 

Despite a better showing in the second game, the result is ultimately the same and the Cards fell to 5-11. I know that's not what we at Cardinal Couple imagined for this team, and I'm certain it's not what anyone in the softball building expected either. The softball season is long, but Louisville will have to turn it around quickly if they're going to end up winning enough games for an NCAA Tournament bid. The Cards are back in action today with a game against #10 Oregon at 1PM immediately followed by a rematch against Oklahoma State.

Women's Track on Top in ACC Championships

With eleven events remaining today, Louisville currently holds a narrow lead over the Duke Blue Devils at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Cards sit at 34.5 points with the Blue Devils just half a point behind in second. Still in striking distance are NC State, Notre Dame, and Virginia at 26, 26, and 25.5 points respectively. Louisville's day yesterday was highlighted by a Dorcas Wasike silver medal finish in the 5000m run. Still to be completed today on the women's side are the finals for the Pole Vault, Triple Jump, Shot Put, 60m Hurdles, Mile Run, 400m, 60m, 800m, 200m, 3000m, and the 4x400m relay. Louisville has had success in some of these events throughout the year, so we'll see if they can hold on to their lead.

Lax Opens ACC Schedule against VT

Following the thrilling win against Vanderbilt earlier this week, Scott Teeter's squad will get their ACC season underway today when they host #23 Virginia Tech at 1PM. The Hokies are 5-1 so far this season, falling only to #17 JMU in overtime. VT beat Cincinnati 20-5 earlier this week, a team you'll recall Louisville opened the season against, winning 16-11. The Cards will have their work cut out for them today, as VT has scored fewer than 14 goals just once this season (the road loss against JMU). If Rachel Florek can continue her outstanding play as she did last week, Louisville may be in business. It will take a strong effort on both ends, though, as the Hokies haven't given up double digit goals since a 17-10 win over Davidson to open the season. Today's game will be available on ACC Network Extra.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

It's the Jeff and Case show again this week, and it will again come at an odd time. We'll get the show started at 1:30 today, so be sure to tune in while you watch softball and lacrosse. We'll have plenty to talk about after the busy week for Louisville athletics and have a few games to preview as well, such as the regular season finale for basketball. Check out the Cardinal Couple YouTube for the live broadcast at 1:30 or for a replay any time.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Busy Friday Sees Wins, Swims, and Broken Records -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Sweeps Friday at Bama Bash

It hasn't been an easy start for Holly Aprile's squad this season. The Cards got a ranked win in their opener before losing six straight. Louisville snagged a win over Wisconsin last week to break the streak but fell again to ranked Michigan the next day. Louisville looks to turn things around this weekend, and they started that attempt with a pair of wins yesterday. Louisville shutout both Penn State and Wichita State to move to 4-7 on the season. The Cards will get another shot at Wichita State this morning before a pair of games against power house (and host) Alabama. The Crimson Tide is a perennial title contender and is currently ranked 13/10 in the polls. The Cards will have their work cut out for them. 

Harris No-Hits Penn State

In the first game of the day, the Cards got off to a promising start in the top of the first inning. Louisville got runners on first and second with two outs after a Maddy Newman walk and a Cassady Greenwood single. That would be the end of the rally, though, as the Nittany Lions got out of the jam. In the bottom half, Chardonnay Harris walked the second batter on four pitches, and Claire Swedburg stole second to give Penn State a runner in scoring position with two outs. Harris got a swinging strikeout on the cleanup hitter to keep the game level.

The next two innings saw twelve up-twelve down as both teams were held in check. Taylor Roby broke the tie with a lead-off home run in the top of the fourth. After a pair of outs, Carmyn Greenwood doubled and Charley Butler singled her home to give the Cards a 2-0 lead before a strikeout ended the inning. Harris once again sat down the side in order. 

In the top of the fifth, Louisville's offense continued the rally. The Cards used seven singles, a walk, and an error to bat around the order and score seven runs. After blowing open a 9-0 lead, Harris picked up two groundouts and a pop-out to finish the game due to five-inning run rule. As the walk in the first inning was the only baserunner allowed, Chardonnay Harris picked up the no-hitter. The no-hitter was Louisville's first since Maryssa Becker in 2014.

Offense Picks up Where it Left Off Against Wichita State

Following the seven run fifth inning that ended the game against Penn State, Louisville's offense was more than ready to keep playing. After Taylor Roby worked out of a runner in scoring position in the top half, Louisville's hot offense once again stepped to the plate. Celene Funke walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Maddy Newman then walked and stole second, giving Louisville two in scoring position with no outs. Roby promptly brought them both home with a single. After a Cassady Greenwood bunt single, Charley Butler came on to run for Roby. A double steal put runners on second and third and a Carmyn Greenwood bunt single scored one. Louisville then executed another double steal to score another run and a Rebecca Chung groundout scored the final runner. Louisville put two more on base after a single and a hit by pitch to bat around the order, but Funke flied out to end then inning.

Louisville would go on to score a run in the second and two runs in the fourth to carry an 8-0 lead into the fifth, where Roby would sit down the Shockers' batters and win in the second straight run rule game. Roby gave up just two hits and a walk, while giving up no runs. Meanwhile, every Louisville batter to step to the plate reached base one way or the other. 

The Cards will see if they can keep their hot offense rolling today as they open the day with another game against Wichita State at noon. Their first game with Alabama is scheduled for 2:30PM and will be available via WatchESPN (SECN+).

Swimming in Third at ACC Championships

Heading into the final day of competition at the ACC Women's Swimming Championships, Louisville sits in a comfortable third place. The Cards (747.5) are nearly two hundred points ahead of fourth place UNC (567) but almost 150 behind second place NC State (888). Virginia leads by a mile at 1001.5 points. In addition to their solid team standing, Louisville has currently had multiple swimmers set pool times that qualified for invites to the NCAA Championships last season. We'll take a look at the potential NCAA qualifiers once conference championships have wrapped up and invites have gone out.

Lacrosse Falls in Tough Match at #14 Michigan

Louisville Lacrosse hit the road to take on a ranked Michigan team yesterday and put up a fight for much of the game. The Cards had to weather a storm as the Wolverines opened with a five goal run over the game's first ten minutes. Louisville bounced back and Shayla Scanlan's hat trick goal with six seconds left in the half made it 7-6 Michigan. The Cards would fight again in the second half, opening the half with a game tying goal from Paige Richbourg. Scanlan would go on to tie the game at 11 with 11:30 to go but that would be Louisville's final goal of the game. As they opened, Michigan closed, scoring four goals over the final seven minutes and shutting out the Cards to claim a 15-11 victory.

Despite the loss, Louisville showed great will and toughness in their second ranked game of the season. The Cards saw a lot of lopsided losses last year and appear to be holding their own much better this season. In addition to the spread out scoring, 11 goals from six players (Scanlan, Richbourg, both Blalocks, Hannah Morris and Brenna Shanahan), Rachel Florek set a program record for saves to keep the Cards in the game. Florek finished with 17 stops, preventing what could have been a very ugly outcome for the Cards. Louisville moves to 2-2 on the year and will head down I-65 on Tuesday for a matchup against Vanderbilt at 4PM.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

After taking last week off, we're back with the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour today at 11AM. Jared and Paulie are both traveling this week, so Jeff and I will be holding down the fort, but we'll have plenty to discuss. With basketball getting into the big time part of the season and softball and lacrosse both being underway in earnest, we'll have no lack of topics to discuss. Join us as we go live on YouTube or catch the replay of the show any time.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball Drops Two Games; Lacrosse Hosts Home Opener -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Struggles Continue

Despite Louisville's season opening victory over a ranked team, the wheels appear to have fallen off of the softball train before it even left the station. Since the win over 21/25 Ole Miss, Louisville has dropped its last six games, with only one other game coming against a ranked team. The Cards are clinging on for dear life trying to get to through February and get back to Ulmer Stadium, but before that, they'll have to face Michigan and Wisconsin again, Penn State, Alabama twice, and Oklahoma State twice. That's not even to mention the rest of the teams mixed into the remaining weekends. There is still a lot of season left, but Louisville needs to get back on track quickly or the hopes of a tournament bid may be on the ropes before the Cards even play a home game.

Louisville opened yesterday's games with an 11 AM start against Michigan, ranked 11/8 over the two polls. After a scoreless first, the Wolverines opened the scoring in the bottom half of the second inning with a two run double. They'd follow that up with a couple of runs in the bottom of the third that chased Chardonnay Harris and the Cards found themselves down 4-0. After Louisville was finally able to keep Michigan off the board in the fourth inning, they got a pair of runs back on a two run homer by Taylor Roby in the top of the fifth. The momentum was short lived, though, as the Wolverines grabbed those two runs right back in the bottom half. Louisville was unable to find any more offense in the last two innings and the final score was 6-2.

The second game saw Roby take the mound against Wisconsin, and she pitched a pretty good game. Roby gave up two runs on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts in a complete game. Unfortunately, Louisville found themselves unable to score for the first time this season, and Roby's two earned runs in the second inning were the deciding factor in the game. Wisconsin's Kaitlyn Menz pitched a gem, with three hits and one walk against five strikeouts. The Cards threatened late, loading the bases with just one out in the bottom of the seventh, but a strikeout and a foul out ended the inning and the game. 

Despite the issue for Louisville recently being of the pitching and defensive variety, this year is seeing unusual struggles at the plate. The Cards currently only have seven players even qualifying for season batting statistics, showing that the offensive lineup remains wholly unsettled. Of those seven, Roby's .316 is the only average above .300. Two players are below .200 and four are below .225. The most surprising of those is Celene Funke, who is certainly in a funk to open the season. Despite her insane triple pace (50% of her hits are triples), she's batting just .148 (4-27) and has no walks compared to nine strikeouts. As the leadoff hitter, Funke paces the team offensively, and she'll need to get back to her old self for Louisville to succeed.

The Cards will get their chance at revenge against both the Wolverines and the Badgers this weekend. The second game against Wisconsin gets underway at 1:30 PM today and the rematch against Michigan is tomorrow morning at 10 AM. We'll see if Louisville can't get some momentum going and put another mark or two back in the W column.

Lacrosse Brings in Denver

Louisville opens their home schedule this afternoon when the Denver Pioneers, ranked 9th in the country, find their way to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium. The two teams have a strong recent history, having played every year since 2013. Louisville is 3-4 all time against Denver, but have lost the last three, including the program's all time worst loss last season in Colorado. Louisville struggled in the snow during that game and fell 18-2. The last victory for Louisville came in 2016 at home, so perhaps the Cards can use a revenge game to springboard a big season. The first draw will be at 12PM and Paulie and Jared will be on hand for all of the action. Tune into ACC Network Extra if you can't make it down to campus.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Due to scheduling conflicts between hosts and studio availability, we won't be able to bring you a show this week. We'll look forward to getting back into the studio next week and staying on track to bring you the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Spring Seasons Underway -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Splits Games on Opening Day

If you had high expectations for this year's Louisville softball team, you may find that they took a step toward meeting those expectations when they opened the season yesterday. The Cards started the day by knocking off top-25 Ole Miss 4-2 before dropping what was a close game for 5.5 innings to Baylor, who was also receiving votes.

Cards Jump Out Early, Hold on to Win 4-2 over Ole Miss

The day started with a first pitch to the Cards at 12:00 PM, and it didn't take too long for Louisville to get the season started offensively. The first inning was quiet for both teams, but Taylor Roby sent a shot over the left field fence in the top of the second to support her own pitching effort. Ole Miss answered back in the bottom half, and the teams went into the top of the third tied at 1. Things got a little squirrelly then, as the Cards would score two in the inning. The first came on a double steal that sent Jenna Servi to second and Charley Butler home, and the second came when Servi scored on a Carmyn Greenwood infield single. 

With Roby shutting down Ole Miss for most of the game, the 3-1 lead looked like it might be enough. Caitlin Ferguson added some insurance with a home run of her own in the top of the sixth to make it 4-1. Ole Miss didn't go down without a fight, though. They rallied in the bottom of the seventh to score a run and then load the bases with one out. At that point, Roby was relieved by Chardonnay Harris, who shut down the rally without allowing any more runs. 4-2 was the final and the Cards had opened the 2020 season with a win over a ranked opponent.

Louisville Can't Hold on After Back-and-Forth Game, Falls 7-4 to Baylor

The second game seemed poised to have a similar feel. Getting underway just 45 minutes after the previous game finished, the Cards hardly had time to catch their breath. Just like the first game, the first inning went by without much ado. This time it was Harris getting the start in the circle, and she opened this game just how she closed the first. Louisville once again struck first, scoring on an error and a groundout to lead 2-0. Baylor, like Ole Miss, answered with a run of their own, but the Cards took a 2-1 lead into the third. Roby found her way around the bases in the top of the third after a walk led to a run and the Cards were up 3-1.

Unfortunately, the wheels fell off a bit defensively in the bottom of the third and two hits, three walks, and an error led to three runs for the Bears. Louisville trailed for the first time this season at 4-3 after three. Familiar names tied the game, when Celene Funke hit a triple (you don't say?) and was brought home by a Caitlin Ferguson RBI single in the top of the fourth. That would be the end of Louisville's scoring, though, as the Cards would go on to drop this one 7-4. Baylor used four hits and an error to take the three run lead in the bottom of the sixth and the Cards were unable to answer with any runs in the seventh.

Louisville is back in action today with another pair of tough matchups. The Cards open with Texas State at 10AM before drawing Mississippi State at 3. With just the matchup against Missouri tomorrow, let's see if the Diamond Cards can't escape the weekend with a 4-1 record.

Lacrosse Opens Season with Cincinnati Tomorrow

Scott Teeter's team is ready to get underway in his third season at the helm as the Cards prepare to take on regional rival Cincinnati. The Bearcats were the first opponent of Teeter's Louisville tenure and the Cards won that first matchup 15-9. Louisville is 12-0 all time in the series against Cincinnati, but the Cards are coming off of a 5-13 season while the Bearcats went 12-7 (4-1) last year.

Louisville, of course, won the head-to-head matchup last year. The Cards will look to get back on track, from a program standpoint,  this season with a victory in the opener. Tomorrow's game starts at 1PM and will be available on BearcatsTV (link).

Paulie and Jared are headed up I-71 to take in the action. Expect a post-game interview with head coach Teeter and Jared photos in the Monday Cardinal Couple. 

Reflecting on the Loss of Gigi Bryant

I've been grappling with how to write this and whether or not I even should, but I decided I wanted to put my thoughts out there. I do not want to come off as uncaring or disrespectful in anyway. Let me preface this with a couple of items. First, I am not the biggest follower of women's basketball. I keep up with Louisville women's basketball (with a bit less fervor than the other writers here), and I have a high elevation view of the sport at large via my obsession with sports/Twitter. Second, I did not follow Gigi Bryant's career. Prior to the tragic crash, I could not have told you her name. I knew who she was, as any sports fan who lives on the internet did, because it was impossible to not see Kobe taking in every basketball moment with his daughter that was caught on tape. With that said, I can't stop thinking about the first thing that came to mind when the news of who all was on the helicopter was official and the stories continued to come out.

This was a big loss for women's basketball in general. 

The women's game is still growing. There are, and have been, huge stars in the sport. The list of nearly household names in women's basketball is becoming large enough that I'd be sure to miss someone egregious if I tried to put them all here. However, unfortunately, the realm of women's sports continues to be viewed through the lens of how it relates to men's sports. Countless teams of all sports are associated to their male counterparts, including with team associations at the professional level, and entire women's leagues are compared to the success of men's leagues. That's not the way it should be but it is the reality. 

The Bryants represented an opportunity to bridge that gap. Famously, when Kobe was pushed on when he would have a son to take up his mantle in basketball, Gigi asserted that he didn't need a son because she would fill that role. Kobe waxed poetic about her skill. In hindsight, it is clear to me that Gigi Bryant was going to be the face of the WNBA. As the "W" grows, and pushes for better rights for players and teams, their standing is consistently improving. Bryant's timing would have been perfect, as she would have reached the pinnacle of the sport at the exact moment that the league itself would be poised to explode. Fair or unfair, Kobe's presence would bring even more attention to the sport. 

The loss of Kobe and Gigi (and the other players onboard who were fantastic young players in their own right) is a blow to the game of women's basketball. In a sport where one of the best coaches in the college game has to reply on Twitter to people saying that no one cares (in more unkind words) about women's basketball, star power matters. Women's basketball lost a star far too young, and may have lost a huge opportunity in the process.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

After a hiccup in scheduling last week, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is back on track this week. In fact, we'll be so much back on track that we're coming to you at the original time. Today's show will start at 11AM and can be found directly on the Cardinal Couple YouTube Channel. Be sure to tune in live as we discuss the week in Louisville women's basketball, the opening of softball's season, and more. If you can't catch the show live, be sure to check out the rebroadcast available directly after the show ends. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH- 

*Author's note: Please note that my opinions are my own and may not represent the opinion of other writers at Cardinal Couple. I am happy to see disagreement with my views in the comments, but ask that such comments remain respectful.*