Field Hockey downs UC Davis in O.T. -- Golf shortened to 36 holes -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

RUSS'S SCORE IN OVERTIME GIVES FIELD HOCKEY 2-1 WIN

After four quarters and sixty minutes of play, the #12 ranked University of Louisville Field Hockey team and UC Davis found themselves locked in a 1-1 tie in East Lansing yesterday. With no worries of the Michigan State administration of coming in and stopping the contest for fireworks, the squads took to the pitch for a "first score wins contest overtime"" session. 

It was Bethany Russ, junior attacker from Melbourne, Australia, who took the Cards to 5-0 on the season, when she saw a gap in the UC defense and guided a sot into the net in the sixth minutes of the bonus hockey for the game winner. The Cards had survived a penalty corner attempt by the California school a few minutes earlier to regain possession and drive down the pitch for the score. 

Statistically speaking, this one looked like it should have been a much larger win for UofL.  The Cards had 29 shots in the contest...the Aggies just two. 16 of those were "on goal", compared to just two for UCD. Russ alone had a eye-popping 13 shots, six on goal for Louisville. 

It took a fourth quarter goal by UofL just to force the extra session, The Aggies scored just nine minutes into the contest and that goal held sway until the fourth quarter...when senior Whena Munn (Wellington, New Zealand) took a feed from Mercedes Pastor (Buenos Aires, Argentina) at the start of the fourth quarter and drove the ball past UC Davis goalkeeper Chelsea Bigelow to tie it. 

Speaking of goalkeeping, it was Sam Minrath, red-shirt freshman from Louisville's Christian Academy, who drew the start in front of the pipes. She played the first half and redshirt junior Hollyn Barr (Lancaster, PA) protected the net in the second half and overtime. Bigelow probably deserves a hard-hat or golden shovel for collecting 14 saves against UofL. 

The Cards next to Columbus, OH next for Sunday against Ohio State. It'll be the third Big 10 opponent Louisville has faced this season, the Cards previously downing Indiana and Michigan State earlier this year. OSU is 3-1 coming into the match, their only loss coming to ACC member and #11 ranked Virginia 2-1 in Charlottesville last time out. 


MINNESOTA INVITATIONAL SHORTENED TO 36 HOLES DUE TO WEATHER. 

Rainy conditions in Woodbury, Minnesota shortened the planned 36 holes of golf yesterday to just 18 and Louisville finds themselves in 10th. place as the 15 squads hope to get in another 18 holes today. 

Cardinal golfer Delaney Shah equaled her career-low for the 18 with a 4-under 68. She is two strokes behind the event leader. 

Lauren Hartlage navigated the wet and windy conditions with a 2-over-par 74. Freshman Hana Ryskova sits one back of Hartlage at 75. It wasn't the best of rounds for the Cards other two starters...Margot Bechadergue finished at 80 and Mairead Martin carded an 81. Playing as an individual, Lauren Thibodeau toured the course with an even-par 72. 

Kentucky leads after 18 holes with a team score of 288 (par). UofL finished at 297. 

They'll start today at 11 a.m. and you can follow the stats at www.golfstat.com


Have a terrific Tuesday! 

paulie   

USA U 19 over Australia -- Golf on the Mind -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

USA U 19 wins opener against Aussies 79-56

The Jeff Walz coached USA U 19 team used a 16-2 third quarter run to pull away from Australia in Bangkok early this morning and went on to win thei opener in Group C play 79-56.

Walz started Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon-Baker, Aliyah Boston, Hailey Van Lith and Paige Bueckers and USA jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. That early lead held through the first 10 minutes and the first quarter ended with USA up 19-14. 

Australia came out strong in the second quarter and cut the lead to 21-20 with 7:40 left in the first half. They tied it at 21-21 and remained close the remainder of the second quarter, although they never took the lead. Reserve Queen Egbo scored four straight points to give USA a 34-32 lead with 1:49 left in the half and a Bueckers three made it 37-32 with a minute left. The Aussies ended the half on a 3-0 run, though, and the USA went to the half with a 39-35 lead.

Walz brought the same starting five out to start the second half, and increased defensive pressure paid dividends. A 6-0 run got USA off to a good start and they got two straight threes from Howard to push the lead to 55-37. It was a 16-2 run for the Americans and they ended the third quarter with a 60-39 lead, outscoring Australia 21-4 over the ten minutes. 

The Aussie would never get closer than 16 points in the final ten minutes, as Walz tried a variety of combinations on the court. 

Five in double figures for USA -- Bueckers led them with 11 points -- and Van Lith, Egbo, Hillmon-Baker and Howard totaled 10 each. USA shot 33% from the floor and held the foe to 27.7% shooting. USA won the rebounding battle 62-52 and forced 22 Australian turnovers. 

USA U 19 continues Group play tonight at 1 a.m. against South Korea.

You Tube has replays available in case you don't want to staay up that late. No commentary or play-by-play -- just straight out basketball...which is different but interesting.

. 

Thibodeau Could Join Hartlage

Last week I wrote about Lauren Hartlage qualifying, yet again, for the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. Earlier this week, teammates Lauren Thibodeau and Delaney Shah were set to compete in Massachusetts to join her. The event in Brockton took place on Monday and four women qualified to advance to the championship. Neither Cardinal was one of the four. As far as I can tell, Shah never competed in the event, as her name does not appear on the results page, even as having withdrawn. However, Thibodeau does still have a chance to make it to the Championship. Lauren shot a 1-over on the course, tied with two others for fifth place. For reasons unknown, she is listed as the first alternate should one of the four qualifiers drop out. We wish her the best as she waits it out and Lauren Hartlage the best of luck at the Championship event in early August.

The Open Championship

One of golf's biggest weekends is underway, as the major across the pond has been ongoing since early Thursday morning. A couple of connections drew me to this topic this morning. First, Louisville golfer Matthias Schmid qualified for the event. Schmid finished last season at UofL with the best stroke average in school history. He qualified for The Open by winning the European Amateur Championship last month. I'm not sure how competing in professional event in golf jibes with all of the NCAA rules, but the NCAA rules around player compensation are so goofy I don't even feel like exploring it this morning. Schmid played decently Thursday and Friday, shooting +4 and +1, respectively, but failed to make the cut to continue the weekend. It was a tough course, but the cut fell in at +2, putting Schmid out in the cold with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. At least he didn't shoot +27 like David Duval. 

The second connection to The Open is Kentuckian (and my cousin) J.B. Holmes leading the dang thing. After a Thursday in which he was one of three people to reach -5 on the day and the only one to stay there, J.B. had a solo lead. He continued to shoot well enough on Friday, notching a -3 on the day to sit tied after two days for the lead with Shane Lowry. Holmes has five tour wins since joining in 2006. He has finished in the top five at a major twice, both in 2016 with his best finish being 3rd at The Open that year. He and Lowry will tee off in the final pairing later this morning.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

As Jared mentioned yesterday, we are back today for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour on WCHQ FM. All four primary fools will take their seats in the studio and we'll see if we are closer to or farther from some sort of UofL athletics topic this week than last. Apparently there will be a quiz and there is a good chance it is about mascots. As all of us performed fairly well on the last mascot quiz, I imagine this one will take a turn to the more difficult side. Catch WCHQ at 100.9 FM, the WCHQ App, wchqfm.com, or on Facebook Live. The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is live at 11AM and available linked in Sunday's article (typically) as a replay.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Quick News Roundup -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

It's been a surprisingly busy week for current and former Louisville Cardinals across all sports considering we are in the heat of summer. I'll leave the volleyball news from the World University Games to Jeff for tomorrow, but plenty happened this week otherwise. Let's take a quick look. 

Swimming/Diving at the WUGs

Three former and current Cards took on the world in Italy during the World University Swimming and Diving events. Diver Molly Fears was the University of Louisville's first diver ever to compete for the USA. She ultimately finished 11th. Daniel Sos and Gregory Tarasevich represented Hungary and Russia, respectively. Sos finished 6th in the 200m IM and 19th in the 400m IM while Tarasevich earned a gold medal and two silver medals in the 100m backstroke, the 200m backstroke, and the 4x100 medley relay.

Hartlage Heading Back to Amateur Championship

Lauren Hartlage will be making her third straight appearance in the USGA Women's Amateur Championship after she finished tied for first in the Walnut Grove Country Club Sectional Qualifier in Dayton, Ohio. Hartlage shot a 3-under and, coincidentally, tied for first out of 75 competitors with a person right next to her in the alphabet. While Hartlage finished with a 69 on the 18 hole course, I shot a beautiful 64 on the par 3, 9 hole course by my house yesterday. I'd say I'm right on her heels. Fellow Cardinals Delaney Shah and Lauren Thibodeau will compete in their own sectional qualifier in Massachusetts on Monday. They'll be fighting to join Hartlage in the 156 player field for the tournament, which will take place August 5-11 at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi.

Fuehring Leaving the States

After being cut by the Washington Mystics, Sam Fuehring was unable to land a contract with another WNBA team for this season. According to her Twitter, Fuehring was quite frustrated with the fact that she had to get a job when she clearly believed that she should be playing professional basketball. This is a common trend for athletes (the Knicks should sign Russ Smith) and you can never fault them for believing in their abilities. Fuehring's call to the basketball universe was answered, as she has agreed to a contract with Eisvogel USC Freiburg in the German DBBL. Fuehring will join former Cardinal Peyton Siva in Germany, who has thrived in his opportunity in Deutschland. Siva recently resigned for a two year extension with Alba Berlin. Here's hoping Sam enjoys her time across the pond as much as Siva and can carve out a place for herself in the league.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

The A-Team is back in the studio today after a few mix and match weeks. Daryl will be down on the Waterfront getting her Forecastle on (stay hydrated all you hooligans heading out there), but Paulie, Jeff, Jared, and I will bring you the joy and excitement of Louisville women's sports during the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. We'll have plenty of news and prognostications to discuss, and we'll even have the patented Worldwide Quiz. Tune in to WCHQ FM at 11AM via 100.9FM, the WCHQ App, wchqfm.com, or on Facebook Live.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball Wins; Track and Field and Golf Busy -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Come Back in Chestnut Hill

After handing Florida State their first conference series loss since 2012, Louisville softball was rewarded with a mid-week break before heading northeast for a three-game set with Boston College. In the first game of that series yesterday, Louisville saw the struggling hosts (13-24, 3-10) jump out to a 2-0 lead through four innings.

After holding everyone at 0 runs in the fifth, Louisville decided that they didn't want to lose to the Eagles. The Cards put up 5 runs in the top of the sixth inning and added another 4 in the top of the seventh for good measure. Boston College was unable to score anymore runs and a 2-0 lead turned into a 9-2 loss for the home team.

Megan Hensley got the start and was okay through her three innings. She allowed just one hit, but walked three and allowed a run. She was lifted at the beginning of the fourth for Taylor Roby. Roby allowed a run as soon as she entered, but also allowed just that one run and one hit. After Roby bookended a strikeout in the sixth inning with a pair of four pitch walks, Danielle Watson came in to get the last out of the sixth with runners on first and second. Presumably to save her arm for the rest of the series, Watson was pulled after her one out performance with the Cards holding a 9 run lead going into the bottom of the seventh. Roby finished the game out with a 1-2-3 inning and that was all she wrote.

Though the Cardinals' offense didn't cross the plate until the sixth inning, a Louisville batter reached base in every inning prior except for the fourth. All told, the Cards would finish with nine hits and draw four walks. However, they did strike out six times collectively and left eight runners on base.

Louisville was not led by the usual suspects, as Maddy Newman and Charley Butler picked up 6 of the 9 RBIs. Newman finished 2-3 at the plate and drew a walk, while all of Butler's RBIs came off of a bases loaded double. Kyra Snyder also had a big day at the plate, going 3-4 and knocking in a run. Sidney Melton had an unusual day to forget, going just 1-4 at the plate and drawing a walk, but leaving 4 on base. 

The Cards will look to take the series and set up a potential sweep in game two of the series today at 1PM. Louisville will hope to have a bit more consistent bats in today's game. The game is listed on ACC Network Extra, so if you aren't down at the Waterfront for Thunder Over Louisville, tune in at home. If you are down at the Waterfront and have unlimited data, feel free to tune in on your phone, or keep up on Twitter.

Golf Holds Strong but Falls Short

The Cards are down in Georgia for the Liz Murphey Collegiate Invitational and are taking on tough squads from mostly the SEC. Louisville dropped a pair of team matches yesterday in an individual match play format to a pair of ranked SEC teams.

The first came against #6 Arkansas, with Louisville earning a pair of wins from Mairead Martin and Lauren Hartlage, but ultimately falling 3-2 overall. The second loss came after Louisville battled to an all-square finish with wins from Margot Bechadergue and Olivia Cason and a draw from Delaney Shah. Ultimately, Florida was granted the win on overall margin of victory after an unfortunate 6 and 5 finish from Lauren Hartlage. Louisville got back on the course this morning just after 8AM.

Strong Opening for T&F in Louisville Invitational

Louisville swept the hammer throw in both competitions yesterday and had three finishers in the top six on the women's side. Makenli Forrest took home first place and was followed by Carsen Cassell and Halee Hudson in fifth and sixth. Forrest's first place throw was nearly 10 meters further than Cassell's fifth. No other results from the women's side were listed for yesterday, but the competition continues today.

Ionescu Takes Wooden Award

The Cards WBB star Asia Durr was one of the finalist for the Wooden Award, which is player of the
year, but the honor went to Oregon's Sabina Ionescu. The junior decided early in the month to return to school instead of trying her luck in the WNBA Draft.

Ionescu winning was a surprise to many, including Ionescu -- who sat there open-mouthed in amazement when her name was called. Many thought Durr or possibly nominee Megan Gustafson from Iowa would get the nod.

Just goes to show that we don't always get what we want, but Durr had a huge season and it is an honor just to be named in the final five.  The other finalists were Tearia McCowan and Napheesa Collier. Jeff Walz was in L.A. with Durr for the awards ceremony.

Durr, who was selected #2 in the recent WNBA Draft, is headed to New York to play for the Liberty and many experts think it'll be a great fit for her.

Someone make sure and notify Matt Bevin.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

As Jared mentioned yesterday, he's out of the studio today, but we still have plenty of show to bring you today leading up to the Thunder Over Louisville Air Show this afternoon. Paulie, Jeff, Daryl, and I will talk plenty of softball, lacrosse, WNBA draft, and more on this week's Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. As always, the show begins at 11AM on WCHQ FM and will be available on 100.9 FM, wchqfm.com, the WCHQ App, and on Facebook Live. Tune in and join us, won't you?

LINK: www.wchqfm.com

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Cards All Over the World -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

USA Uses Strong 2nd Half to Thump Puerto Rico

If you follow Paulie on Twitter, you may have seen him quip yesterday that the USA was getting more than they bargained for against Puerto Rico when they led 50-33 at the half. Truly, the US team has been dominant so far at the U18 FIBA Americas so to see them struggling to put away a team like Puerto Rico was quite the surprise. After a first quarter that looked like business as usual (US led 33-18), Puerto Rico came out with a fire in the second quarter. PR scored 15 in the second stanza, a step down from their previous effort, but held the US to only 17 points in the quarter. The States led by 17 at the break, but they may have been shown to be mortal after all.

The second half was all US, as the Jeff Walz led squad won the third and fourth quarters by 13 and 14 respectively, finishing the game with a final tally of 103-59. A 44 point margin is usually one that will keep you from having much to say negatively, but you can be sure that the two point second quarter point-scoring advantage was looming in Walz's mind. Don't think for a second that Connecticut has gotten where they are as a perennial power by Geno Auriemma praising 44 point wins and forgetting about the negatives of the game. 

The Cards won this one largely by playing similarly to the other games. They led the rebounding battle by 32 (more than PR's total) and they held their opponents to 32% shooting while forcing 34 turnovers. Defensively, the US was good. They overpowered their opponents, as should be expected, and they did not allow easy baskets. PR only shot 42% on two point baskets, showing that the US was not giving up easy stuff while PR missed threes. On the flip side, the US shot a cumulative 46%. They shot 53% from two point range, knocking in 33 two point baskets. Unfortunately, they had a rough go of it from behind the arc with a 3/16 mark. The free throw shooting was better than before, but the final percentage was still only 66.7% (28/42) which is leaving points on the table. Additionally, the US turned the ball over 24 times. We, as Louisville fans, know how frustrating those turnovers can be and how they can come back to haunt. Jeff Walz has plenty to keep coaching this team on leading up to their next game.

There are no games today, but the US is back in action in the quarterfinals tomorrow against El Salvador. The game tips at 3PM EST in Mexico City and will be available for streaming in ways similar to past games.

Women's Golfers in US Women's Amateur Championship

After a previous summer tournament saw great success for current and former UofL women's golfers, three golfers will take to the course again next week in the US Women's Amateur Championship. Kristin Engle, Lauren Hartlage, and Delaney Shah will head to Kingston Springs, Tennessee to start practice on Monday. The full 156 player field will get 36 holes of stroke play starting on Wednesday before the field is cut to a 64 player match play bracket. Limited coverage of the tournament will be available on Fox Sports 1 Wednesday through Friday and on Sunday. Fox Sports 2 has Saturday's coverage. Good luck to these three as they continue the summer circuit to prepare for their next collegiate season.

World Cuppers

Jared gave a good recap of Ireland's win over India in yesterday's article which advanced the Green Army to the semifinal matchup. Not bad for a team that was the last to qualify for this World Cup. Ayeisha McFerran has been an absolute stonewall for the Irish team so far in this tournament, and, like soccer, good goalkeeper play can result in positive results in major tournaments such as this one. Ireland will be hoping that McFerran's play can stay sharp as they move on to take on a Spanish team that has scored 10 goals but has been up and down in the tournament (7 goals came in one game). Spain placed third in their group behind Germany and Argentina but advanced with shootout win over Belgium in cross-over play (it took me a minute to figure out how this system worked). After advancing to the quarters, Spain got revenge on Germany with a 1-0 victory to advance to the semis. Ireland and Spain get underway at 9 AM Eastern today, and we'll keep you updated as results come in.

The other worldly player, Mollie Rouse, will get underway in the U20 Women's World Cup tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM Eastern when England takes on North Korea in their opening game of group play. The Three Lions will almost surely need a victory over NK as their competition in group is tough (Mexico and Brazil round out the group). Rouse appears to have a strong role on the team, so we will see how much she can glean from this experience and bring back with her when she returns to Louisville's soccer team at the conclusion of England's run. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We're back in the studio this morning, as we try to be every Saturday, and we'll see if Jeff can build on last week's solid performance as the man behind the curtain. The summer slump is winding down and we're just a week away from the first official event (albeit an exhibition) for Louisville women's sports. Tune into WCHQ at 11AM and join us as we discuss the joy and excitement of Louisville women's sports. See if I can bring home my third (?) quiz victory of the summer or if I'll come crashing back down to reality.

Mike Gilpatrick (River City CARDS) joins three of the "A" team knuckleheads as Jared is busy rolling pennies and eating donuts this morning. Let's see how the "guy with three first names" fares against "the Case dynasty". 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Cards women's golf falls short in bid for Great Eight -- Do you know Cassidy Rowe? -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS FINISH FIFTEENTH IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Four 18-hole rounds in four straight days. Against the best in women's collegiate golf. 

Louisville women's golf's bid to advance to a fifth day in the NCAA Championships fell short yesterday in Stillwater, OK. The "chip and putt" Cards did record their best performance of the four days with a 8 over par 296 at the Kirsten Creek Golf Club...but it wasn't enough to move them up in the standings to eighth, which is where they needed to be in order to continue to Tuesday action. 

From the ACC only Florida State and Duke remain in contention for the title. After four days, UCLA and Alabama are tied for first at +9 for 72 holes. The Cards finished +47 for the four days in Oklahoma. 

It was Kristen Engle's day to have the lowest total for the Louisville five-some. She carded a 1 under par 71 in Monday's action. The freshman had five birdies on the final day and a total of nine birdies for the event. Out of Barbourville, KY, Engle was the top ranked golfer in Kentucky high school in 2016 and originally committed to play at Tennessee. She ended up a Card, though and has been a consistent performer for UofL head coach Courtney Trimble her freshman season. 

Lauren Hartlage and Molly Skapic had 74's on Monday.  Hartlage, a sophomore from Elizabethtown, KY was considered one of the best in the state during her high school playing days and forms a strong returning nucleus with Engle for next season. Skapic, a senior from Miamisburg, OH, had two eagles in the four-day event. 

Olivia Cason, a junior out of Elizabethtown, KY and Delaney Shah, a sophomore from North Potomac, MD filled out the Cardinal five-some and both also return next season...giving Trimble a strong and experienced nucleus back on campus and out at the UofL Golf Course links. 

The Cards also return several talented golfers who did not compete in the NCAA Championship. Expected to return for their sophomore seasons are Jordan Susce (Birmingham, AL), Linda Trockel (Berlin, Germany) and Margot Bechadergue (Aix-en-Provence, France). Also back is Meghan Nay, who will be a red-shirt junior. 

The finish for the Cards was quite impressive and is, we hope, the prelude to an even stronger showing next year "out on the links". 


NAME FOR THE FUTURE? 

There is a 8th grader playing girls' high school basketball in Pikeville, KY for Shelby Valley High School that you might want to get to know. We've mentioned her here before at Cardinal Couple...CASSIDY ROWE...says that Louisville is her favorite school, the Cards have shown reciprocal interest in the class of 2022 prospect, and...it appears she's got huge game. 

I know, teenagers can change their minds almost daily. A soon-to-be freshman, though, she has followed Louisville since the fifth grade, from many accounts. 

Former Cardinal Couple columnist Jenny O'Bryan might be one of the best authorities around about Cassidy. Our attempts to reach Jenny, unfortunately, have failed recently...but we figure she's probably busy with life. 

For you, a You Tube clip that shows this "Cassidy" doesn't need the "Sundance Kid" to help her shred defenses and rob opponents of wins. 

CASSIDY ROWE


WANT CHANGE? DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT ! 







Go Vote today if you're a registered party member and live in Kentucky. It's Election Day. 

 Being a staunch "independent", I don't cast my ballot in party primaries...but...I can tell you that anyone associated with current governor, UofL hater, Matt Bevin wouldn't get a dry piece of toast from me...much less my vote. 

Voting IS important! We have that right. In some countries, that right does not exist. It doesn't matter who you are, rich or poor, black or white, city or country, Cat or Card...research, make your choice and go vote. If you're not registered, GO REGISTER! 

If you don't vote, don't complain about political leaders.

Classic rock band Chicago has a great song about
making it happen: DIALOUGE PARTS 1 &2 - CHICAGO




paulie
xxxxx

Golf and Baseball Result - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Golf Leaderboard

After two days of play, Louisville Women's Golf sits in 10th place of the preliminary rounds.  The initial winnowing of the field, which will happen after today's action, will take the top 15 teams on for another day of play.  The top 9 individuals not on advancing teams will advance as well.

Molly Skapik had a good day of golf, leading the Cards in the clubhouse with a 1 under par for the day, for a total 3 over for her two days.  Lauren Hartlage stuggled through much of the teeing off on 18 for +5, but hopefully pulled herself out of the doldrums with the eagle that she got on the last hole of the day.  While the other members of the team, Delaney Shah, Olivia Cason, and Kristin Engle all ended up back in the clubhouse with +5s for the day.

Again, the consistency across the team is serving the Cards well, putting them in solid position to be able to advance to at least another day of play on Monday with a solid round today.  The squad will also be looking to put themselves in the best possible position to advance beyond Monday's play.  They will need to at least maintain the status quo to do so as a team, as the top 10 teams advance beyond Monday.

Baseball Rounds Out the Season With a Win

Louisville Baseball has Notre Dame's number, winning the last 16 meetings between the teams, but
sometimes the wins are a bit nerve-wracking.  Yesterday's come from behind win wasn't the soothing romp we would've like it to be, but the Cards got the job done, finally taking the lead in the bottom of the 8th with 4 runs in the frame for the 10-7 win.

The Cards were powered largely by Josh Stowers, with 2 touch-em-alls in the game with 6 RBIs, including a 3-run shot in the bottom of the 8th.

The win to close out the season lands UofL in the 5th "seed" for the ACC tournament, putting them in the D pool with #4 Duke and #9 Wake Forest.  The Cards will have to win both games in the pool play to advance to the four team single-elimination bracket for the championship.

The other accomplishment with the finale game win was to reach 40 wins on the season for the Dan McDonnell squad.  That is now 7 consecutive seasons with 40 wins, and for the last 6 of those, they reached the mark during the regular season.

The Diamond Dwellers will not just be looking to advance from pool play in order to win the ACC championship, there will also be an eye towards their rankings as they have made a late season run up the ladder.  If they can, with potentially 4 games in the ACC tournament, climb to the Top 16 vicinity (they're currently 25th ranked, so this is a long-shot), they then stand a chance to host a Regional in the NCAA tournament.

A Moment of Commentary

Who, on earth, could possibly think this ACC Baseball tournament format is a good one?  First you have a pool play format that results in many of the 2nd games for teams being played with no mathematical chance of advancing.  You have to go 2-0 in pool play to advance, unless you're the top seeded team in the pool, in which case you can potentially drop one of the games.

OK, I'm not a huge baseball fan, in general, but I enjoy following Dan McDonnell's squad late in the season after other UofL Athletics have wrapped up...and then every year, this monstrosity of a tournament format is foisted upon us.

Ultimately, this is a week that I have to figuratively grit my teeth and get through, to get to the more sane NCAA tournament format.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

 The four knuckleheads were all re-united in the studio for the first time in...months?  Merriment was
had, and I think we even managed to convey some useful information for those listening.

A special "Thanks!" to Arica Carter for the interview with us.

Check out the fun with the Facebook Live video at https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/2038248432865096/

--
JMcA

SOFTBALL WINS IN ACC TOURNAMENT -- W. GOLF GOING TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS TAKE 2-1 WIN OVER SYRACUSE TO ADVANCE

#8 seed Louisville Softball got a two-hit pitching performance from junior Megan Hensley and defeated #9 seed Syracuse 2-1 yesterday in the ACC Softball Tournament. With the win, Louisville gets #1 seed Florida State today at 11 a.m....the first of four quarterfinal games. 

At Mewborn Stadium, on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, Louisville put up a run each in the second and third innings to get the victory and played excellent defense with no errors in the process. 

The Cards hit the scoreboard first when Nicole Pufahl drew a walk, went to second on a Celine Funke sacrifice bunt and scored when Jenna Jordan double to right center field.  

Louisville added their final run when Maddie Newman beat out an infield single in the third frame, stole second base and came around on a Kyra Snyder single.

Hensley allowed a solo home run shot to the Orange's Alicia Hansen in the fourth. 

Hensley was masterful in the circle, with five strike outs and no walks in seven innings. She picks up her 17th win of the season and Louisville gets their 33rd win, thanks to good defense and Hensley's effort. Celine Funke's diving catch in left field prevented extra bases for Syracuse in the first and her sprint to catch a long foul later in the contest were two key outs for the Cards. 

Syracuse briefly threatened in the top of the seventh with a single and a sacrifice to put a runner in tying position...but Hensley and the Cards got out of trouble with a ground out to third and a strikeout to end the inning and game. 

Mewborn Field has shorter fence lengths than Louisville's Ulmer Field, with just 190 feet down each line. Surprising that there were only two home runs in yesterday's action...another occurred in the second game of the day, where #10 seed Virginia Tech advanced past #7 seed Duke 4-0. 

A tall order today for UofL against the Seminoles...but anything can happen in the single-elimination ACC Tournament format. The Cards were 0-3 vs. the Noles in the regular season series in Tallahassee. Louisville managed just one run in three outings against FSU back in late April, while the 'Noles plated 15 runners. 

Good vibes to UofL today. Hopefully the pitching will be solid, it's my guess Danielle Watson will draw the assignment, and the bats can knock out a few runs against a strong FSU pitching staff. 



GOLF ADVANCES OUT OF NCAA REGIONAL TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

An incredible final round finish by the Louisville women's golf team boosted them from seventh to fourth and secured their spot in the NCAA Championships yesterday. Playing in the San Francisco Regional qualifier, the Cards fired a 5 under par 283, lowest in school NCAA Regioanl history, to stake their claim as a participant in the NCAA Championship, which will be held May 18-23 in Stillwater, OK. 

Delaney Shah carded a 4 under par 68 to lead the Cards on the final day. She birdied the final two holes and finished tied for 13th in the regional's individual efforts. The North Potomac, MD native climbed an amazing 25 spots on the final day. Molly Skapic was also under par on the final day with a 3 under par 69. She birdied the final four holes to key the Cards fantastic finish. 

It was the girls from Kentucky who carried out the rest of the heroics. E'Town's Lauren Hartlage finished the final day with an even par 72. She tied Shah with a three-day total of 215 and for 13th place overall. Kristen Engle (Barbourville) shot a +2 /74 for the final 18 holes and Owensboro's Olivia Cason put up a closing +3 / 75 for the 'Drive and Putt" Cards. Louisville advances to the round of 24 for the second time in program history...the first happening in 2007. 

Team golf depends on contributions from all the members, just like any other athletic team event on campus and these Louisville women's golf swingers exemplified that with a strong finish and excellent scores from all five student-athletes after travelling across the nation, after being selected as an at-large participant in the regional.



Courtney Trimble, Louisville women's head golf coach couldn't be prouder of this group's effort:

“It was an incredible finish,” head coach Courtney Trimble said of taking her first team as a coach to an NCAA Championships. “We knew that it would come down to the last six holes, and we just tried to win each hole. I am so proud of this team and all that they have accomplished. They were so determined this week and really believed in themselves. This was a total team effort, and I couldn't be happier for their hard work to pay off.”

"Look What We Can Do" is the closing music we play on The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour radio broadcasts each Saturday. We may need to change that to "Look What Louisville Golf Can Do" this week...in tribute to the fine finish these five forged on Wednesday. 




paulie
xxxxx

Women's Golf tied for second after 36 holes at Minnesota Invitational -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS ONE STROKE BACK FROM LEAD

( UPDATE...The final 18 holes have been completed and the Cards slipped to seventh overall. Furman won the invitational. Molly Skapic led Louisville on the final day with a 73. )

Lauren Hartlage fired a one-over par 145 after 36 holes to pace the UofL Women's golf team to a tie for second place in the three-day Minnesota Invitational. The freshman from Elizabethtown, KY had a 71 opening day and followed it up with 74 Monday. She is tied for sixth place individually. Sophomore Jacqueline Twitty is tied for eighth...one stroke back with a 146 after two days. 

Louisville is tied for second with Purdue at 491 and just one stroke back of Texas as the teams go into the final 18 holes today. 

Senior Louise Oxner and junior Molly Skapic have 151 totals after the 36 holes. Another freshman...Delaney Shah, competing as an individual...her scores not counting towards the team total has also been impressive with a 36 hole total of 149...tied for 17th. 

11 teams are competing in the event at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, MN...TCU is three strokes back from the Cards and Kentucky is in fifth with a two-day total of 496...tied with Furman for fifth. 

Be sure to follow the UofL women's Golf team on Twitter for results throughout the day
at @UofLWGolf


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FIELD HOCKEY GETTING NATIONAL ATTENTION

We think Mink is a fab frosh!  

Ranked #6 in the nation...after the poll that came out today... Louisville Field Hockey squad is lighting up the NCAA DI statistics as well. 

Freshman Minout Mink is tied for eighth in the nation with 1.33 goals per game. She's scored eight times for the Cards in six games. She's the only freshman in the top ten nationally. Erin McCrudden is tied for second in the nation with 1.33 assists per game. The Cards are tied for fourth in the nation in scoring per game with 4.64 goals per contest and leads the nation in margin of victory at 4.14 per match.  

Sophomore goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran leads the nation in save percentage at .857. She has 12 saves and just two goals allowed. 

The Cards are one of nine teams still undefeated on the year (stats are through 9/11). Three other ACC squads (Duke, Syracuse and North Carolina) have unblemished marks also. 

The Cards face #2 Duke on Friday evening in Trager Stadium at 6 p.m. The ACC is VERY strong this year with #1 ranked Syracuse, #2 Duke, #3 UNC and #6 Louisville. When you consider that Virginia, Boston College and Wake Forest are in the top 20 also...the Cards have their work cut out for them ahead. 

Admission is free to all UofL Field Hockey events...concessions and beverages are available and the weather looks pretty decent for Friday evening...with only a 10% chance of rain. Why not roll out for this one? 

paulie
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