Softball Cards Head to NC State for final regular season series -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 41-10 CARDS HEAD TO RALEIGH TO FACE WOLFPACK

As the ACC Softball Tournament looms ahead, the Softball Cards will end the regular season with three games in Raleigh against the NCST Softball squad. 

It is senior weekend for NC State and they'll say "farewell and good luck" to nine seniors. The first game is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Friday and...if you need a break from Oaks coverage, it'll be shown on ACCNX.

The Pack is 26-23 on the season overall, but a dismal 6-14 in  ACC play. They played East Carolina last time out and romped the Pirates 10-2 in five innings. Before that, it was a trip to Virginia, where they lost three to the Cavs. They lost three in a row to Stanford before that...and they are 12th in the league and the ACC Softball tournament is a 12-team tournament. Syracuse is right behind them at 4-15, but the Orange have Virginia Tech coming to town, and the Hokies are in fifth place at 15-6 in ACC play and will be hoping to win all three and hope they can get into the top four in league standings and get a first round bye.

NC State is led by Mala Townsend at the plate...who is batting .358. Morgen Talley is 13-8 from the circle and Lily Livingston has 12 home runs. 

I have had some people asking me who I like in the Kentucky Oaks today and I am going with PROM QUEEN. That stretch run in the Gulfstream Park Oaks was impressive and the filly is only getting stronger. You might also watch Percy's Bar (where I spent a lot of time in my track-going days) . Happy Oaks Day to ya, hve a lily for the fillies! 

paulie

 

Suftball drops final at NC State -- UConn vs South Carolina -- Season Recap -- Pick 'EM MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLCE

 CARDS RALLY FALLS SHORT IN RALEIGH

Louisville Softball got themselves in a hole early against the Wolfpack in the series finale Sunday, and -- despite three home runs -- fell to NC State 10-6

 

The Wolfpack posted three runs in their first-at-bat against the Cards, all with two out in the inning -- and Louisville was able to get only one back in the top of the second when Vanessa Miller went "Grass, fence, wall - touch 'em all" on a solo shot in the top of the second. It was her third round-tripper of the season. 

NC State got that run back in the home half of the second when they connected on a solo homer. 

The third inning is where the damage was done. NCST exploded for six runs. Two home runs, a double and a single gave the Wolfpack a 10-1 advantage. Sam Booe and Taylor Roby felt the wrath of the NC State bats and needed to do something to prevent a five-inning run rule decision.  

And respond they did. Louisville put four runs on the board in the top of the fourth. A three-run Roby home run down the left field line was the big blast in the inning (her 12th of the season) and Hannah File began the inning with a triple. Thee former James Madison standout scored on a Jenni  Servi single. It was 10-5 NC State, but the Cards were showing life. 

But, the scoring pretty much ended after that. Tala Felder entered the circle in the bottom of the fourth and delivered three innings of  two hit, no run pitching for the Cards. Louisville had two on in the top of the fifth but could not advance them home. Vanessa Miller went "yard" for her second home run of the game in the top of the seventh to make it 10-6, but the Cards scoring stopped there. 

Louisville falls to 19-15 on the season  with the "L" and is 3-6 in ACC play. 

A big one awaits Wednesday when the Cards take on in-state rival Kentucky and this one will be shown on ESPNU. We'll cover that preview in more detail in our Wednesday column. 

UCONN WBB vs.SOUTH CAROLINA IN THE NCAA WBB FINALS

South Carolina is your 2021-22 National champ- disposing of UConn last night 64-49

The Gamecocks got off to a 13-2 early lead on the Huskies and never looked back. They held UConn to just eight first quarter point in amassing a 22-8 first quarter lead. That lead swelled  to 30-12 in the second quarter before UConn mounted a charge that got them back into the contesr but USC scored last in the half and took a 35-27 into halftime. 

South Carolina started the second half on a 11-0 run and that pretty much doomed any UConn chances of winning.. The SEC school coasted through the forth quarter and won by 15 over a UConn squad that failed to put as many points on the board as Louisville did against them in the semi-finals. 

Congratulations to the Gamecocks.

A SEASON RECAP 

What fun it was to watch Louisville women's basketball this season ! The Cards took us on a magical ride that gave us so many things to enjoy and embrace. The dominating guard play of Hailey Van Lith, Kianna Smith, Chelsie Hall, Kasa Robinson and Ahlana Smith shut down opponents defensively and put points aplenty on the scoreboard. 

Emily Engstler, Olivia Cochran and Liz Dixon were as good as any front line in the nation and battled on the boards, shut down taller foes and packed a powerful scoring punch. Payton Verhulst contributed a loy as well as a freshman and the future looks so bright for her. A solid reserve crew of Ramani Patker, Merrisah Russell and Sydni Schetnan make sure the Cards maintained the pace and momentum when they entered Cardinals contests. 

It took the eventual National Champion to finally stop this Cardinal Cannonball, a UofL team that  was so good and effective on defense and ran past so many opponents (in conference and out). Foes never knew who would explode on them offensively but did know that points were going to be very hard to come by against the Cards stifling defense. 

Louisville will miss Hall, Engstler and Kianna Smith but there is so much talent returning and a great incoming class of five freshmen  who will compete for playing tome and recognition. Louisville women's basketball is alive, prospering and will be a major force to deal with in the 2022-23 season. 

Jeff Walz and the coaching staff did a wonderful job with these college student-athletes.  We wish Sam Purcell the best of luck and unqualified success at Mississippi State. I hope they realize what an incredible, hard working coach they are getting in Starkville. 

Such a fun, exciting and rewarding season we had, that got the Cards back to another Final Four. Whaddya say we do it again next year and end the season on a winning streak? 

CARDINAL COUPLE PICK EM

With South Carolina winning it all, we had two contestants tie for most wins. Our own Jared Anderson and Kenny S. ended up 47 wins, so we went to the tie-breaker. 113 points were scored in the championship game -- Jared predicted there would be 120, Kenny S. guessed a few more than that, so Jared wins the trip to Sea World (just kidding), but he nabs the winning gift card to Cracker Barrel. Kenny gets Subway. 

A thanks to all that participated and to our Bracket Czar Jared. 

What? He ran the contest AND won it? The Cardinal Couple Chimps have lodged a protest, called for sanctions and demanded a court of inquiry be formed. Yeah, we'll get right on that...

 paulie   

Softball Evens the Series - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Softball Evens the Series against NC State

NC State got out in front in the weekend series, and in the game yesterday.  Let's hope the series outcome mirrors the Saturday game outcome as the Cards came back, mostly on the strength of a big fourth inning, to win the game 9-7.

Sam Booe started the game in the circle for the Cards, but a big second inning saw UofL make a couple of pitching switches, until they settled on the ace of the squad, Taylor Roby, to handle the rest of the game, but not before the Wolfpack put a 5 spot up on the scoreboard for the inning.

UofL would wait until the fourth inning before striking back, but they struck back in a big way.

The inning started with the Cards in the third spot in the batting order, Taylor Roby.  Ahead in the count, Roby got hit by a pitch.  Speedy base running not being Roby's strength, Mia Forsythe came in to pinch run.  Kendall Smith got behind in the count but made good contact for a single.  Also not a speedster base runner, but having had a pinch runner previously, Smith couldn't get a pinch runner now as she wouldn't be able to re-enter the game again.  No matter, Dylann Cravens got her second home-run in as many days, and the second of her career to clear the bases and get UofL up on the scoreboard.  An NC State pitching change didn't exactly have the greatest of starts, as Ally Alexander got on base after being hit by a pitch.  Vanessa Miller singled through the right side.  Hannah File, hitting in place of Maddi Grant, doubled, bringing Alexander home from second.  Once the Cards got back to the top of the order, well, of course it's Carmyn Greenwood to put a point on the exclamation and another yellow orb goes flying beyond the fence.  With a total of seven across, the Cards took the 7-5 lead.

NC State would score a pair in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game up again at seven, but the Cards weren't quite done either.

With extra inning looming, UofL got a couple of base runners in place with singles from Alexander and Miller.  NC State got a couple of outs on the Cards, but again, that would turn the line-up over.  Carmyn Greenwood got solid contact for a double, but both Alexander and Miller were able to complete their circuits on the play giving Louisville the final 9-7 score.  NC State was able to get a runner on base in the bottom of the 7th, but Louisville's defense shut down everything else to secure the win.

The decisive third game of the series will be today at noon.  You can find it, as always, on the ACC Network Extra streaming.

Rowing

The only other official UofL women's sports action yesterday was Rowing in Sarasota, Florida and The Sunshine State Invite.  Of course, lots of Florida schools at this one, but plenty of others as well.

The highlight of the event for the Cards was a second place finish by the 2V8 boat, finishing in 6:36.70, less than two seconds behind UCF's first place finisher.

The Rowing crew will have a few weeks to continue working until their next official action in Raleigh, NC at the Lake Wheeler Invitational on April 22nd and 23rd.

Volleyball

Exhibition spring play for Volleyball continued yesterday with multiple "matches" at Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY.

Again, we're in spring exhibition play, so you get frequent diversions from normal volleyball competition.  In this case, each match consisted of two sets, and a win for a match is determined by set score if it went 2-0, or by score differential if the sets were split.  Of course, because it's all exhibition, the scoring doesn't really matter much in any case.

The Cards first played Murray State and split the sets in that one.  The caveat here is that UofL didn't play Anna DeBeer in the first set, or Amaya Tillman at all.  The emphasis in spring play is more on improving the team than necessarily winning, so this game had Nena Mbonu getting a chance to get some more reps, and both middle blockers competing for a fall starting spot. Phekran Kong and Cara Crese got more opportunities to get action.

The second match saw UofL taking on Tennessee Tech and UofL took this one relatively easily.  Again, we didn't see Amaya Tillman on the floor, getting more middle competition instead.  We did see Paige Morningstar get some time at setter.  She didn't play last week in Lexington after having suffered a cut on her foot during spring break.  We got something resembling a 6-2 offense between her at Elle Glock, which is always good fun to watch, when it works well.  Alexa Hendricks wore the Libero jersey in this one, while Elena Scott did so for the other two matches.  Brooke Smith played quite a bit in this one and is clearly developing well as a player.  I don't expect to see her in the fall on the court a lot, but don't be surprised to see her pop in occasionally to shake things up, and give a bit of a different look to the opponent.  She's a good player and it is great to have another solid option to be able to come in and play.

After a break for lunch, the highlight match of the day was UofL vs WKU.  UofL brought out the big guns, primarily Tillman added to the firepower, but we did see some more of the 6-2 offense, though not consistently.  The usual suspects around the rest of the court with Claire "the Bear" Chaussee along with Anna "hold my" DeBeer on the left side, Aiko Jones on the right swinging with confidence again.  PK mostly filled out the other middle spot.  Elena Scott is still flying around the court making amazing plays in defense.

All in all, Volleyball doesn't look like it's missing a beat.  More play this coming Saturday when the Kiva Collegiate Showcase gets back to it's traditional annual cadence after begin disrupted for the past two years with Covid.  And the last spring competition will be Friday April 15th at Morehead State University when the squad will get to play some beach volleyball against Morehead's Beach Volleyball squad.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

While I scooted down I-65 to Bowling Green, the rest of the crew; Case, Daryl, Jared, and Paulie convened as normal for the CCRHP.

I have not had the opportunity, yet, to listen to the show, but will be doing so today.  I will put on my Amazing Kreskin hat and predict that much of the show discussed the Women's Basketball lose to South Carolina.

Find it at its podcast home at anchor.fm:

https://anchor.fm/cardinal-couple/episodes/WBB-Season-Comes-to-a-Close-e1gkf0i

or at your favorite source for podcasts.

Cards fall again vs. NC State -- ACC Tournament pairings -- W.Golf starts today -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SOFTBALL CARDS END REGULAR SEASON WITH 2-1 LOSS TO WOLFPACK

It's not exactly the way you want to go into ACC Tournament play, with a season-ending loss to a lower-seeded team than you are...but the NC State Wolfpack kept the Cards away from home plate with a 2-1 win Sunday in Raleigh. 

Louisville left ten runners on base over the seven innings at bat and got their only run when Madison Cousineau blasted a home run, her first of the season, in the sixth inning to tie the contest at 1-1. The Wolfpack got the game winner in the bottom of the seventh, though, to take the game and sweep the series against the visiting UofL squad. 

The Cards pitchers (Megan Hensley and Taylor Roby) did what they needed to do, in keeping the Wolfpack bats at bay most of the way by allowing just four hits for the game.

Louisville's failure to get Cards on the bags to cross home plate was the ultimate downfall for them.  

The Cards had the bags full in the top of the first with no outs and failed to produce. In the second innings Louisville had two on with no outs but nothing doing in crossing the plate. They also had two runners with one out in the third inning but didn't replace the zero on the scoreboard. 

The Cards lost the three-game series by a total of three runs. One-run losses each day. Louisville has lost five out of their last six, so we hope the Cards can turn it around in the "second season".  The Cards were predicted to be as high as a #2 seed for one of the NCAA's 16-team regional sites...we'll see if that has changed with the current slide that Louisville Softball has experienced. 

Louisville ends the regular season with a 33-19, 12-12 mark and heads to the ACC Tournament as the fifth seed. They'll face #4 seeded North Carolina in Tallahassee on Thursday around 1:30 p.m.


ACC TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS

The 2019 ACC Softball Tournament will have 10 teams participate fot the title and gets under way on Wednesday May 8th at Florida State. 

Opening day action pits #8 seed NC State against #9 seed Syracuse with a 1 p.m. start. That contest will be followed by #7 Georgia Tech squaring off against #10 Virginia. 

The #8 vs #9 seed winner earns the right to face #1 seeded Virginia Tech on Thursday at 11 a.m. Following that affair, Louisville and the Tar Heels take the diamond at approximately 1:30 p.m.  The winner of Georgia Tech vs. Virginia gets #2 seed Florida State at 5 p.m. Thursday and the final game of the day pits #3 seed Notre Dame vs. #6 seed Duke an a 7:30 p.m. scheduled start. 

On Friday, if the Cards are victorious against UNC, they would face the winner of the Va. Tech vs #8/#9 seed at 1 p.m. After the second semi-final game -- listed for 3:30 p.m. -- the finals will be held on Saturday at noon. Weather and extra inning games could alter the schedule, obviously.  

Neither Pittsburgh nor Boston College made the ACC Tournament. ACC members Clemson, Miami and Wake Forest do not field softball teams. 


We're working on getting an interview with Louisville softball head coach Holly Aprile before the Cards depart to the land of Sunshine. We'll keep you updated. 

The Regional Sports Network (RSN) will cover all the games from Weds. to Fri. The final are slated to be on  ESPN. You can get all the coverage here at CARDINAL COUPLE. 


WOMEN'S GOLF IN NCAA REGIONAL 

#11 seed Louisville women's golf starts their quest for the NCAA Championships today in the East Lansing regional. 

Five Cardinal golfers will take to the tees this morning.  Delaney Shah (8:55 a.m.) Olivia Cason (9:06 a.m.), Mairead Martin (9:17 a.m.), Margot Bechadergue (9:28 a.m.) and Lauren Hartlage (9:39 a.m.) will play 18 holes today, tomorrow and Wednesday (weather permitting) in search of the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Championships. 

Light rain was forecast for the East Lansing area this morning with temperatures around 55 degrees, so there is a chance the schedule could be altered. 

You can follow the action at www.golfstat.com

Best of luck to our Cardinal chip and putters over the next three days! 


paulie
xxxxx

More on USA 3x3 Tournament -- Softball heads to Raleigh -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FOUR CARDS WBB COMPETE AS ONE OF 18 TEAMS

With 3x3 Basketball now a part of the 2020 Olympics, this fast-paced and exciting style of basketball is one that is fun to watch and Louisville has fielded a roster to go compete for the 2019 gold medal in Las Vegas Friday and Saturday. 

It can be played indoor or outdoor, the Vegas tourney will be outdoor and Louisville's roster of Bionca Dunham, Jazmine Jones, Mykasa Robinson and Seygan Robins will test their skills against representatives from Miami, NC State, Oregon St. and other players from across the United States.

The rules are slightly different for 3x3. It is played on half court. You go to "21" or whoever has the most points after 10 minutes of play. There is a 12-second shot clock and  just one substitute available. 

The players also have the chance to be added to the  2019 USA women's USA Pan American squad. 

Some pretty big names out in Vegas beside the Louisville contingent. Ruthy Hebard Janelle Bailey, Destiny Slocum, Michaela Onyenwere, Rhyne Howard, Beatrice Mompremier, Megan Walker and Elissa Cunane -- just to name a few. 

Action starts Friday and ultimately ends Saturday night with the finals at 10 p.m. on usabtv.com  Live stats will be available for all the games at the usab.com website as well. 

The Cardinal roster has shooting, rebounding, ball-handling skills and should be a contender in Vegas. Good luck to the "Louisville Four!"  



SOFTBALL ENDS REGULAR SEASON AT N.C. STATE

Louisville Softball ends the regular season with a three-game series in Raleigh N.C., against the Wolfpack. Louisville goes into the series at 33-17 and 12-9 in the ACC. N.C. State is 25-26 on the season and 6-15 in the conference.

Both schools participate in the Atlantic Division of the ACC. Louisville looks to finish third in the division -- with 16-5 FSU  and 15-6 Notre Dame ahead of them. The Irish face Georgia Tech in South Bend to end their regular season and FSU will head to Syracuse for their final three. 



First pitch is Friday, 6 p.m. and all the action can be seen on the ACCNE network.

The Cards then travel to Tallahassee for the ACC Championships, which start May 8th. Louisville is currently the overall 5th seed in the conference, which would put them up against #4 seed Notre Dame on Thursday in Game 4, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and on the RSN Network. 

We'll have more details for you here at Cardinal Couple over the next few days. 

Have a terrific Thursday! 

paulie
xxxxx

  

Fun on Floyd - Sunday Cardinal Couple

HAPPY EASTER!

We wish a happy Easter to all our Cardinal Couple readers! Whether you're gathering for a meal, planning on a day of basketball watching or just enjoying the candy you pilfered from your kids baskets...may the peace of the season be upon you this day and many more! 

A Fifteen Frame for Softball

In NCAA Softball, the run-rule says that if either team is leading by at least eight runs at the end of any inning after the 5th, the game is over.  This can result in games being as short at 4 1/2 innings if the home team is leading by eight or more points after four innings and the visiting team doesn't score enough in the top of the 5th to close that margin.

That happened rather easily yesterday in the 19-3 win in the final game of the UofL Softball series with NC State.

There were some hints in the first inning that there were going to be a few unusual things to this game.  Things got started with Sidney Melton getting a single, and Maryssa Becker got hit by a pitch to move Melton to 2nd.  Then a career first stolen base by Maryssa Becker as the Cards pull off a masterful double-steal.  We here at Cardinal Couple don't mince words when it comes to pointing out that Becker is not a very fast base runner.  She's a CC favorite, but speed is not her strong point, so to see her with a stolen base makes the ears perk up. 

After the double-steal, Megan Hensley flew out to left, but the much quicker Melton got home after the tag, and the throw to home to try to catch her allowed Becker to advance to 3rd.  Lillie Goetz walked, Jenna Jordan got a double shot out to right field which scored Becker and the quick Goetz advanced to 3rd.  As testament to the Goetz speed, Brittany Sims then popped out to the short-stop, and Goetz reached home on the tag.  Sarah Lopesilvero singled up the middle, which brought Jordan around 3rd and to home to finish the first inning tally at 4.  The Cards did load up the bases again, but NC State was able to get out the jam.

The 2nd inning was blank for both sides, but things got interesting again in the 3rd.  NC State put 3 on the scoreboard in the top half of the frame, but in the bottom half, the wheels really fell off or the Pack.

A double and two walks loaded up the bases for the Cards, and triggered an NC State pitching change.  The Pack brought in their pitcher that had been wearing a boot during the starting line-ups and national anthem presentation...for shin splints according to their Sports Information Director.  Alas, whatever sympathies she may have garnered didn't earn her much time in the circle as she promptly walked two runs home and the starting pitcher re-entered.  The Pack were still looking for answers though, as the first batter faced, Lillie Goetz, cranked her 1st career home-run, a Grand Slam, out to the right field berm.  Now I have to borrow from bad television infomercials, "But wait, there's more!"  Jordan singles, Sims got a walk, and a fielding error on Lopesilvero's at-bat loaded up the bases again for the Cards.

At this point, you could almost hear the Jaws music "du-DUM, du-DUM, du-DUM".  Nicole Pufahl singles, scoring Jordan, McNary reached on a fielding error, scoring Sims, and Melton singles, scoring Lopesilvero.  That's now nine runs scored in the bottom half of the 3rd.  "But don't call yet!"  Maryssa Becker cleared them all with her own Grand Slam, the 2nd of the inning, out to the Brandeis road construction area in left.  "But we're still not done, yet!"  Megan Hensley singles, and Goetz walks.  NC State then swapped their Designated Player for their 1b, so the 1b to go to the bull-pen to warm up as the Pack were still looking for a way out of this nightmare as there was still only one out on the board in exchange for 13 runs.  Jordan grounded out, advancing the runners, then Sims singled out to left field, scoring Goetz and Hensley for a whopping 15 runs in the inning.

Both teams made wholesale changes in the 4th inning, for the Cards at least, it was the equivalent of emptying the benches with a big lead near the end of a basketball game, but there was no scoring on either side.  When NC State couldn't produce anything in the top of the 5th, the game was over on a run-rule, 19-3.

In the post-game interview, a smiling Coach Sandy Pearsall was obviously happy with the performance and focus of the team, and hoped the momentum would carry them forward through a midweek matchup with Western Kentucky, and hopefully next weekend's matchup with UNC in Chapel Hill.

Lacrosse Joins in the Fun

Paulie was on assignment at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium, but after the Softball game concluded, Sam Draut and I walked down Floyd St. to join in the action and caught about the last 20 minutes of Loucrosse's victory over Virginia Tech.

After their romp through the "C" schools, Canisius, Coastal Carolina, and Cincinnati, the Lacrosse squad got back to conference action with a 15-9 win over Virginia Tech.

During the week, Patrick McEwan tweeted a tease about an article that he had written for Inside Lacrosse Magazine where he created "Advanced Draw Control Stats", his teaser tweet concluded, "Turns out @LouisvilleLax's Kaylin Morissette is really good."  To which, I replied, "Next: 'Grass is Green'.  But thanks for noticing! ;)"  To be fair, his massaging of the draw control stats is quite interesting and does do an even better job of demonstrating just how dominant Kay Morissette is in the draw.  She is leading the NCAA basic stats of total draw controls (115, vs Kayla Treanor's 90 from Syracuse) and draw controls per game (10.45 vs Treanor's 10...UofL has played two more games than the Cuse so far this year).  The Inside Lacrosse article is available here.  It ends up focusing more on the team draw control stats, as there is more granularity to work with than the individual draw control stats, but Morissette takes the vast majority of UofL's draws, so it is essentially an analysis of her achievements.

On to the game recap, then!  As Sam and I were walking up, the score was 8-3 with about 20 minutes left in the 2nd half.  Scoring to that point:  Morissette already had a hat trick in the 1st half, Cortnee Daley had two, Hannah Koloski had one, Madison Hoover had one, and Kelli Gerding had one.  As we arrived, VT scored two, then UofL would go on a 5-0 run.  The run started off with Koloski getting her hat trick, Kelli Gerding got her 2nd, Cortnee Daley also picked up a hat trick, and Heidi Smith would get her only point of the game.  The rest of the game was back and forth, with Cardinal goals by Koloski getting her 4th, and Kelli Gerding finishing the hat trick.  VT scored 3 in the last ten minutes with the aid of a couple of UofL yellow cards.

After such a glowing review of Morissette's draw controls in the Inside Lacrosse article, she did have a lackluster day starting the play off with "only" 6, and VT led Louisville 15-11 overall in controlling the starts.

A smiling coach Kellie Young did speak about a few lapses in the post-game interview, including the yellow card fouls; while Morissette, while also smiling from the win, was clearly unhappy with her draw control efforts, and arguably the best draw controller in the country commented about the need to be better on the draw.

We'll have all three of the post-game interviews mentioned here, plus audio from Lillie Goetz after her first career home-run this Saturday on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour on WCHQ.


Cardinal Couple Bracket Challenge

We're down to an Elite Eight now in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and after an upset-filled Friday, Saturday's games were fairly predictable. Congratulations to UConn, Texas, Baylor, Oregon State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Stanford and Washington for advancing. A bit of surprise in the roster...with three Pac-12 teams in the mix, two from the Big 12, and one each for the AAC, ACC and SEC.

The Deb Factor remains atop the field with a 43-13 record. She is closely followed by Jenny O, Kenny S, and Viva "Q" who have compiled 42-14 marks. Seven contestants follow at 41-15. 

Seven games remain. Can the Syracuse magic continue? Which PAC 12 school will emerge out of a probably vacant Rupp Arena? 

Can Texas slow down the UConn juggernaut? Can Kim Mulkey continue to prove Barack Obama wrong by beating a ferocious group of Beavers? 

Should be fun! GOOD LUCK TO ALL! 

jmca

Friday Softball doubleheader vs NC State...NCAA WBB Tournament...Will you watch? -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SOFTBALL VS. WOLFPACK

Easter weekend gets off to a fun start with NC State coming to Ulmer Stadium for a three game set. The teams will play a doubleheader today that starts at 2 p.m. and a single game that includes an Easter Egg hunt prior to a Saturday noon first pitch. 

The Cards (19-6, 5-1) come into the game after a three game sweep at Virginia. Maryssa Becker, ACC Co-Player of the Week carries a .423 batting average and 1.65 ERA into the series. NC State (15-15, 2-1) enters today's doubleheader after losing a midweek contest to East Carolina. 

Temperature outlook is mid 50's today with skies clearing this afternoon...so make a Good Friday and attend the games. Admission is free at Ulmer and concessions are available.

If the crack of the bat and catch at the wall is your thing...you can also catch Louisville baseball at 6 p.m. against top-ranked Virginia tonight at Jim Patterson Stadium. A great hat trick for today! 

__________________________________________________


NCAA WBB SWEET SIXTEEN...WILL YOU WATCH? 

With Louisville out of the NCAA Tournament, will you watch the remainder of the action? Will you see if DePaul can continue the magic against a very talented Oregon St. squad on Saturday? Will you tune in tonight to cheer for or against UK as they face a surprising seventh seeded Washington squad? 

There are some very interesting match ups ahead over the next two days. Another #7 seed...Tennessee looks to pull the upset over Kelsey Mitchell and Ohio State. Can Mississippi St. perform an Easter weekend miracle over #1 UConn? How will ACC squads Syracuse, Florida State and Notre Dame fare against perennial powers Baylor, South Carolina and Stanford? How many of you figured it would be UCLA vs. Texas in Bridgeport Saturday night? 

Who survives this weekend to gain a trip to Indianapolis? In our contest, I had UConn, Louisville, Ohio State and Notre Dame making the Final Four.  How many of your Sweet Sixteen picks are still alive? I've got 12 of the 16 that are still dancing. In our contest, a couple of competitors have 13 teams still alive. 

What say you? 

_________________________________________________

DEAD AIR

Our critically acclaimed CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR will not be broadcast tomorrow. The Crescent Hill Easter Parade on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville will be aired Saturday morning in our place...an annual broadcast for WCHQ. 

It's a big event and we understand. We encourage you to tune in and listen to Tara Bassett's gal-on-the-street live broadcast. 

We'll be back next week. We assume. 

paulie
xxxxx 

Softball loses to NC State...Lacrosse plays today...FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS OUT OF ACC TOURNAMENT WITH 3-2 LOSS TO NC STATE

Louisville had their chances to advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament yesterday against NC State in Blacksburg, VA but in a game that featured seven total errors and only nine hits...the Cards fell 3-2 to the Wolfpack.

The Cards started off well enough, getting Kelsi Jones across the plate on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first to grab a 1-0 advantage. The lead held behind the strong pitching of Maryssa Becker until the fourth inning when the Pack tied it on a walk, fielders choice and single.

The fifth inning featured two scores...NC State gaining a 2-1 lead...loading the bases and scoring on a fielders choice. Becker got out of the jam, though and UofL got a soaring shot from Hailey Smith starting the Cards at bat with a homer to center. Louisville added two more runners when Jordan McNary was hit by a pitch and Whitney Arion walked but could not get either home. 

NC State grabbed the lead for good in the sixth. Two Louisville errors in the inning and a double put the scoreboard to 3-2. 

It looked as if the Cards were going to tie it in the bottom of the sixth. Brittany Duncan singled and speedy Morgan Meyer came in as a pinch runner. She moved to third with one out and tried to score on a Smith fly ball to center but was tagged out in a collision with the NC State catcher at home plate. 

Unfortunately, the play at the plate wasn't close. 

After Becker retired NC State in the top of the seventh...Louisville was retired in order in the seventh on two strikeouts (looking) and a ground-out to first to give NC State pitcher Emily Weiman her 28th. win of the year and the Wolfpack their ninth win in a row.

Becker allowed five hits and three runs...two of them earned...pitching her way out of several tough situations. The Cards simply couldn't do what the basic premise of the game is, though.

Outscore the opponent.  

The Cards will wait to see if they get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is slated for 10 p.m. Sunday night on ESPNU. 

NC State moves on to face FSU today. The #1 seeded Seminoles downed #8 seed Boston College 4-2. #2 UNC moves forward with a 3-2 win over host #7 seed Virginia Tech and will play #6 seed Pitt today...the Panthers pulling off the upset over #3 seed Notre Dame 8-1.

Congratulations to seniors Whitney Arion and Kelsi Jones and sophomore Maryssa Becker. They were named to the All-ACC Squad. 

LACROSSE STARTS NCAA PLAY AGAINST NORTHWESTERN TODAY


Kellie Young's Net and Stick girls are in Evanston, IL to begin NCAA Tournament play. They'll face home-standing Northwestern today at 4:30 p.m.

Northwestern is the #8 seed in the tournament and is ranked #9 in the polls. They are a perfect 3-0 against # 18 Louisville in lifetimes matches and own a 12-10 victory over the Cards earlier this season. It was also the Wildcats who put UofL out of the 2014 NCAA Tournament in the second round. 

Time for a little payback...Laxers. 

Louisville comes into the match after losing to Duke 14-7 in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Northwestern fell to Ohio State in the Big 10 Tournament. The winner of today's match would face either Notre Dame or Ohio State. #1 ranked and seeded Maryland is also in the Cards region. 

No TV that we know of on this one. UofL's Lacrosse Twitter account:

@LouisvilleLax

does a good job of updating the action, though and we'll follow it that way. 

paulie
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