Cards Have Strong Second Day at ACC Tournament -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Track and Field Pushing Towards Regional Qualification

As the ACC Track and Field Championships head into their final day, Louisville is sitting in a pretty decent position as they look to qualify for the NCAA Regional. After two full days, the women's team sits in second, with the men not far behind in sixth. Today's events were pushed up to start in the morning due to bad weather in the forecast. The live stream for today's events will be available on the ACC Network extra starting at Noon, and covering mostly the running events.

Louisville women finishing in the top ten in their events yesterday were as follows:  Holly Hankenson (4) and Addie Wanner (8) in the Heptathlon; Gabriela Leon (2), Morgan Zacharias (4), and Aliya Welter (8) in the Pole Vault; Rashida Harris (2) in the Shot Put; and Aurilla Wilson (8) in the 3000m Steeplechase.

Today's events for the women's side will include the triple jump, high jump, discus, and the majority of the track finals. Tune in to root on the Cards as they look to finish strong and advance to the next stage of the postseason.

Hines-Allen, Fuehring Feature in Mystics Loss

It wasn't a great game overall for the Washington Mystics in their first preseason game against the Minnesota Lynx, but both former Cards saw a reasonable number of minutes, even if they subbed for one another. Myisha Hines-Allen started at power forward for Washington and was actually tied for the team lead in points, despite playing only a shade over 13 minutes. MHA finished with 8 points on 4-7 shooting with two rebounds, one assist, three fouls, and two turnovers. She was 0-1 from three and had one shot blocked.

Sam Fuehring, in her first WNBA action, saw 14 minutes. Though she only scored two points, it was on 1-2 shooting (0-1 from three), and she added two rebounds, an assist, just one foul, two turnovers, and a blocked shot. MHA and Sam's four turnovers were a chunk of the team's only 13, but one other player finished with two and another with three.

 Maci Morris, who you all may recognize from that school to the east of Louisville,, played 3:44 for the Mystics and recorded no stats.

The Mystics will play their next preseason game next Friday against the Atlanta Dream, where Fuehring and Hines-Allen will both look to put up impressive performances. They'll not get the chance to go against Cardinal Forever Angel McCoughtry...whose status is uncertain after the horrible knee injury she suffered back in Augut of 2018.

Meanwhile, Arica Carter will get her chance with the Phoenix Mercury today against LA, and the New York Liberty, starring Asia Durr, will play their first (?) two preseason games Monday and Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun and Atlanta Dream, respectively. Their game against the Chinese National Team is not listed as an official game.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

After our week off for a wild Derby Day, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is back this week bringing you all of the joy and excitement of Louisville women's athletics. We'll talk track and field briefly, discuss the young careers of our new WNBA players, and chat about the untimely slump of UofL softball.

Paulie has also prepared the first Worldwide Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Quiz for the knuckleheads. You're welcome to play along at home and see if you can beat the crew.

Jared is sorting change and won't be with us, but we'll have Paulie, Worldwide, Daryl, and myself in studio this week. 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-

Summer Draws Nearer -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Onset of the Summer Slump

If you're familiar with Cardinal Couple, or with college sports in general, you'll be familiar with the dreaded summer slump. This comes as all spring sports wrap up their post seasons and we're left with season recaps and previews along with checking in on former Cards in various professional atmospheres for a few months. It isn't as bad if you're a follower of men's sports. By the time baseball ends, people are already gearing up for the opening weekend of football season. If you keep up with professional sports at all, you've got baseball to keep you company, soon to be followed by the NBA draft and Summer League. Here at Cardinal Couple, when that last result comes in for whichever team happens to be holding on the longest, we change focus and await our fall sports to arrive.

If you're living in the Ohio River Valley, you'll recognize that summer is nearly upon us. As happens sometimes, Mother Nature has decided to skip the season formerly known as "Spring," as we're seeing mornings in the mid 60s followed by days with highs in the 90s. This is coming after a less than entirely pleasant March and April. Of course, despite "skipping" spring, we're still left with the abysmal pollen count as is the norm here. It's not the heat that bothers me, though, it's what the changing of the seasons signifies. As much as we'd like to deny it, the Summer Slump is almost here.

Track and Field in Second

After two days of competition at the ACC Outdoor Championships, Louisville finds themselves in 2nd place on both the men's and women's side of competition. While the standings look exciting, it is important to note that only 8 of 21 competitions have been scored so far. Today, the final day of competition, will be filled with final results, which the Cardinals will look to use to maintain, or improve upon, their standings. Although yesterday was a great day of results for the men, the women could have fared better. Outside of a silver in the heptathalon by Holly Hankenson, Louisville did not make much noise. The only other top five finishes for the Cardinal women yesterday came from 4th and 5th place finishes by Alexis Gibbons and Renate van Tonder in the long jump. If you'd like to keep up with the final day of the ACC Championship meet, field events begin at 11 AM and running events will get underway at 5 PM.

Louisville Laxxers Earn Region Honors

After being named to the All-ACC Second Team, Caroline Blalock and Emily Howell have continued to pick up hardware following the end of the Louisville Lacrosse season. Both players were named to the IWLCA D1 All-Region Second Team. Being named to a regional team makes a player eligible to be named an All-American, which is an honor regardless of the "level" of team to which the player is assigned. Per the Louisville athletics site, this is the 9th consecutive year that multiple Cardinals have been named to an All-Region team.

While Louisville will miss Emily Howell next year, as she is a senior, they're in for more Caroline Blalock. Blalock was a team leader in numerous categories, and is a particularly apt goal scorer. Scott Teeter did not come in and magically turn the program around, and I think it would be completely unfair to have expected him to do so. However, with players like Blalock and some of the surprising results that the team turned in this year, I think that it will be only a short time before this team is competing with the best of the best in the ACC and the nation. Louisville has shown in the past that it can succeed in women's lacrosse, and I think they're on the cusp of continuing that success.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

After a week off due to Derby festivities, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is back on the air this week. After dumping crutches this week (I'm still in a boot and have to use crutches when I'm not wearing it), I'll be returning to the studio for the first time since my injury. I'm excited to be back and help the other guys bring you the joy and excitement of UofL Women's Sports. Tune in at 11AM to WCHQ FM. There are many ways to listen to the show, including your FM radio programmed to 100.9, the WCHQ website, the WCHQ app, and the WCHQ Facebook page. If you aren't able to catch the show live, the rebroadcast is (nearly) always available online the day following the show.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball Takes Two, Indoor T&F Championships -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Get Runs When Needed; Beat Bradley and UMass

Game 1: UofL 10 - Bradley 8

Louisville's first two games in the Louisville Classic didn't go the way Coach Sandy Pearsall likely expected them to when she created the schedule for this season. In the end, the Cards came away with a pair of wins, but both took quite a bit more effort than one might think when looking at the opponents. It took consistent scoring as well as a late big inning to put away Bradley, and a heroic final half inning was necessary to get the game against UMass into extra innings.

Bradley got the first game started off strong, with the first batter of the game singling to get on base. After a foul out and a walk, another single brought the first run of the game in to score. Louisville got the run back in the bottom of the second on a Jamie Soles double, but Bradley lit up the scoreboard in the top of the third. Danielle Watson was chased after 2.2 innings having given up 6 runs. Although only three were earned, it was clear Watson didn't have her best against Bradley having already given up two walks, a wild pitch, and a hit by pitch in those first three innings. Bradley was also having no trouble seeing the ball from Watson as they piled up 6 hits.

Louisville cut the deficit to 6-3 in the bottom half when an error off the bat of Megan Hensley, who had also come in to replace Watson on the mound, scored two. An inning later, Caitlin Ferguson tied the game with a three run shot to left center. Both teams were scoreless in the fifth, as Hensley seemed to have calmed the storm from Bradley. However, in the top of the sixth, back to back home runs followed the first out of the inning and Bradley regained a two run lead. They threatened to increase it further when an error loaded the bases with only two out, but Hensley was able to coax a ground ball to third base to get out of the inning without allowing any more runs.

The Cards wasted no time in the bottom half. The first three batters reached going single, error, single to score a run. A strike out and a pop out followed and it looked like the Cards might only get one run out of it, before Soles singled in the tying run and Jenna Jordan swatted a two run double. Hensley came back out in the top of the seventh and iced the game, forcing a foul out and two strikeouts after allowing a leadoff single. Hensley finished allowing 7 hits in 4.1 innings, but only gave up the two home runs. She walked three but made up for it with six Ks. Despite the outstanding start to the season that Danielle Watson has had, Megan Hensley continues to be the same consistent thrower that she has been in the past, and it's great to be able to turn to a veteran pitcher with confidence. Louisville's offense was led by Caitlin Ferguson who scored on all three of her hits and swatted in 4 RBI and Sidney Melton who also parlayed three hits into three runs. Jamie Soles and Jenna Jordan both picked up 2 RBI apiece. 

Game 2: UofL 5 - UMass 4

Despite a rough outing against Bradley, Pearsall turned right back to Watson to start against UMass. Watson responded by pitching 8 full innings and picking up her 12th win of the season. Watson had a bit of trouble with location, walking 5 and giving up 7 hits, but she was able to strikeout 7 batters as well. Despite allowing all four runs earned, Pearsall had faith in her freshman, and left her in when things got tough in the sixth inning. In any sport, it is easy to question a coach's decision making when reading the box score. The outcome of the game has a major effect on your view of the decisions. Had Louisville been unable to come all the way back in this one, seeing Pearsall leave Watson in the game after walking two while only down one run might have been a head scratcher. However, there is nothing to say that Hensley wouldn't have also given up a three run homer had she inherited the situation. To Watson's credit, she finished the inning, and then fired back to back scoreless innings to allow Louisville to tie and win in consecutive innings. 

Louisville's bats were silent in this game until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Cards put together 7 singles over the first six innings but were unable to turn any into runs. As a pitcher, it can't exactly be the best feeling to be down one run and watch your teammates leave seven runners on base in the first five innings. It was all made up for, though, when the Cards entered their final chance at bat. Sidney Melton opened with a single and Nicole Pufahl added a double after a Ferguson flew out. Madison Cousineau walked to load the bases and a Megan Hensley single moved everyone one station. The Cards' first run was on the board and the bases were still loaded with one out. An error plated two more runs and a Kara Snyder single brought in the tying run. With runners on first and second and only one out, Alison 'Mike' Szydlowski struck out and Celene Funke popped out. New ball game.

In the eighth, with a runner placed on second, Danielle Watson calmly struck out the first two batters of the inning. The control issue came into play when she walked the next batter, with the fourth ball going wild. With runners on the corners and two outs, Watson fired another wild pitch, this one fielded and returned to the plate in time to tag out the runner from third. The Cards made short work of the bottom half. A productive groundout moved their free runner from second to third, and a single from Caitlin Ferguson won the game.

Neither game last night was the prettiest effort from the Cards. That said, they managed to come away with two victories and moved their record to 17-4 on the season. They'll have opportunities to improve on their showings last night as they'll rematch against UMass today at three, followed by the lone game against Eastern Michigan. They'll face Bradley again tomorrow at 12:30.

Softball photos courtesy of Jared Anderson.

Three Women Earn All-American Honors at Indoor T&F Championships

The Cards were led by a familiar name yesterday as Emmonnie Henderson posted her best finish at an NCAA Championship event in her final year. Henderson was named a First Team All-American when she finished second in the shot put. Teammates Holly Hankenson and Alexis Gibbons were both named to the Second Team All-American squad based on their performances yesterday as well. Hankenson finished 13th in the pentathlon event and Gibbons finished 15th in the long jump. Action continues at the championship today and is available on ESPN3.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Paulie has returned from his trip to one of the Carolinas, and he returns to the studio today to share his experiences over the mic. No word yet on if he'll be bringing the ACC Championship trophy to Mellwood Avenue with him. Join us for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour live at 11AM on WCHQ FM. The show is available over the radio, online at wchqfm.com, or on the WCHQ app. You can also catch a live stream of the show with video on the WCHQ 100.9 FM Facebook page.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-