Reeves dominates Syracuse Saturday -- Sunday Cardinal Couple

 CARDS SOFTBALL CURTAILS ORANGE 5-1 SATURDAY

When Madi Reeves is "on"..she's "on" 

The junior from Yorkville, Illinois started her college softball at Miami University (OH) and had two pretty successful seasons there. As a freshman,  she went 22-4 and was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.  She was 24-12 her sophomore year and named to the M.A.C. First team. She also beat UNC in the NCAA Tournament last year. 

Holly Aprile saw a lot to like there and wen after her. Reeves wanted a step up in competition , a chance for new opportunities and growth and her nation-leading innings pitched showed Aprile she was a quality pitcher that just might fit in well in the ACC and her program. 

With the complete game win, Reeves went to 4-1 on the season and the Cards got their 40th win of the season...to go to 40-10. 

Louisville jumped out early 2- 0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Chelsea Mack and Easton Lotus started the game with singles. Two fly outs advanced Mack to home and then Madison Pickens singled home Lotus to make it 2-0 Cards. 

The next four innings were scoreless. Syracuse would make it 2-1 in the top of the sixth but Louisville responded well in the bottom of the sixth when Despines took first after getting hit by a pitch, stole second and Lookadoo drew a walk. A Pickens single scored Despines and then Venturelli singled to the center field wall and drove home Pickens and Lookadoo to make it 5-1. 

Reeves allowed just six hits for her second complete game of the season. Louisville now has a seven game win streak and is two games back of league leading FSU. Duke, with three more conference games than those two..is in second by percentage at 9-4 in the ACC. 

The Cards and Orange will face again Sunday at noon. It'll be on ACCNX if you can't make it out to the ball park. 

paulie

Syracuse Softball comes to town to play Cards -- Friday Cardinal Couple

 SYRACUSE SOFTBALL HEADS TO ULMER

Jayden Burney -- Syracuse

Louisville Softball (38-10, 13-5) goes into the weekend series with a change already in the schedule. The Friday game had been moved up to a 4 p.m. start time because of expected rain in the area later tonight. 

The Orange are not a powerhouse in the ACC, with a 4-12 conference record and a 18-20 overall record. SU has had 10 games cancelled this year, mostly because of rain or other unfavorable weather conditions. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games but lost 9 of their first 10 ACC contests. 

Jadyn Burney leads the way at the plate for the Orange with a .320 batting average in 37 games. Burney began her college career at Mississippi State before transferring to "the Cuse". Madison Knight is the "slugger" on the squad with 13 home runs and eight double and 35 RBI's .

Knight is the only pitcher with a winning record on the squad at 10-7. She;s a senior on the roster and has thrown 105 innings...allowing 110 hits. Syracuse also uses Julianna Verni in the circle...she is 5-10 on the season.

Syracuse is 10-26 against the Cards in the overall series...last time out, on April 1st last year the Cards won 5-3. 

An interesting sideline...Otto the Orange, the Syracuse mascot, was official deemed as such in 1978. Before that, SU was known as the Saltines and called the Saltine Warriors. Syracuse was known as "Salt City" because of the extracting of salt from the springs near Onondaga Lake. 

paulie

Taylor Roby Has a Day in Syracuse - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Softball Wins Both in Double Header

Holly Aprile's softball squad has had a number of players add to the success of the team in the past two years, as we've talked about names like Easton Lotus, Hannah File, Ally Alexander, Daisy Hess, and more.  But yesterday, they went a just a little bit old school in their double-header wins over Syracuse, 5-3, 8-0 (6 innings).  Taylor Roby, something of the grand dame of the current softball squad, hit for three home runs on the day, and accounted for seven RBIs, with six of those, a school record, in just the second game.  Meanwhile, she also pitched a complete game in the first.

CARDS 5 - ORANGE 3

Roby, fittingly, got the offense started in the second inning with a double and then was subbed out for Mia Forsythe to pinch run for her.  Mia would advance and score on a fielder's choice and benefited from a throwing error.

Korbe Otis started off the 3rd inning with a single and stealing second on a passed ball.  She was promptly brought home by Sarah Gordon's single to make the score 2-0.

It wouldn't be until the 5th inning until we'd see more scoring.  And as was the theme of the day, it started with Roby sending the yellow orb for a trip beyond the fence.  That would be followed up by a Makayla Hurst single playing as the designated player batting in place of Pickle Winkler.  Pickle and Hurst would swap spots on the base paths and let the faster Winkler do the running.  The swap paid off immediately with Pickle promptly stealing second, and then scoring thanks to a Easton Lotus single.  A solid lead for the Cards after four and a half innings with a 4-0 lead.

Syracuse took advantage of getting some runners on base, and a fielding error, and would score three in one play to get their scoring done for the game.

The final Cardinal run for the game was an insurance run in the top of the 7th.  It started with Hannah File doubling, getting to third on a Roby groundout, and scoring on a Daisy Hess at bat.  Hess reached first, but it was ruled a fielding error, so she didn't get credited with a hit.

Roby did pitch the complete game, and allowed six hits, only issued one walk, and, of course, gets the win.

CARDS 8 - ORANGE 0

In game two, Alyssa Zabala, quickly becoming a well-known name for those following UofL Softball, took the circle and had a fine performance, but this game was even more about Roby.

It starts early and is a simple recap.  After two outs, Hannah File drew a walk, and then Roby hit a home run.  Pretty simple, really.  That was Roby's second homer of the day, but the best was yet to come.

Moving forward to the 4th inning.  Another pretty simple one with Korbe Otis drawing the walk, and then scoring on a Sarah Gordon home run.  The only difference in this one was Otis stole second before having it effectively mooted by the home run.

And finally, in the top of the 6th, a similar situation starts to develop with Otis drawing another walk and stealing second again.  This time, however, Sarah Gordon also drew a walk.  After a pitching change... another walk, putting Hannah File on base, and loading them all up.  Oh look, who's coming up to the plate?  Why if it isn't Taylor Roby.  She takes two balls, and ahead 2-0 in the count, and says, "We're pretty much done, here."  A grand slam makes the score 8-0, putting the Cards in run-rule territory, only needing to blank Syracuse in the bottom of the inning to make it happen, which they do.

Zabala gets the win, going five frames and only allowing a single hit, and issuing only a single walk, while striking out three.  Gabby Holloway pitched the 6th inning and issued a walk, but got a pair of strikeouts to finish the game.

The action should continue today with the 3rd game of the series.  The start time has been pushed back a bit from the original due to cold weather in Syracuse.  They are aiming for a 2pm start, but that may be further altered depend on if the day warms up enough up there to play.  The ACC requires a 30 degree or higher "feels like" temperature to start a game.

Lacrosse Loses to Clemson

A rough outing for Teeter's squad in Clemson against a new Lacrosse program at Clemson.  A 9-0 mid-game run for the Tigers was responsible for most of the 8-19 advantage.

The scoring for the Cards was by committee, only Negai Nakazawa getting two goals in the game.  Joining the freshman in finding the back of the net were:  Rian Adkins, Alexa Steffens, Hannah Morris, Tiffany Natoli, Allegra Catalano, and Nicole Perroni.  Most are names that we regularly hear from UofL Lacrosse, but typically with more than a single goal to their tally.

The Cards played close with the Tigers through much of the first half leading to a respectable 6-7 score with under five minutes left in the half.  By the time Clemson finished their run, however, there were five minutes gone in the 4th quarter, and the score of 6-16.

Teeter on the contest:  

"The turning point came at the end of the second quarter. We made a couple of plays and turned the ball over to give up four late in the second quarter. Clemson made us pay for our mistakes. It just comes down to them making plays and us not." 

Clemson is 10-4 in their first season of DI lacrosse. The program does have 11 graduate students on the roster and 19 transfers from other programs, so the sport isn't exactly new to the players...although it is to the fan base and Clemson athletic department. 

(Finding any actual photos from the match was virtually impossible, so someone needs to inform the Clemson photographers that they have a D1 Lacrosse program) 

The Cards will take a bit of a break, with no mid-week game this week, and try to right the ship against a 2-4 Virginia Tech team on Saturday at noon.

NCAA WBB Championship Today

Just in case you forgot, Iowa and LSU will battle this afternoon to determine who will be the 2023 NCAA WBB champ. In our Pick 'Em contest, only five participants had LSU reaching the final game and just two had Iowa getting there. And only two had Iowa winning it all. 

Most are expecting a shootout with Caitlan Clark leading the way for the Hawkeyes and Angel Reese for LSU. There are some interesting subplots. What gaudy outfit will Kim Mulkey wear? Which fan base will be the loudest...the iowa group or LSU fans? Will the refs "let 'em play"...or will this be a whistle-fest? 

In our Pick 'em contest, four participants ( Wahoo Card, Joe Hill, Jared and Karen) tied for first with a 46-16 record and none of them have either LSU or Iowa to win in all, so it looks like first and second place will be determined by the total number of points in the contest that our participants predicted.  

3:30 pm on ABC. That's channel 4 on Louisville cable (WHAS). An hour long pre-game show begins on the network at 2:30. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

With Case out, and Daryl and Jared both having mid-day'ish commitments, the crew gathered early for the CCRHP yesterday.  Normally, we try to make sure we have updates ahead of time for time changes, but there was some scrambling to get this all put in place and get all the pieces moving two hours early aiming for a 9am start.  I slid in to my podcasting chair at 8:59am and was essentially the reason we didn't really get under way until 9:02.

Basketball, Softball, Lacrosse, and a touch of Volleyball and Field Hockey exhibition play discussions kept us busy with a fun show.

You can check it out at its home at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/April-fun-in-an-early-show-with-Basketball--Softball--Lacrosse--and-other-Exhibition-Play-e21hcld or any decent podcast directory, as always.

-- JMcA

Softball Begins ACC Tournament today -- Ahlana Smith to Miss. State -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SOFTBALL CARDS FACE SYRACUSE TO OPEN ACC TOURNAMENT

 

Louisville Softball opens ACC Tournament play today as the #8 seeded team and will face #9 Syracuse in Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. The contest will be shown on the ACC Network.  

For the Cards, it comes down to three simple thinhs -- three of the major tenants in softball or baseball

1) Get runners on base  2) Get those runners across the plate to score runs 3) Do that more often than Syracuse does. 

They weren't able to do much of those three in their season-ending series against Notre Dame, scoring just two runs in three days against the Irish, but, Louisville plated 15 runs against the Orange in a three-game sweep of them at Ulmer Stadium a few weeks ago-- 8-0, 4-1 and 3-2.

The Cards have the power and hitting ability to do it again. Carmyn Greenwood, Taylor Roby, Kendall Smith and Korbe Otis have led the offense most of the season and have accounted for 167 RBI's and 117 Runs scored for the Cards in 51 games and the Louisville squad outscored opponents 276-258 on the season 

One of the keys, tomorrow is going to be limiting the number of runs the Orange are going to be able to push across the plate. And, obviously, good pitching and accurate fielding are the major factors involved in keeping foes from touching home plate. The "ace" of the staff -- Taylor Roby -- has shown in the past she can deliver the effective pitching to limit opponents from tallying up runs scored. Let's hope she's "on" again tomorrow. 

An interesting philosophy was tossed my way earlier today, when someone expressed the hope that Roby WOULDN'T start today and Taja Felder would be given the assignment of containing Syracuse. that way, you could sane Roby for #1 seed Virginia Tech, who would be the Cards next opponent, if they get by Syracuse. An interesting thought, since Felder and Sam Booe split and shared strong performances in a win over Syracuse in the middle of April.. 

You must win today to play tomorrow, though, and Roby probably gives you the best chance of doing that, She had two wins over the Orange earlier in the season and I think you go with your strengths in "the second season".

Good luck to the Cards tomorrow ! Survive..and advance. .

(Thanks to Jared Anderson and Ryan Greenwood for the softball photos used in the article)  

AHLANA SMITH TO MISSISSIPPI STATE

When Ahlana Smith entered the transfer portal, the gang at Cardinal Couple discussed the possibility of her joining up again with Sam Purcell -- at Mississippi State. 

It has come to pass. 

It'll be her fourth school in her time as a collegiate student athlete. Her journey began at aT UCLA,, then Gulf Coast, two years at Louisville and now at MSU. 

Purcell gets a capable guard who scored 4.3 ppg at Louisville last season in 32 games, which was seventh-highest on the team. She was a reserve who usually entered if Kianna Smith, Chelsie Hall or Hailey Van Lith needed a rest or got into foul trouble.  A very capable ball-handler with much better than average speed and a decent three-point shot. 

The thing is, with both Kianna Smith and Chelsie Hall graduating, you just couldn't see Ahlana as a starter. Too much incoming talent, the development of Payton Verhulst and Kasa Robinson returning seemed to indicate that Ahlana would keep the same role, only with a different cast of starters to spell. 

So, she's off to a fresh start with a head coach who she's familiar with (and who recruited her out of Gulf Coast) -- in a situation where an experienced guard just might help Purcell fill one of the gaps in defining capable players for a Bulldogs team that went 15-14 overall, 6-10 in the SEC and lost their last six games. 

She's the sixth guard listed on the latest 2022-23 MSU roster.

Wishing Ahlana a lot of luck under Sam with the Bulldogs. Beating UK twice would be a great start. 

(WBB photos of Ahlana from Jared Anderson) 

Have a wonderful Wednesday

paulie

 

Softball and Lacrosse - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Softball

The UofL Softball squad clinched the series against Syracuse with a 8-0 run-rule win yesterday in a beautiful, though slightly cool, day at Ulmer Stadium on campus.

Paulie and "The Gov'nuh" Jordan McNary

After an error-prone Friday game that saw the Cards pull out the win anyway, Coach Holly Aprile was in much better spirits after yesterday's matchup.  The Cards cut down the errors from 4 in Friday's game, to only a single one yesterday, and even that one was a tricky bounce that Sid Melton was charging halfway across the diamond to try to handle.

The Cards were loose and having fun, with Celene Funke, of course, leading the
hype.  Plenty of Cards got in on the fun, with runs scored by by Taylor Roby, Charley Butler, Caitlin Ferguson, both of the Schindler twins (Paige, and Riley), Jordyn Wolfe (pinch running for Megan Hensley), and Sidney Melton.  The Schindler team-up was particularly fun, with Paige pinch running for Kyra Snyder, Riley walked to put the two on 1st and 2nd.  Two pitches later and the twins are on 2nd and 3rd with a double steal.  Maddie Newman then lined up the middle to score the pair.

When concessions does a theme, they go big.
Very green beer being served at Ulmer this weekend.

Also of note in the game is that 5 of the 8 runs were scored with 2-outs on the board.  A slightly nerve-wracking practice, but also a situation the tends to deflate the opposing team.

The Cards and the Orange will contest the 3rd and final game of the series today at noon, in what should be another beautiful day at the park.

Head coach Holly Aprile left today's starter in the circle unanswered, stating that she and the coaches would discuss that Saturday night.

Thanks to The Crunch Zone, we present these post game comments with Holly:

LINK: HOLLY APRILE COMMENTS ON 3-16-19 SYRACUSE GAME

Lacrosse

Also today at noon, and also facing Syracuse, the Louisville Lacrosse squad will be trying to channel
some more TeeterPower to get their 4th win in 5 games, and 3rd in a row.  That will be a tall order against the #4 ranked 'Cuse.

With an OT lose against perennial Lacrosse powerhouse Maryland, a 1 point regulation loss against Northwestern, and a 2 point loss to Boston College, Syracuse sits in 5th in the ACC, despite the 4th overall ranking.  Of course, it could be argued that the ACC is having a bit of an off year in the rankings, with "only" 6 of the 8 league teams being represented in the top 20.

Media Coverage

Both Softball and Lacrosse will have coverage on the ACC Network Extra starting at noon.  I would encourage you to try to get out to one of these games as it'll be a great day on Floyd Street, although still a little cool with the forecast calling for partly sunny and a high of 55.

If you're bandwidth challenged,  Twitter will be good for keeping up with the action.  In addition to the fine job done by the official UofL Sports Twitter accounts (@UofLSoftball and @LouisvilleLax, for these two), Daryl Foust and myself will be at Ulmer for Softball (@darylfoust4 and @CardCoupleRadio), while Paulie (@CardinalCouple) will be down Floyd Street at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium.

Jared will be the social butterfly of the group and be putting in appearances at both to collect pictures.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

A late scratch by Case, being a good husband and taking care of an ailing Lindsey (I hope I'm
spelling that right, I don't have a roster to double-check, here), and Jared working his day job making change, brought a bit of a different line-up to the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour yesterday.  Different, but no less fantastic.

Daryl Foust has become a regular in the studio with us, an addition that only raises the caliber of discussion.  Paige Sherrard also joined Paulie and Worldwide in the studio.  Paige excels in analysis and discussion of basketball, so this is peak time of year for getting her insights in the game of roundball, and we're delighted to have her with us when we can get her to talk about Basketball.

If you missed it, you can check it out on Facebook Live at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/402170387027517/

-- 

JMcA

SOFTBALL SENIORS CINCH SERIES SUNDAY VS SYRACUSE -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SIMS, SMITH WITH 5 RBI'S IN 6-2 WIN

It is only fitting that on Louisville Softball Senior Day, two of the three seniors provide the offensive punch for the Cards in a 6-2 win over Syracuse Sunday at Ulmer Stadium.

Brittany Sims, Hailey Smith and Mo Hart got the starts as Cardinal seniors and provided much of the offensive spark for Louisville in the win. 

This contest started out as a pitcher's duel...with neither squad finding a way to push a run across the plate until the bottom of the fourth...when Louisville erupted for three home plate trips. Nicole Pufahl got the party started with a double and Sims sent her home with a single. Jordan McNary worked a walk off Syracuse starting pitcher AnnaMarie Gatti to set the stage for a two-RBI double from Smith.

The Cards added to the lead in the fifth when Sims belted her second double of the game...bringing pinch-runner Jessica Adell and Megan Hensley home. Louisville was leading 5-0 and all five scores had been driven in by seniors Smith and Sims. 

Syracuse would counter with two runs in the top of the sixth but the Cards would load the bases in the bottom half of the inning....and getting a Maryssa Becker RBI single to set the final score 6-2. 

Becker notched her 19th. win of the season, going the distance and allowing two runs on seven hits. 

UofL (32-10, 13-5 ACC) steps out of conference next with a Wednesday evening hosting of arch-rival Kentucky. The first planned game between the two was rained out back on April 6th. in Lexington and the three day weather forecast for the Louisville area might have these two dodging raindrops again. 

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THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

If you missed Saturday's live broadcast of THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR...fear not. The SoundCloud re-broadcast can be heard at the following link: 

LINK: https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-20160423


A fun broadcast where Jared Anderson and I discussed Louisville softball, lacrosse, hoops and track and field in the first half of the broadcast. You won't want to miss our Derby Preview in the second half of the broadcast with the excellent handicapping views of Tom, Scott, Dave and Charlie for the first Saturday in May race.

The boys are giving out sage advice and predictions on what might happen Derby Day and whether you're a novice bettor or seasoned race-goer, you'll glean quite a bit from their analysis.

paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Softball and Lacrosse both face Syracuse today...Cardinal Couple Radio Hour -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

TWO DIFFERENT CITIES BUT SAME FOE

Louisville faces Syracuse today. Squared. While the lacrosse team takes to the road to face #4 Syracuse at noon in the Carrier Dome (yes, you read that right...lacrosse in the Carrier Dome)...the Syracuse softball team has made its way to Louisville to face the Cards in the KFC YUM! Center.

(Just kidding...the softball double-header today will be at Ulmer Stadium!) 

**SWING AND HIT CARDS LOOK TO HOLD ON TO 3RD PLACE**

Louisville (30-9, 11-4) begins action at noon in the first of two against a Syracuse squad that is nestled in fifth place in the ACC with a 24-19 overall record and 8-9 conference mark. 

It is Pink Out Day to promote breast cancer research and awareness and the Pearsall Cards will be in custom-made pink jerseys which will be auctioned off with proceeds being donated to the Livestrong Foundation through the YMCA. If you go, don that pink T-Shirt! 

Louisville enters the contest on a five-game win streak...sweeping North Carolina Central last weekend and defeating IU and Virginia Tech previous to that. Maryssa Becker leads the way for the Cards in the circle and at the plate with a .446 batting average and 17-6 pitching record that sports a 1.84 ERA. 

Megan Hensley was recently named a top 25 finalist for the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Freshman of the Year. The Ashland, KY native is hitting .383 and has compiled a team leading 13 home runs. In the circle, she's produced a 13-3 mark. 

Hit the ol' ballpark today for two! Be advised with the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Track Invitational taking place next door at Cardinal Park...traffic on the north end of Floyd could be rather congested and slow. ESPN 3 will also have the broadcast with Don Russell and Stephanie Cantway discussing the swings and misses in case you can't root, root, root for the home team. 

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   ****LACROSSE ENDS REGULAR SEASON AT SYRACUSE****

Louisville Lacrosse will also be on ESPN 3 today at noon with their regular season finale against the Orange in the Carrier Dome. 

Louisville comes into the contest #8 in the nation with a 13-3 overall and 3-3 ACC body of work...having recently lost a tear-jerker on Senior Day to Virginia 10-9 last Saturday at the LLS. 

Loucrosse has never defeated Otto the Orange's laxers in six attempts. The #3 Syracuse squad stands at 13-4, 4-2 and won a close one against the #16 Cornell Big Red on the road Tuesday 9-7. (Why would you nickname your school after a soft drink, I ask you?) 

An interesting scout by the Louisville Sports Information department on the upcoming match...indicating that sophomore Brittany Read will be in goal for the Cards. We had received reports last week that her season is done and she didn't participate against Virginia. We suspect that the information may just need updating in the files and that recent arrival Kelli Gielner will be between the pipes. 

Or maybe it's the fastest ACL recovery in modern medical history. These doctors these days...

The scoring foursome of Hannah Koloski (36 goals) Kaylin Morissette (34 goals) Cortnee Daley (32 goals) and Kelli Gerding (23 goals and a team-high 21 assists) will most likely need to put up double-digit numbers on the scoreboard if the Cards are to put this one in the "W" column. Last year, the Orange squeezed out a 16-8 victory in the LLS. 

The Cards need a solid ACC win after losses to the Cavs, Blue Devils and TarHeels. Today would be an ideal day to get it. The road trip = loss scenario that has bugabooed the Cards lately could play a factor in seeding for the NCAA Tournament. Go take care of the roadwork, Loucrosse! 
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                    ****HELLO, RADIO-LAND!**** 

The CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR will occupy the airwaves on WCHQ 100.9 FM today for our weekly look at the events and results of Louisville women's Athletics. The show is also available on the mysterious world of the infinite Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com for 60 minutes (or 3600 seconds) of the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports.

We've got a couple of great treats for today's broadcast (which starts at 11 a.m.) which will stumble through somehow without WorldWide in the chair to the left of me. He's floating down a lazy river in Hungary or something like that this week...but we'll have BIG RED LOUIE'S sportswriter Jared Anderson in studio with us for the first half of the show and then an exclusive look at the Kentucky Derby from four of Churchill Downs most respected handicappers  to close the show in the final half hour. You'll want to hear what Tom, Scott, Dave and Charlie have to say! 

It should be a real special broadcast today and we invite you to grab your notebook and write down the words for your Derby dossier. 

DISCLAIMER STUFF: The opinions expressed by the handicappers are in no way associated with the official viewpoints of the staff or management of WCHQ 100,9 FM Crescent Hill Radio. The broadcast is for entertainment purposes only and we make no claims of guaranteed success of the opinions expressed.

LINK: HORSES, HOMERS AND LAX...OH, MY!


paulie
xxxxx

Cards crush Orange

FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Early production, Trimble's blast send Cards to the semifinal


Sandy Pearsall may have said it best. In an interview that we'll play on the Saturday Cardinal Couple Radio Show, I asked Coach P. about the overall power of the Louisville batters..

" I was talking to the assistants about that the other afternoon. I said to them...what if we were the opposition and had to look across the diamond and see what Louisville had coming up to bat against us. Holy cow! We're scary..."

Louisville was scary, indeed on Thursday...pounding Syracuse for 12 hits and 12 runs in a 12-3 win.

Louisville wasted no time in unpacking the hitting sticks. In the bottom of the first, Katie Keller led things off with a single, moved to third on a Jordan Trimble bunt and scored when Maggie Ruckenbrod reached on a grounder to second.
Katelyn Mann cleared the bags with a triple to make it 3-0. Hannah Kiyohara's single brought Mann in and Kayla Soles smashed a triple to score Kiyohara. 5-0 Cards before the chalk dust on the first base line had settled.

Syracuse tried to make a contest of it. They settled down and got the Cards retired in the second with two hits but no runs. They cut the gap to 5-3 in the top of the third with a pair of home runs.

Louisville was nowhere finished with the offensive firepower, though.

Soles started the home half of the third with a two out fielder's choice. Taner Folwer took one deep to left that appeared to be caught at the fence...but the umpires ruled it a trapped ball and Fowler was awarded first base. After Keller was plunked by a pitch to load the bases, Trimble emptied the bags with a blast to left-center. It was her sixth homer of the year and second grand slam. 9-3 Louisville.

The Cards added three more in the fourth. Kiyohara scored when she reached on a fielder's choice and Soles singled. That set the stage for Fowler's two run blast to left that made it 12-3 Cards. The game was ended after five innings because of the eight-run rule.

Rachel LeCoq went three innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Caralisa Connell was "good Carl" in the final two...holding the Orange scoreless and striking out three.

Louisville advances to play #2 seed South Florida today at 6:30 p.m. The Bulls handled Providence 3-0 in the final game of the day.

In earlier action, #4 seed DePaul won a pitcher's duel with Georgetown 1-0. #1 seed Notre Dame shut out Seton Hall 6-0.

On a opening day of BIG EAST Tournament play where five teams managed a total of only four runs combined, Louisville showed why they were the offensive leader in just about every imaginable offense stat in the BIG EAST this season.

May the bats be with you again tomorrow...Cards!

-Paulie

--

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Louisville WBB faces #1 Baylor in Sweet 16

-Softball romps Syracuse 9-0

-Happy Easter!

And, so...it had come down to this. The University of Louisville women's basketball team is in Oklahoma City. Their opponent in tonight's 7 p.m. game on ESPN2 is the #1 team in the tournament, the nation, in all of women's college basketball -- the Baylor Bears. Is it unfair that the Cardinals are faced with such a monumental task after two nice wins earlier in the tournament?

Not really. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Out of the sixteen teams that made it this far...there are no pushovers. Some fans have argued that an opponent like Penn State, Kansas or Nebraska might have made a more suitable and winnable game to prolong the UofL season. The bottom line is this:

Eventually, you're going to be tested by someone who have been a better team than you. Whether it be in the regional opener, regioal final, Final Four or National Title game...your "Goliath" will eventually stand in front of you.

Look at this #5 seed. Colorado. A team that bested Louisville earlier in the year (minus Sara Hammond). Their opening game against #12 Kansas looked to be a easy advancement. Guess what? The Buffs lost. Kansas advances.

Fifth seeded Michigan State in the Bridgeport Region skated by Marist before falling to #4 Maryland. Iowa State, another five seed knocked off Gonzaga before falling to four seed Georgia. Speaking of Georgia, Andy Landers' Bulldogs pulled off the shocker of the tournament so far by upsetting Stanford last night. A #4 over a #1. Louisville is the only #5 left. The UK WBB squad rolls into the Elite Eight by downing Delaware and Della Donne. UConn handled Maryland and #2 California is making Nikki Caldwell look like a genius by topping PSU.

When in comes to facing Baylor, Jeff Walz sees it this way:

"I've told our kids that if you come out and play scared, it's not going to matter. So we're going to try to come out and attack."

No fear of Griner, of Sims, of Madden. Pope or Mulkey. Who's afraid of the big, bad Bears? Hopefully, not UofL.

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If you showed up late to the Louisville softball game Saturday, you missed the fireworks. Not the sky-exploding, multi-colored missles...just the high-powered, fence rattling Louisville bats.

The Cards pounded Syracuse early. In the bottom of the first, Sandy Pearsall's crew laid a half dozen runs on 'Cuse pitcher Lindsay Taylor. Katie Keller singled to start the game. Jordan Trimble drew a walk. Maggie Ruckenbrod's single plated Keller. Taner Fowler cleared the bases of Cards with a three-run homer to left. Kayla Soles singled and came home on a Whitney Arion single. Jasmine Smithson-Willett (WOO! HOO!) singled and Keller, batting for the second time in the inning, singled again to score Arion. 6-0 Cards before the clock struck 12:30.

Louisville added two more in the home half of the second. After Alicja Wolny was plunked by Taylor, Fowler unleashed a bomb to left for her second base-cleaner and the score was 8-0.

The Cards tacked on one more in the third. JSW got her second single of the game, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Trimble single.

Meanwhile, Caralisa Connell was "good Carl" in the pitching circle. The Orange touched her for just one hit in five innings. She struck out six in going to 18-2 on the season.

"We had another great performance from Caralisa Connell and some timely defense and great catches out there. Chrisanna Roberts had a great diving catch in right field late in the game. Taner Fowler has truly found her rhythm again. She was struggling early in the season, but what better time than right now, as we're going into conference play, this is what we want to see from her." --Sandy Pearsall, UofL head softball coach.

The Cards (28-6, 2-1) step out of BIG EAST play to host arch-rival Kentucky on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium.
Let's fill the seats and pack the grassy knoll for this one, Cardinal fans!

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We wish a Happy Easter to all our CARDINAL COUPLE readers. Whether it's attending church services, holding an Easter Egg Hunt, sitting down to a scrumptious Easter dinner or just relaxing and enjoying time with family or friends...we hope it's a day of rest and reflection for you.

Don't get too stuffed and fall asleep early -- the men's basketball team plays at 5:00 p.m. against Duke and the ladies follow at 7:00 p.m. And after that, it's the season-ending episode of AMC's critically acclaimed The Walking Dead at 9 p.m.  Blue Devils, Bears, and Zombies...oh my!



--Paulie


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Cards fall to Syracuse 1-0 in BIG EAST Softball Finals.

SUNDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

-Softball loses to Syracuse 1-0 in BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

-'Off the Rez' - Where do they go from here?

-Louisville women's hoops to play Texas A&M in 2011-12 season.

The University of Louisville softball team fell in the finals of the BIG EAST softball tournament yesterday at Ulmer Stadium to Syracuse 1-0. It is the second year in a row these two have met in the finals and the second time Syracuse has won the tournament by

Louisville left ten base runners stranded against
Jenna Caira...who allowed six hits, no runs. 

one run in the final game.

Once again, it was "Card killer" Jenna Caira dealing out the fatal blow to the Lady Cards softball crew...shutting the Cards down without a run for the third time this season...two of them from the arm of Caira.

For the Cards, Tori Collins pitched the type of game that will get you a win nine out of ten  times...allowing just one run and five hits while striking out ten Orange batters.

The third inning proved to be the key at-bat for Syracuse...Kelly Saco taking one to the fence for a double and moving to third on a sacrifice bunt. Before the attempt, UofL catcher Maggie Ruckenbrod apparently picked off Saco on a throw from the plate to second base..but the original call was over-ruled after discussion and complaints from the Syracuse coaching staff that Katie Keller didn't have sufficient possession of the ball when she tagged Saco out.
Stephanie Watts drove Saco home with a single for the 1-0 advantage. Louisville kept the disadvantage to just one when Watts was thrown out at the plate by Kristin Austin after a Lisaria Daniel single.

The Cards got robbed of an apparent run in the fourth when Ruckenbrod singled and got to second when her hit was misplayed. Pinch runner Chelsea Jordan moved to third on Austin's bunt single and crossed the plate on a Taner Fowler ground ball. Umpires once again intervened and sent Jordan back to third...calling Fowler out for runner's interference while
running out her hit. Caira was able to then get the third out of the inning...stranding Jordan at third.

Louisville had a chance to tie it in the seventh after Jennifer Esteban singled and got to third when Chelsea Bemis struck out but got to first safely after Syracuse catcher Ashley Dimon couldn't control the third strike and then hit Bemis with a throw as she was running down the first base line after the passed ball. Esteban would remain at third, though..when the Cards' Alicja Wolny grounded out to end the game.

Caira was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Louisville placed four players on the All-Tournament team...pitcher Tori Collins, 3rd base Chelsea Bemis, shortstop Colby Wherry and catcher Maggie Ruckenbrod. 

We opted to view last night's contest from the right field knoll instead of the press box. For those of you who missed not receive our real-time game commentary, we can only tell you that sometimes we like to be just fans...cheering for the Cardinals. And, that is what CARDINAL COUPLE's mission statement is...to be the fan voice for all UofL women's sports. We missed the commentary and money-shines going on up in the press box...but sometimes, you just want to yell, cheer and interact with the other fans. 

We could gripe and complain about the two calls that eventually gave Syracuse a run and took one away from Louisville....but the umpires are in charge of game time decisions and have the right to reverse calls. In this case, unpopular reversals. Still, this Louisville softbal team has overcome some mighty large obstacles to get to where they are and WE'RE very proud of Coach Pearsall and her outstanding ladies in every aspect. WE hope they get the chance to continue this amazing journey with an NCAA bid.  

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Shoni Schimmel and her mother Ceci.

Off the Rez premiered last night on TLC and the documentary was hard hitting and gripping at times. When one gets a personal glimpse into the lives of others...you come to realize that the bond of family can be a very strong and guiding force in one's life...either by being present or vacant. In Shoni and the rest of Schimmel family's life...that bond is huge.

The continued success of Shoni after leaving the Umatilla Reservation and going to Portland and then Louisville has come with a dear price to pay...not being able to have the daily interaction with all of the extended family. It makes her successes all that more remarkable and noteworthy. We see a bright and success filled future ahead for "Sho-time", her sister Jude and although neither will be in constant contact on a daily basis with their siblings, parents, relatives and reservation friends...they'll be assured and gain strength from the knowledge that the support is unwavering despite the distance.

And, in the final analysis...that is what life is all about. You eventually leave the care and security of your home to etch out your own niche in the world. The degrees of success you find is metered and determined by the effort and results you create, ignore or achieve. 'Off the Rez' may be a time of adjustment for part of the Schimmel-Moses extended family...but life itself is a series of adjustments. You keep pushing....and we're confident that Shoni, Jude, Ceci, Rick and all the family will be quite successful in the years to come. The University of Louisville fan base is strong and alive in northeast Oregon.

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Part of the Louisville women's basketball schedule has been released for 2011-12 and the second game of the year will have Lousville travelling to College Station, TX. to play Gary's Blair's Texas A&M squad. You remember A&M, right? They won the NCAA Womens Basketball Championship a couple of months ago.

Louisville forward Asia Taylor will go to play against the Aggies.

Other tenative trips include a visit to Florida State and the school is trying to schedule a couple of games up in the Oregon/Washington area, where a strong Shoni and Jude Schimmel fan base exsists...

WE can't wait!


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