Sidney Melton Interview -- Dana announcement -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SPEAKING WITH SIDNEY

Cardinal Softball fans undoubtedly know the name Sidney Melton. 

The Columbus, OH native held down the "hot corner", or third base, for Louisville as a student-athlete from 2015-19. She holds the single game and season record for stolen bases. A multiple ALL-ACC Team selection.

Her fielding was top notch as well, her .906 fielding average is remarkable, when you consider she played third base. 


Sidney complied a.341 career batting average during her time at UofL. Beginning her career splitting time as an outfielder and at second base, she moved to third her sophomore year and was part of a dynamic "left side of the infield" with Caitlin Ferguson at shortstop for both Sandy Pearsall and Holly Aprile. 



Another side of Sidney is that she came back from an ACL injury during her junior season to have two great years for Louisville. 

Remembered for always finding a way to get on base, her blinding speed on the base paths
once she did and dependable fielding, she was a Cardinal student-athlete extraordinaire. A Google Cloud Academic All-American.

(Sidney was always one of my favorite post-game interviews during her time at UofL and a very fitting one to start with as we start to expand out from the coaches' interviews and keep you up with other people who have had an impact on Cardinal Athletics.) 

Sidney is still in Louisville, attending UofL and working/studying as a rehabilitation specialist. Spending time learning how to help those who have had hip, knee and other injuries cross the bridge from surgery to ambulatory pursuits again. 

I caught up with her Tuesday via phone and we had a delightful, informative and revealing conversation about past, current and future.

She rooms with softball senior Celene Funke (you can imagine how topsy-turvy and never boring that house is !) and stays in touch with former and current UofL softball student-athletes. 



When Sidney got on base, you knew she was going to "go", and opposing teams couldn't stop her. We're confident that'll be the story as she progresses in her life/career after being a student/athlete. She's hit the ground running and nothing's going to stop her.  

We really appreciate Sidney taking the time from her busy, productive schedule to share her story with us, and...we're sure you'll enjoy our chat with her. Link below: 

LINK:  SIDNEY MELTON INTERVIEW



DANA SAYS: 

So, sensational, rumor-mongering and yellow sports journalism strikes out again. We told you she wasn't going anywhere. "They" told you Jeff Walz was headed to Tennessee and Dana was going to the WNBA. "They" head back to the dugout, bat-on-shoulder...another strike out. 

"They" won't retract or apologize for their incorrect, misleading reporting. "They" hope you'll forget about another one of their blunders and incorrect reports.  We stick to the truth and the positives of what we do here, the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. The "one great newspaper, a certain television station and a so-called sports journalist" wipe the creme pie from their faces and we wonder if they'll eventually learn that responsible and accurate journalism still exists. What'll they "mis-inform" on next?

The clown show continues...


COMING ATTRACTIONS

UofL head Volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly is holding a tele-conference today at 2 p.m.

I've asked our Volleyball guru Jeff McAdams to represent us on the call and take the comments and questions and turn them into a Thursday article.

That would move Jared to Friday for his second "write" of the week. ( I haven't checked with Holly Aprile about the lineup change yet, but...Coach would probably give us the "go" sign with a series of hand and arm gestures is my guess...)

We hope you enjoy the Sidney interview, hope you are staying safe, distancing and healthy. We'll get through this, we're all in it together, and keep the faith Cardinal nation. 


paulie
xxxxx

Jared Anderson looks to 2020 in Softball and reviews 2019 -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SOFTBALL LOSES A FEW KEY STARTERS BUT RETURNS A SOLID NUCLEUS 

(In a probably-way-too-early look at Louisville Softball for 2020, columnist Jared Anderson takes a look at who could be key for Holly Aprile's team next season).

With Paulie covering a wide range of women's basketball news yesterday it left the door open for me to talk about my favorite sport we cover here at CARDINAL COUPLE. 

Softball. 

Softball season has just ended for the gang that graces Dan Dobina Field at Ulmer Stadium and it was a highly successful one for the Cards. They did something no one squad had ever done before in winning the first two games of their NCAA Regional assignment -- in Holly Aprile's first year as head coach. The 35-23, 12-12 record is a good start toward greater successes down the road. Pending no transfers-out and players retiring from the game, Louisville definitely has strengths returning...before we even look at new additions

PITCHING should not be a problem for UofL. Both Taylor Roby and Danielle Watson return to the circle and I can see them splitting the majority of the time there. Paige Schindler is also listed as a right-handed pitcher. Kyra Snyder saw action in the circle as well. The loss of Megan Hensley, although significant, is one of those things you can't avoid...players eventually graduate and move on. 

CATCHING should be very solid with Rebecca Chung behind the plate. Between her powerful bat and ability to gun down runners on base, it's hard not to imagine her seeing the bast majority of time in front of the umpire. Cassidy Greenwood is listed as a catcher as well and showed dependability in her playing time. Madison Cousineau saw some starts for the Cards in 2019 behind the plate and will be missed. 

FIRST BASE should continue to be strong with Kyra Snyder covering the bag. As mentioned, she's also listed as a pitcher but only made two appearances in the circle for a total of five innings. She played almost every other inning "at the bag" and did it quite effectively in 2019. Unless Aprile decides to move her into a pitching role, she should be covering first for UofL in 2020.

Madison Ciaccio has experience at the spot also. 

SECOND BASE. When Blaire Bass went down with the knee injury early in 2019, Maddy Newman took over the position and was a ball magnet on the right side of the diamond. Newman also showed she had some very good hitting skills and I expect to see her continue to grow and develop for Louisville. 

SHORTSTOP. Caitlin Ferguson has played both short and third in her three years at Louisville and would appear to have short "locked down" again, unless Aprile moves her to third. She was the starter at short in 2019 and made some very nice plays there. 

THIRD BASE.  This is an area that Aprile will need to fill, with Sidney Melton's graduation. Eden Mayo, Erin Wilbur and Madison Ciaccio are all listed as reserve infielders. Does Aprile go there, or move someone from another position to "the hot corner" or put a freshman by the bag? We'll watch with interest the developments there. 

LEFT FIELD.  Charley Butler had the ground well covered unless she went out with an ACL injury. Jordyn Wolfe stepped in and handled to sport quite well. With right-field being vacant also (we'll get to that) you would figure Butler to start out in the grass somewhere, but, that'll all depend on the knee. Either way, Louisville will be solid at the spot 

CENTER FIELD. This is Celene Funke's domain and she plays the spot with abandon and fiery competition. Moving over from left after the 2018 season and graduation of Nicole Pufahl, Funke made herself right at home covering the middle of the outfield and we can see no reason she won't do the same in 2020. 

RIGHT FIELD.  Megan Hensley saw a lot of time there in 2019 and Riley Schindler patrolled the area when Hensley was in the circle. Aprile will have a key decision to make for 2020. Does she move Wolfe to right or put Schindler in the spot full time? Could Butler go to right? Another spot we'll be watching and wondering about when the squad gathers in the spring for pre-season ball. 


*************************************************************************************************************

So, the Holly Aprile Era has begun and year one is complete. The former Pittsburgh coach led the Cards to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 and to their first "winner's bracket" final. 

Highlights would include several major wins against top 25 programs. Two against FSU, a walk-off victory over Kentucky, a win at Virginia Tech, a win over Missouri -- plus victories against Northwestern and Michigan. 

We saw plenty of spotlight moments from Softball's student-athletes. Charley Butler and Jordyn Wolfe both "dove" their way into SportsCenter Top 10 recognition with amazing fielding catches. Rebecca Chung and Taylor Roby each received praise from "that four-letter network for their walk-off hits against FSU and Kentucky. 

Several individuals had seasons that ranked them in certain categories in the NCAA and several program records fell this season. 

SIDNEY MELTON

-- 11th in the country with 35 stolen bases. A school record
-- 23rd at .60 steals per game 
-- 4 steals against Morehead St., a school record for a game.
-- 68 career steals, good for second all-time career at UofL
-- 157 runs scored, placing her in the top three in UofL history

CELENE FUNKE

-- 31st in the nation with 29 steals
-- 13 triples, good to lead the NCAA this season and a UofL single-season record
-- 15 career triples, currently in a tie for second all-time at Louisville.
-- Funke still has a year to go, so we expect there are many more record within her reach

MEGAN HENSLEY

-- Four grand-slams, tying her for first in Cardinal program history
-- 38 home runs, good for a tie for second all-time at UofL
-- Nine career saves from the circle, fifth in program history
-- With 543.2 innings pitched, she is fifth in program history
-  50 career wins, fifth in program history




DANIELLE WATSON 

-- 164 strike outs, a career-high and 72nd in the nation
-- 269 career strike outs put her in the top 10 in program history. She still has two years       remaining to better this mark.

Some team numbers of note would include leading the nation in triples in 2019 (31) and stealing 106 bases, putting them 16th.in the country in this stat. 311 runs scored tied them for 33rd. in the nation and 5.36 runs per game is 42nd. in the country. 


The Cards do lose five seniors, in Hensley, Melton, Cousineau, Bass and Darianne Hale. Hensley and Melton spent their entire careers at Louisville, the other three were transfers into the program. All will be remembered for their contributions in their careers and missed. 

Stats aside, this squad set the tone for what expectations can be for Louisville softball. They were one of five ACC squads to make the NCAA Tournament and as Aprile starts to get "her players" on campus and the team grows even more familiar with "Holly-Ball", I fully expect the Cards to climb even higher in the polls, ACC and make yearly runs in the NCAA Tournament. 


Happy Wednesday and GO CARDS
Jared Anderson

Softball Upsets Northwestern -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

(Case Hoskins writes the Sunday CARDINAL COUPLE

column today, as regularly scheduled Sunday Columnist "Worldwide" Jeff McAdams wrote Saturday's article. )

Cards Advance to Regional Finals

After a lengthy rain delay in the fifth inning yesterday, Louisville was able to hold on against the hosting Northwestern Wildcats to advance to today's final game(s). The Cards defeated NU 2-1 at around 7:15 p.m.Eastern time, after which two games still had to be played. Northwestern had to compete in the second of the two, which wrapped up after midnight local time. The Cards and Cats will hit the field for the first of a possible two games at 2 p.m.Eastern today.

After the Cards went down 1-2-3 with two strikeouts in the top of the first, Northwestern came to bat with a bit more patience at the plate. The Wildcats coaxed three walks out of Danielle Watson to load the bases before Watson was able to pick up the third out with a strikeout looking on a 2-2 count. Sometimes patience can bite you. In the second, the Cards went 3 up, 3 down after a huge beginning to the inning. .

Those three outs came after first batter of the inning Taylor Roby took the first pitch she saw over the fence in right center field. Louisville led 1-0. Moving to the bottom of the second, Northwestern was able to get some action going, as they put two runners on base with one out before Watson shut down the momentum with a pop out and a strikeout. 

The next two and a half innings would see a total of two base runners reach, a walk and a single in
the bottom of the third. Louisville played five innings at bat with just the one base runner being Roby's home run. After the top of the fifth, the weather delay started. It began with rain coming down fairly hard, putting the game into a rain delay.

As the rain appeared to let up, lightning took its place, bringing on required 30 minute delays. Everyone watched as the day moved on, knowing the schedule showed the continuation of this game plus two more for the evening. The wait continued. After a 3 hour and 11 minute delay, Northwestern took their shot at the bottom of the fifth. They got one single and Watson shut down the inning.

In the sixth inning, for the fifth time, Louisville went 3 up, 3 down. In the bottom half, for only the second time, Danielle Watson faced the minimum. An error still put a runner on base, but that runner was eliminated after the next batter hit into a double play. The top of the seventh was familiar to Louisville fans. Sidney Melton, like Taylor Roby, led off the inning with a home run. It took Melton one more pitch to do it, but she sent a 1-0 fastball directly over the center field fence. The Cards' next three batters were sat down in order.

Needing three outs to avoid advance, Louisville once again sent out Danielle Watson and for the first time all day, she was tagged. Watson got two quick outs with a strikeout and fly out, but the third batter reached on Watson's sixth walk of the day. She was brought home by a double that went over Hensley's head in right, making the Louisville fans a bit nervous. Northwestern sent out a pinch hitter to try to bring in the tying run or more, but Watson kept the ball on the ground for an easy grounder to Fergie to end the game. 

Overall, Northwestern's Danielle Williams threw a perfect game outside of the two home runs. She struck out ten Cardinals and allowed no baserunners otherwise. Roby and Melton saved the Cards by finding just enough pop to send their hits over the fence. Danielle Watson, on the other hand, found herself in trouble most of the day, but was able to show the resolve to pitch out of it in every situation. It was a testament to Holly Aprile's trust in her pitcher to not pull Watson in any of the situations that could have led to some damage by the Wildcat hitters.

We'll see who Aprile trusts today as the Cards will take on the Wildcats today until one of the two teams has two losses on the weekend.

Hopefully, Louisville can come out and win the first game and be done with it. If not, the Cards will have the advantage of Northwestern playing back to back games after a very late night last night. First pitch is set for 2 P.M. Eastern. Television is not listed, but you should be able to find it on ESPN 3 on-line As the 16th seeded regional, it's not likely the Cards vs. Wildcats will get ESPN or ESPN 2.

Best of luck to Holly's Heart-stoppers! One win away from the Cards first-ever Super Regional!

Follow Paulie on Twitter today for updates:  @cardinalcouple






LINK: Post-game comments from Danielle Watson, Sidney Melton and Holly Aprile below:

DANIELLE, SIDNEY and HOLLY

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball Drops Game One -- DERBY DAY CARDINAL COUPLE

DERBY DAY IN THE VILLE

The First Saturday in May is Kentucky Derby Day. The eyes of the world turn to Louisville, KY for the most exciting two minutes in sports. In keeping with our long standing tradition here at CARDINAL COUPLE, here is Dan Fogelberg's song about the event. Derby won't be the same without John Asher, but -- he'd tell us to enjoy the day and celebrate the Run For The Roses.

LINK: RUN FOR THE ROSES -- Dan Fogelberg

In Dan's words:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Change horses in the middle of the stream if you choose. There is a place in the world for a gambler, so  Explore, Dream, Discover." 

Softball Falls Behind Early, Can't Recover

Playing in their final regular season series, Louisville gave up a two run blast in the bottom of the first inning against NC State that would prove to be the difference. Louisville brought the deficit down to one run twice in the game, but ultimately fell 4-3.  The Cards will continue the series today at 1PM if you're looking to double screen some softball alongside your Derby Day festivities.

All was not lost in the game, though. As Paulie mentioned yesterday, Sidney Melton gets on base a lot. She also steals bases a lot. In fact, with her steal yesterday, Melton broke the UofL softball record for single season steals. Sidney Melton has meant quite a bit to this program in her time here, and now there will be a lasting mark to commemorate her tenure.

 As for the rest of team, Louisville was mostly held quiet on the day offensively. The Cards finished with just four hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch, though they did strikeout just once. The Cards just weren't able to get going, either putting players on base or driving them in. Of Louisville's three runs scored, only one was credited with an RBI. It was none other than Sidney Melton. Melton knocked in Celene Funke with a fielder's choice groundout. Funke had gotten into scoring position with, you guessed it, a triple. She maintains her national lead on the stat. Joining Funke in crossing the plate were Melton and Kyra Snyder, both who scored on separate wild pitches.

Danielle Watson pitched the complete six innings in this one, scattering seven hits, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch, while striking out five. Unlike the Cards, though, the Wolfpack were able to string together a few of their hits to score four earned runs. NC State was led by Logan Morris, who went 2-3 with two RBIs and 2 runs scored.

With last week's game 3 win, Louisville locked themselves into finishing at least .500 in conference play this season, already an improvement on last season's 10-12 finish. However, the Cards will need to finish strong to hold off Georgia Tech for seeding in the conference tournament. One win would guarantee at least a tie, in which Louisville would hold the tiebreaker. That said, it would be nice to finish the season with a series victory over a team just hovering at .500 overall. Game two today. Let's see what happens.

Kentucky Oaks Doesn't Quite Go to Plan

Yesterday's main race got off to an inauspicious start when a couple of pinched horses ended with a jockey getting sent over the top. Fortunately, Manny Franco was able to roll out of the way as Positive Spirit tumbled down, and both were able to bolt away from the scene of the incident. Franco turned himself over to stewards willingly, while the filly was a bit harder to track down. Following the race, it was reported that Positive Spirit was unofficially medically cleared, but that more examination was to come. A preliminary positive report is much better than the alternative.

As the race thundered on, things continued to shock, as Bellafina was seemingly interested in doing anything but run for the lillies. The heavy favorite finished fifth, behind Champagne Anyone. Lady Apple showed, Liora placed, and Serengeti Empress (not Express, as a twinspires graphic showed in a postrace email) took home the prize. It was hardly what anyone expected (at least from what I could tell), but if today has anything planned for us like yesterday did, it will be an exciting day of racing.

Did You Know? 

Our fearless leader Paulie does a bit of horse handicapping? 

Check out his Derby Day selections at his personal website

LINK: PAULIE PICKS

Note:  The picks at this site and intended for entertainment purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of the Cardinal Couple crew. If you wager, do so responsibly and within your budget. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour -- Off the Air

As we alluded to last week, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour has the week off due to Derby Festivities. As always, tune into WCHQ FM for all your local music and news.

We'll be back next week to discuss golf and softball postseason happenings.

Have a great Derby Day, wherever you are !!

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

SOFTBALL SENIOR DAY -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

Softball Seniors

Yesterday was the Senior Day celebration for UofL Softball, celebrating the collegiate career endings of 5 UofL seniors; Blaire Bass, a transfer from Auburn who hasn't played this year due to a back injury but has remained with the team; Darrianne Hale, a pitcher that transferred from Butler Community College; Madison Cousineau, a catcher that transferred in from Mississippi State; Megan Hensley, who has been the ace of the pitching staff, from Paul Blazer High school in Ashland, Kentucky; and lastly Sidney Melton, the anchor of the team at 3rd base, and currently locked in a battle for most stolen bases on the team.

Sidney Melton did red-shirt a year during her career at UofL due to an ACL tear, so she is in her 5th year of eligibility, which makes her the highest seniority member of the team.

The Senior Day celebration was a pleasure, as they always are, with the opportunity to see
embarrassing pictures from the player's childhood and early careers.  Occasionally you get see evidence of a player's early experimentation with other sports, as well, such as a picture of Sidney Melton in a swim cap and goggles.  Over the past several years, UofL has also included a quick honor of the seniors from the opposing team, in this case, UNC, which I think is always a nice touch, and I'm glad to see the practice carry over to the new staff.

Credit where credit is due, much of the organization and planning for events like this, and plenty more, throughout the season for any UofL sports team, is done by the various Directors of Operation, which is Casey Bonk in the case of UofL Softball.

The game, though?  Well, there are a couple of bright spots, including a season high 3 home runs, with Darrianne Hale - playing at designated player, Megan Hensley - split time between right field and pitching, and Kyra Snyder - at first base, all taking one beyond the fence.  Ultimately, however, UNC came away with the win 10-7.  The general consensus, including from Coach Holly Aprile, was that UofL played better yesterday than they did Friday, but still have a few things they need to tweak.  Of course, UNC is a quality opponent, holding in 2nd place in the Coastal division of the ACC (VT, UNC, GT, Duke, UVA, Pitt) and 3rd overall in the ACC.

UofL, despite what feels like a really hit and miss season, though with more hits than many expected from this team, is 3rd in the Atlantic division, and 5th overall in the ACC.

The Cards have one more chance against UNC today at noon, and then will head to NC State next weekend to close out the regular season (NC St. is 5th in the Atlantic division) with a typical Friday, Saturday, Sunday series.  After that, the ACC Championship tournament kicks of May 8th through 11th in Tallahassee, FL.

A great deal of love and gratitude for these five seniors who contributed what they could during their time as student-athletes here at the University of Louisville.

Here''s hoping the Cards complete the regular season strong and do well in the ACC Tournament to propel them to success in the NCAA Tournament



                                                                 ****************


POST GAME WITH HOLLY APRILE:  http://thecrunchzone.com/video-sb-holly-aprile-unc-post-game-two/


                                                                 ****************

(THANKS TO DARYL FOUST - THE CRUNCH ZONE  - FOR THE VIDEO FEED)

(PHOTOS FROM JARED ANDERSON)

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

The Knucklehead Squad was in effect at the WCHQ studios, yesterday, with Case, Jared, Paulie, and myself reunited as a group for the first time in some time, as the "A" team.  Daryl was missed, but we did catch up with her later in the day at Ulmer Stadium.

As always, we had a great time covering the current news in the UofL women's sports world, and I even refrained from derailing the discussion completely with a discussion of soccer field drainage and heating technologies and techniques, though the temptation was very real.

You can check out the stream at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/419285678884953/

-- 

JMcA

Softball Struggles; Track and Field Does Not -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Walks Haunt in Softball's 6-0 Loss

Coming off of yet another final inning victory over Marshall during the midweek, softball welcomed UNC to town while looking for a third straight series victory. Unfortunately, Louisville pitching was unable to find the strike zone for the entirety of the game, and the batters couldn't bring runners across the plate. Yesterday's game was one of those losses that feels like it could get much worse at the beginning, yet also seems to be one that slipped away by the end. 

The Cards started the game pretty well, with Danielle Watson picking up a groundout and a strikeout to open the series. Those were the only two outs Watson would record from the circle, exiting 6 batters later having given up a hit, four walks, and four unearned runs after what should have been the final out of the inning was instead a fielding error. After the error derailed the first inning, Louisville was completely lost for the second inning as well, as Taylor Roby walked five batters in the inning, including walking a run in with the bases loaded. Roby was lifted after the second inning for Megan Hensley, who was able to scatter 5 hits and 4 walks across 5 total innings, allowing no more runs.  

The offensive issues came almost immediately. The first inning saw UNC's starter on track to strike out the side after getting Celene Funke and Sidney Melton to go down swinging, but then Hensley belted a triple to right field. No matter, as she would become the first victim left on base when Roby also went down swinging. Louisville's offensive production never got much more exciting than that, as the team finished with just three hits compared to eight strikeouts. They added in six walks and a hit by pitch, but they ultimately left all ten runners on base in this one. Hensley and Kyra Snyder tied for the team lead by each getting on base twice. 

This was ultimately a game to forget for Holly Aprile's side. What more do you say about a game where you throw a program record 14 walks? Louisville has to put yesterday's issues behind them and move on to a fresh slate today. There are two games remaining in the series, and a pair of wins would put them right back on track.

The Cards are just 1.5 games back of Notre Dame for second in the Atlantic Division and they're tied on overall record with UNC. Louisville is very much in a position for a favorable seed in the ACC tournament, but they'll need to look more like the team that took down Florida State and Kentucky and less like the team that labored through wins over Georgia Tech and Marshall to do it. First pitch for the second game in the series is set for 1PM and is available on ACC Network Extra. Today's game is Senior Day for five Cardinals. If you intend to head to campus for any UofL events today, please note that the KDF Marathon and Mini-Marathon will be affecting traffic patterns and road closures throughout the day.

POST GAME COMMENTS FROM COACH APRILE: 

HOLLY APRILE 4/26/19 POST UNC GAME

(Thanks to Daryl Foust -- The Crunch Zone -- for video of post game
and to Jared Anderson for the photos) 

Cards Pick Up Three Wins on Day One

Louisville Track and Field is hosting the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational this weekend at Cardinal Park and they opened yesterday's events with a bang. Three Cardinals picked up victories, and after the prelims, Louisville will have seven more winning chances in today's finals. Yesterday saw Anthony McRoberts grab a win in the Men's Long Jump and Carsen Cassell won the Unseeded Women's Hammer Throw. Dorcas Wasike continued to do what she has done for her entire career at UofL and dominated the 5000m by nearly half a minute, setting a meet record of 16:13.59. Louisville swept the podium in the event, with Ivine Chemutai and Bailey Beery taking second and third. Today's events are already underway at the time of posting, and results can be seen on the Louisville Track and Field Twitter feed.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We're sans Daryl in the studio today, but the original four knuckleheads are all back for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour today prior to next week's Derby break. Just as quickly as they began, spring sports are already wrapping up, but we'll talk softball and lacrosse, plus other news that has come across the wire this week. Tune into WCHQ FM at 11AM for fun and games on Mellwood Avenue. The channel is available at 100.9FM, wchqfm.com, the WCHQ App, and is carried with live video on Facebook Live.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Jaz Jones roots on the Cards and supports former Cardinal Donovan "Spida" Mitchell

Softball's Final Home Weekend and Golf in NCAA -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Golf Prepares for the NCAA Championship

For the sixth straight year Louisville women’s golf will be playing in an NCAA Regional.  The Cards were invited to the East Lansing Regional, with Michigan State being the host site.  They will compete in the three-day event from May 6-8. This is Courtney Trimble's final season as their coach and hope they can send her out with a bunch of birdies and great shots. 

Louisville comes in as the 11-seed of the 18-team pool.  The top six teams will advance to compete in the 24-team NCAA Championship.  The top three individual finishers that are not on one of the six qualifying teams will also earn a bid to the NCAA Championship.

The Cards placed first in one tournament earlier this year, claiming the title at the Alexa Sterling Intercollegiate.  They finished runner-up at the Moon Golf Invitational and placed third twice this year.

The entire East Lansing Regional is:

1-Stanford

2-Arizona

3- Kent State

4- UCLA

5- Michigan State

6- Campbell

7- Illinois

8- Baylor

9- North Carolina

10- Georgia

11- Louisville

12- Augusta

13- LSU

14- Indiana

15- Long Beach State

16- Xavier

17- Harvard

18- IUPUI

Duke, USC, and Texas are the other three 1-seeds.  They will play at Auburn, Cle Elum (Washington), and Norman (Oklahoma), respectively.

Softball Hosts Senior Weekend

We will get to witness in person the thrill and excitement of Louisville softball for one final weekend.  The Cards are set to square off against North Carolina in their usual Friday-Saturday-Sunday slot.

Friday’s 6:00 game is Service Appreciation Night.  I expect Caitlin Ferguson’s father will be in attendance to throw out there first pitch.

Saturday’s 1:00 game will be Senior Day and the five seniors in Sidney Melton, Megan Hensley, Blaire Bass, Madison Cousineau, and Darianne Hale will be recognized.  Sunday’s noon game will be Bark in the Park as fans will crowd the outfield berm with dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Louisville boasts a 32-15 record with an 11-7 conference mark.  They are winners of six straight games and eight of their last nine.  Recent highlights include a victory against Kentucky and a series victory against Florida State.

Celene Funke’s 10 triples on the season is an NCAA-high and tied a Louisville program-best.  Sidney Melton’s 25 successful steals is two shy of tying for second in program history in a single season.  Her 58 career steals is third best in UofL history and three shy of moving into second place.  Funke has 23 successful steals.  Her 43 career steals is sixth best in program history.

At the plate, Megan Hensley's four career grand slams is tied for a program best.  Her 34 home runs stand fourth in UofL history and she needs two more to move into a tie for third.  She is fourth in career RBIs with 165 and needs one more to move up into a tie for third.

The Tar Heels are nearly identical to the Cards, holding a 15-6 record in the ACC and are 31-15 overall.  They are 7-8 against ranked teams and do have wins over Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia, and Michigan.  UNC bats .295 on the year and has posted 232 runs.

The pitching staff is stingy.  They combine for a 3.86 ERA and have allowed 274 hits.  Opponents have been limited to 150 runs on the year, an average of 3.125 runs per game.

You can catch most of the Cardinal Couple crew on Floyd Street this week as well as the "A-team" on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour together at 11 a.m. Saturday on WCHQ 100.9 FM or live on Facebook Live.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Softball's Theatrics -- Walz Presser -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cardiac Cards Do It Again

Louisville softball sure has a thing for late-game theatrics this year. In this week's edition of the Cardiac Cards show, we find Louisville rallying in the final inning to take the 5-4 win at Marshall yesterday.  The Cards rallied from 2-0 and 4-3 deficits before holding on in the bottom of the seventh to secure the victory.

The Thundering Herd was quick to get to a 2-0 lead just three batters into the first inning following a hit batter and a home run.  Starting pitcher Megan Hensley would surrender nothing else during the time in her circle as she finished with five innings, allowing two runs on three hits.

Louisville's first rally came in the fifth inning as Kyra Snyder, Cassady Greenwood, and Maddy Newman all singled.  A throwing error plated the Cards' first run.  Celene Funke hit into a fielder's choice ground out that drove in the tying run.

Rebecca Chung sent a deep fly ball out of the park in the sixth inning to pull the Cards ahead 3-2.

Taylor Roby came to the circle for the sixth inning.  After Sidney Melton had trouble fielding a grounder, Marshall had the go ahead run at the plate.  They made the most of the opportunity with a home run that barely snuck out over the left wall field by a few feet to retake the lead, 4-3.

Louisville came up to the plate in the top of the seventh trailing by one.  The first two batters grounded out, leaving the Cards with one out to spare.

Show time.

Funke doubled left center with a 1-2 count on her.  Melton followed by belting a game-tying triple into right center.  Fellow senior Hensley followed with a double to give the Cards a one-run edge.

With the Marshall crowd silenced, Roby came to the circle for a second straight inning.  She made quick work of the batters, downing them one-two-three and earning the win to improve her record to 13-1.

Louisville improves to 32-15 on the season and will return home to host an evenly-matched North Carolina team.  The weekend will recognized the five seniors in Sidney Melton, Megan Hensley, Blaire Bass, Madison Cousineau, and Darianne Hale.

Following the weekend series they will travel to NC State for their final regular season games, followed by a trip to Tallahassee for the ACC Tournament.

The Cards sit 29th in the latest RPI.  Reaching the 35-win mark and winning their round game in the ACC Tournament should be the mark to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament this year.

Walz Holds Postseason Presser


With Paulie on a mini vacation and the rest of us obliged to our daily work duties, Jeff Walz decided to hold a press conference.  No, it wasn't to mess with us, but it did come at an unfortunate time for us.  Luckily, the women's basketball team Facebook page went live during the event for all of us to follow.

Right off the bat Coach was asked about the eligibility of the incoming transfers.  UofL has not started the process to go about trying to get the players immediate eligibility.  If approved, they'll be playing in the fall.  If not, they'll redshirt a year before playing.

It was mentioned that Kylee Shook had a minor procedure to "clean her knees up" and Bionca Dunham will go about that same process later in the summer.  This is not expected to affect their return in the fall.

Boise State and Western Kentucky are a couple of the non-conference games at home this year while Kentucky and Northern Kentucky will be road games.  There is the possibility of a Thanksgiving tournament, but is not yet finalized.

UofL is not yet set to face Sam Williams and EKU and that may be a few years in the making as Coach Williams hopes to build up the program.

The leaders for next year are not set.  Coach is hopeful that Jaz, Dana, and Kylee might be some of the players to step up next season.

There was no breaking news, good or bad, during the press conference.  It was just the normal. Or, as normal as anything that Jeff Walz is in can be. See Walz below:


VIDEO:  WALZ PRESSER 4/23/19


Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Louisville Softball Wins Three -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS SWEEP DAY, SERIES AGAINST THE RAMBLIN WRECK

It is a rarity in the college softball world to play three games in one day.

It's even rarer for one team to win all three contests, but that's what the Louisville Softball team did on Easter Sunday at Ulmer Stadium on the Don Dobina Field against Georgia Tech.

Louisville head coach Holly Aprile couldn't ever remember doing it in her college coaching career. Cardinal third baseman Sidney Melton had never played in and won three on the same day.  A 6 1/2 hour time frame on the same day was long and tiring for the teams. But, that's what the Red and Black accomplished...with a 11-7, 7-2 and 11-10 whitewash of the YellowJackets from Atlanta. 

Action began promptly at 10 a.m. yesterday, a swirling and almost mysterious fog sweeping across the dirt infield from the warming dirt and humid but dry conditions.You couldn't see downtown from the press box -- that much fog still remained in the Louisville area -- but the Cards held a 10-5 lead from the Friday afternoon came that was stopped because of rain. The scenario began with no outs, Georgia Tech at bat and runners on second and third.

Danielle Watson was in the circle for the Cards and promptly walked the first batter she faced. With the bags full of YellowJackets, the situation looked ominous and the atmosphere tense. 

Watson and her teammates got out of the dire circumstances, though, getting three straight outs, two of them strikeouts, and allowing just one run. The ominous monster had not risen from the fog and engulfed the Cards. They still led 10-6

Charley Butler began the top of the fifth with a single and proceeded around the bases to score for the Cards, using a Tech throwing error and run down of Melton trying to steal second after a walk. 11-6. The visitors loomed large again in the top the sixth -- a double and single cut the Cards lead to four again. 

The Cards went down in order in the bottom of the sixth, producing three attempts that never got out if the infield, but held court in the top of the seventh as Watson collected two more "K's" and just a walk. It was an early preview of the kind of day Watson was going to produce in the circle and the Cards won 11-7 in the "continuation" game. 

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Louisville started game two with Watson in the circle again and decided to put this one out of reach early. After she set the Jackets down with a 1-2-3 top of the first, Louisville exploded for five runs on three walks and three hits. Bulter's single to right drove home two Cardinal runners and a booming double from Maddy Newman to right center had the Cards in great shape. 

Watson was "on" in the circle and was dispensing strike outs. Tech managed just two runs and two hits in the seven-inning second contest, the sophomore pitcher from Osceola, IN. punched out 11 Tech participants to tie her career strike out record. Louisville tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth when Newman and Celene Funke scored -- aided by a clutch single from Melton and a run-down on an attempted steal of second by Melton. 

7-2 Cards, with Watson going the distance and picking up her second win of the day.


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Georgia Tech decided they'd try the "big lead early" scenario in the final game of Easter Sunday. They rocked starting pitcher Megan Hensley, who was relieved in the circle with just one out by Taylor Roby, and when the fog had cleared, the Cards found themselves in a 5-0 hole.

Louisville was undaunted, however. They struck back for four runs in the bottom of the first. Doubles by Funke, Melton and Roby, a walk to Hensley and a Taylor Roby single produced the damage. 

While Roby held the G.T. squad scoreless over the next few innings, the Cards continued to chip away at the lead and regain it. Roby smashed a home run to left center to tie it in the second. The Cards took the lead in the bottom of the third 6-5 when Rebecca Chung powered a double to deep center and scored on a Cassady Greenwood sacrifice fly. 

Then, Tech woke up for the second time in the game. Three singles filled the bags and a sacrifice fly tied it up again. Crosby Huckabay came to the plate and absolutely crushed a ball to left center that bounced off the top of the Ulmer Stadium scoreboard for a grand slam. UofL found themselves in a 10-6 trailing situation going into the bottom of the fourth.


These birds weren't done flying, though.

Back-to-back home runs from Hensley and Chung cut the Tech lead to 11-8. After holding the softball version of the Rambling Wreck scoreless in the top of the fifth, Louisville came to the plate needing two to tie and three to take the lead. 

At this time, another aspect developed. 

The visitors, it seemed, had a flight to catch back to Atlanta. They needed to end this one at 4:25 p.m. to get to the airport in time. The Georgia Tech assistant S.I.D. sitting next to me in the press box was nervous and watching the clock. Holly Aprile decided not to tell her squad about the intended Georgia Tech sudden departure until the Cards came to bat in the bottom of the fifth. Why put any undue pressure on the squad, right? 

This bottom of the fifth inning started out pretty rough for Louisville. Funke grounded out to the Tech pitcher. Melton lifted a lazy fly to center that was caught. Two down. But Megan Hensley wasn't ready to tote the equipment bag back to the Koetter Center yet and drilled a sharp single to left. Roby followed suit and singled to center. Caitlin Ferguson drew a walk from Tech hurler Brooke Barfield. With the bases loaded, Chung came to the plate and calmly drove one deep to right center. It soared past the fielders and the Cardinal runners were flying as well. Chung had emptied the bases with a double and Louisville led 11-10. 

The teams started the top of the sixth -- but with Georgia Tech batting, with one out and one on -- Georgia Tech head coach Aileen Morales came out of the dugout at 4:26 p.m., motioned to the home plate umpire that they were done and the teams lined up for the post game handshakes. 

Tech scampered to the bus. 11-10 the final tally and the Cards had swept the day.

A full day of Softball. A total of 53 runs scored in the series. The Cards go to 31-15 and 11-7 in the ACC. That's a pretty good Easter Sunday. As if in agreement, the sun broke out and smiled down upon us as we conducted the post game interviews. 

A Cardinal squad that is 9-3 in April. UofL Softball has won seven of their last night. It would seem that Aprile is doing well in April. 


(TODAY'S PHOTOS BY JARED ANDERSON)



THEY SAID IT 

Holly Aprile discusses the wins:  HOLLY APRILE POST SERIES 4/21/19

Sidney Melton Post Game (with a cameo by Celene Funke): SIDNEY MELTON DISCUSSES THE WINS 4/21/19



paulie
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