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

CARDS TAKE 2-1 WIN OVER SYRACUSE TO ADVANCE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



GOLF ADVANCES OUT OF NCAA REGIONAL TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

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

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

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

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



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

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

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




paulie
xxxxx

Softball Wins Awards and Begins ACC Tournament -- Women's Golf Finishes up Regional Play -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Earns Three Conference Awards

Three Louisville softball players received recognition with ACC awards yesterday.  Pitcher Megan Hensley and shortstop Sidney Melton were named to the All-ACC first team and second baseman Maddy Newman was named to the All-ACC freshman team.

This is Hensley's second appearance on the All-ACC team after earning the honors in 2016.  She has played a crucial role on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  However, she does prefer hitting over pitching and would step up to the plate if she could only choose one.  Melton makes her first appearance on the conference team.  She is perfect in stolen bases this year and has crossed the plate a team-high 19 times.  Newman filled in early in the season at second base and would not surrender that position.  She has had one of the top rookie

performances by a Louisville player since the university parted ways with the Big East.  All three players will be returning to Louisville's roster next season.

Florida State claimed a majority of the major awards by taking Player of the Year (Jessie Warren) Pitcher of the Year (Kylee Hanson), and Freshman of the Year (Sydney Sherrill).  Holly Aprile of Pittsburgh took home Coach of the Year.

Louisville Softball Begins ACC Tournament

Desperately needing something to draw the NCAA Tournament committee's eyes this direction the 8-seeded Louisville softball team hopes to make a run in the ACC Tournament.  The Cards bused to Atlanta yesterday and will face 9-seeded Syracuse in one of the play-in games.  The winner will face 1-seeded Florida State.

The Cards finished 10-12 in conference play this season, well below the coaches' preseason predictions of finishing fourth.  I thought they could finish as high as second or third, but the Cards never did piece everything together.

The Cards lead the all-time series with Syracuse 21-10 with most of those games being played when the two teams were conference rivals in the Big East.  This season the teams are 1-1 against each other this year after the third game of the series was canceled due to inclement weather.

Today's game is set for 1:00 p.m., and can be viewed online on Watch ESPN.  Hopefully we might see a local station such as Fox Sports South pick it up for tv viewing.

Women's Golf Enters Final Day of Play in Seventh

Enjoying the sun and beautiful weather out in San Francisco the women's golf team is sitting in a tie for seventh place and just one stroke out of sixth.  The Cards shot a 6-over-par 294 yesterday and are 5-over-par 581 throughout the whole event so far.

Lauren Hartlage and Delaney Shah both shot an even-par of 72 yesterday to lead the way.  Hartlage is tied for 12th overall and Shah sits in a tie for 38th.  Olivia Cason is tied for 29th after struggling in the second round.

The top six teams from each region advance to the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, O.K., so the Cards do have a little bit of work cut out for them.  Louisville will need to make up their one-stroke deficit and hopefully will pull ahead further from their own success or have North Carolina and Oklahoma State struggle on the final day of events.

A trip to the NCAA Championships would mark the program's second trip with the other coming in 2008.

What is Today?

Picture from the Hitchcock
classic "VERTIGO". 

If your kids are feeling energetic they can bike to school today.  It is also national school nurse day, and believe me, with what they deal with they deserve at least a week of recognition, especially with the Hep A outbreak going on around town.  For you film critics Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo premiered on this day in 1958.  We can also wish Billy Joel a happy birthday today.  I saw him start a fire one time, but I know no one will believe me.

With Minout "Minnie" Mink leaving UofL for good and returning home I was hoping to get a video interview with her before she left, but the filed hockey star procrastinated on packing a wee bit too much so we are in the works of an alternative.  Be on the lookouts to see what the Mink has to say about her time as a Cardinal and her time in the states as well as what her "walk-up" song would be. Probably not anything Billy Joel sang or wrote?

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Shoni Returns -- Second Season -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SHONI HITS A THREE IN RETURN TO LIBERTY

The return of Shoni Schimmel to the New York Liberty WNBA squad debuted last night and she saw a total of 24 minutes (fourth highest on the roster) in a 76-69 loss to the Dallas Wings. Schimmel went 1-5 from the floor (all threes) for three points and picked up three fouls and no assists in her return to the court. 

With 16 players seeing action, the court time for Shoni is maybe surprising but encouraging. She came off the bench for the Liberty. Mercedes Russell, the Tennessee grad who flirted with coming to Louisville as a high school freshman had eight points in 26 minutes.

The star of the night was former UConn and Duke center Azura Stevens, who tallied 19 for the Wings...who pulled away from a two-point lead at the end of three quarters to get the seven-point preseason win. Stevens also grabbed nine boards in her debut rookie effort. 

Schimmel wears #13 for the Liberty...a departure from the #23 we saw her in as a Cardinal and with the Atlanta Dream and the #5 she wore in her previous stint with New York. 


THAT SECOND SEASON

Many coaches refer to playoff time in the conference and in the NCAA Tournaments as "the season season".  The University of Louisville women's spring athletics squads have been through or are starting those second seasons this month and here's a brief update and preview: 

LACROSSE -- Lost in the first round on the ACC Tournament to Boston College. Did not make the 26-team NCAA Tournament. 

SOFTBALL -- Will face Syracuse in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Atlanta, GA (Georgia Tech campus) on Wednesday. The Cards are the #8 seed and would draw #1 FSU next if they advance Wednesday. After that? They are a bubble team, by most accounts, for the NCAA Tournament. A win over Syracuse would help, obviously and a win over FSU would definitely help their NCAA chances. 

W. GOLF -- Finished with the ACC Regional and now in the NCAA Regional in San Francisco, where they are currently in fourth place after one day of competition. Olivia Cason and Lauren Hartlage are tied for 10th. place in the overall picture, both firing 71's.

The team carded a 287, which is seven strokes behind leader UCLA. Two other squads are tied with Louisville at 287 -- Stanford and Oregon. 

ROWING -- Louisville trains for the ACC Championships at Clemson on May 13th. If successful, they'll also look toward the NCAA Championships 5/25-5/27 in Sarasota. Hmmm...maybe we can send David Watson over to cover...he lives in nearby Bradenton. 
Louisville Rowing is ranked 22nd in the nation. The Cards competed well against #7 Michigan in their regular season final. 

W. TENNIS -- Louisville was eliminated in the first round of the ACC Championships by Virginia Tech 4-1. The "Serve and Return" Cards finish the season at 13-13 and are not considered to be a candidate for the NCAA Championships.


W. TRACK AND FIELD -- Louisville is ranked #14 in the nation and gets ready for the ACC Championships. Those start May 10th. in Miami. Makenli Forrest is ranked 11th in the hammer throw, Dorcas Wasike 12th in the 10,000 meter run and Alexis Gibbons 41st in the long jump. Louisville looks to have several hopefully qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, OR on June 6-9.

W. SWIMMING AND DIVING -- Louisville's women "Splash and stroke" squad recorded a program high fifth place in the the NCAA Championships in Columbus, OH. The Cards qualified in five finals events and Mallory Comerford won the 200 Free. 


So...successes galore and good performance by the Spring sports student-athletes so far with a few more events to follow. 


PAULIE'S DERBY PARAGRAPHS

Snoozing or texting. You decide. I don't
remember...

I got this idea a few years back about creating a few short paragraphs that tell a story with all 20 Derby Horses involved. It's harder than you might imagine. I've never posted it here at Cardinal Couple but thought I would this year. 

"Can you Justify the Good Magic involved in a Lone Sailor in Hofburg with My Boy Jack having Promises Fulfilled under a Magnum Moon? 

They had Vino Rosso with Free Drop Billy while listening to Mendelssohn  Recalling their Instilled Regard for a Combatant named Solomini. 

Enticed by a Firenze Fire they watched Flameaway, a Bolt D' Oro struck with Bravazo in Noble Indy..Audible to all." 

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day, Have a Coke Day and National Coconut Creme Pie Day. So, buy your favorite professor a slice of pie and a Coke! 



Have a great Tuesday! 

paulie
xxxxx

WNBA pre-season started -- UofL transfer news -- Derby recap -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HINES-ALLEN HAS A SUCCESSFUL DEBUT WITH MYSTICS

The WNBA started their pre-season Sunday and three games took place. With (4) former Cardinals WBB stars in the league (although...do you ever become an ex-Cardinal?) we'll try to keep you up on Angel McCoughtry, Asia Taylor, Shoni Schimmel and Myisha Hines-Allen with periodic updates. 

Two of the four saw the court Sunday, both the Washington Mystics rostered Myisha Hines-Allen and Asia Taylor. Both saw about 16 minutes in the Mystics 90-85 win over the Minnesota Lynx. Hines-Allen had a nice opening debut with 13 points. She went 4-5 from the floor ,5-6 from the charity stripe and grabbed five rebounds. Neither she nor Asia Taylor, the other Louisville alumni on the Mystics started. "A-Tayy" gathered five points in her playing time...all from the free throw line (5-10). A nice start for both as they try to make the Mystics roster.

Atlanta opened their season also but Angel McCoughtry didn't make the court for the Dream in a 78-61 win over the Chicago Sky. Not very surprised by this, after all, she sat out the entire 2017 season, everyone knows what she's capable of and the Dream and Nikki Collen (head coach) have 15 other players to try and whittle down to 10-11 by the start of the season in two weeks. 

Schimmel and the New York Liberty play today at 5 p.m. against the Dallas Wings. 

It's the first time in Louisville's WNBA connection that I can remember four WBB Cards have been in the league. Let's hope all four survive the "cuts" and make the rosters. 


TRANSFER NEWS

Don't worry, Cardinal WBB fans, the transfer news DOES NOT INVOLVE CARDINAL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL...but it does involve a significant Field Hockey departure and a couple of women's soccer exits. 

'"We'll miss Minnie at Cardinal Couple"

Minout "Minnie" Mink will be leaving Field Hockey to return to the Netherlands and attend college there. The Cards leading scorer in 2016 and 2017 expressed a desire to return home and attend school. 

Minnie was a scorer (that's what she did and does) and had 26 goals in two seasons for head coach Justine Sowry and the "stick girls". With ACC and regional honors, she'll be a hard one to replace in the Cards' Field Hockey attack pattern, but Sowry has talent galore on the roster and recruited well, so replacements are readily available. 

Maybe a surprise, here. The future looked bright for her on the 2018 roster, but her non-appearance in spring exhibition action for the Cards was an indicator. We wish "Minnie" the best of luck in her college continuance. Jared Anderson has set up an interview with her today...so, hopefully, we'll get a little more of the story and he'll be able to bring it to us here at the site. 

In UofL women's soccer, T.J Anderson and Morgan Dewey are departing from the squad. 
Anderson, a freshman, played in 10 games for the Cards in 2017 as a mid-fielder and saw the bulk of her action near the end of the season. No immediate word on where she's headed. 

Dewey, also a freshman, played in 11 contests in 2017 and tallied one goal. She was primarily a defender for Karen Ferguson Dayes. No immediate word on her future plans or next school. 


LACROSSE SEASON OFFICIALLY OVER

Any hopes of Louisville Lacrosse's season continuing and making the NCAA Tournament came to an end this morning when the DI Brackets were released and the Cards did not appear on the list. Five ACC Schools did make the tournament in Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Boston College and Syracuse. The other three schools that play ACC Lacrosse --  Duke, Louisville and Notre Dame -- did not make the field...which is surprising in Notre Dame's case. The Irish had a better record than Syracuse overall and in conference but the committee chose Orange over Green. 

A good season, nevertheless, for Scott Teeter in his first year with a collection of freshmen, transfers and seniors. The Teeter recruiting will have Lacrosse rebuilding each season and, as we have reason to believe, the Teeter system of Lacrosse can be very effective, with a full roster of players. 

We say "Goodbye" to a great collection of seniors. Jared Anderson hopes to catch up with one or two for interviews and we're also looking to get Louisville Lacrosse alumnae and ACC Network Extra analyst Steph McNamara for an interview down the road.  

Practice those draw controls, girls and listen to the coaching staff! 


PAULIE'S DERBY WEEK

A couple of you may have noticed I've been absent from the Cardinal Couple site since last Tuesday.  No, I wasn't sitting out a "yellow card" suspension and didn't foul out...it was Derby Week here in Louisville and I've been quite the busy with my other website HANDICAPPING HEROES. 

Handicapping Heroes a site about thoroughbred horse-racing in Kentucky and it was quite the active week. I got in Churchill Downs attendance time for three straight days early in the week, went to a Derby Party on Derby Day and used yesterday to recover and recoup from the 16-hour days of research, analysis, interviews and having a bit of fun. 

I had a great deal of success predicting the winners all week of the races and made a bit of $$$$$. I met some very fascinating people, got some great interviews and enjoyed it all, despite the yeoman effort and hours. 

Me and the other "boys in the band" put it all out there free of charge and we figured that those who "played along" with our selections and analysis would have returned better than a tripling of their outlays...for the week. You spend $1, you get $3+ back, in other words. 

A reader of the site went into great detail in an e-mail yesterday to me and outlined just how our picks made him a great profit. He invested $1200 for the week in wagers at a simulcasting facility based on the picks of me, Scott and "J-Fred Muggs." He turned that into $4900. He had the Oaks and Derby winner and hit several exactas that paid over $200 on $1 wheels and boxes. That, as they say, ain't too bad...

From here on out until late November, we'll look at Saturday racing in Kentucky. Feel free to give us a look. It's free, you know. 

HANDICAPPING HEROES

Got a Derby Week or Derby Day story to share? We've love to hear it. Leave it in our comments section! 

Have a great Monday and remember....wherever you go, there you are. Make the most of it. 

paulie
xxxxx

Sunday Cardinal Couple - Softball Season is a Wrap

Softball Regular Season is a Wrap

Wait, I hear you say...they have a 3rd game in the series against Pitt today at noon!  Nope, weather intervened, and the game today has been cancelled.  So the Softball regular season comes to a close on a pair of losses.

The Cards will play in post-season.  The ACC tournament brings 10 of the 12 Softball playing teams in the ACC to the tournament now.  The Cards will be the 8 seed of the tournament, which means they'll play 9 seed Syracuse in one of the "play-in" games, on Wed.  The first pitch for the UofL game will be at 1pm, with Duke and Virginia Tech to follow at 3:30.  These games will be carried on RSN (Raycom Sports Network), so look for them on Fox Sports South as a likely channel.  There is a Fox Sports Go app for devices and a companion website where you will likely find a stream of the games as well.

The Softball squad was in action yesterday against Pitt, taking the loss 10-2.  Runs came on mostly small-ball style of play.  The first run was scored in the 2nd inning on the efforts of relative youngsters.  Sophomore Celene "Play that funky music" Funke reached on an infield single, advanced on a groundout by Sophomore Caitlin "Fergy" Ferguson, and reached home on a single by Freshman pitcher/1B Kyra Snyder.  Pitt had scored a pair in the first, and would never relenquish the lead in the game.

Pitt put up another 7 runs in the 3rd inning, putting the Cards on their back feet.  The Pearsall squad didn't give up, though.  They battled for a run in the 5th inning, avoiding the run rule for the moment.  Kyra Snyder against coming through with a solid hit, whereupon Freshman Catie Barber was substituted in to pinch run.  The Junior couldn't let the youngsters have all the fun, though, Madison Cousineau walked, and Megan Hensley hit to bring Barber home.

The game would end up in a run-rule win, however, when Pitt tacked on another run in the bottom of the 5th with no outs to (unknowingly, at the time) end the regular season.

With an RPI hovering around 40, and maybe slightly lower than that after taking a pair of losses this weekend, the Cards are quite bubbly, and I'm not talking about their effervescent personalities, here (though many of the players fit that description as well).  A good showing in the conference tournament will help matters, though that will be a fairly tall task.  Looking at past play, the Cards split a weather altered, and shortened, series against Syracuse with scores of 3-2, and 3-4.  If UofL can advance, they have mighty Florida State waiting with a bye and a #1 seed.

Other Cards in Action

The only other Cards in action this weekend is Baseball who will be finishing up their series at Boston College.  The Cards lead in that series 2-0, with both wins being by fairly substantial margins (6-1, 11-3).

Let's also show some love to the UofL Marching Cards, who performed, as tradition, in the infield of the Kentucky Derby festivities playing "My Old Kentucky Home".  We want to show them some love, because NBC surely didn't, giving the Marching Cards exactly zero seconds of screen time during the performance, and by my aural experience, exactly zero mics to pick up their playing as well.  The Cardinal Singers did get good screen and audio coverage during the performance, and they did a fine job representing the University and the City.

Derby, Non-Radio and Other Odds and Ends

The Kentucky Derby was yesterday, of course.  Rain-drenched though it was, a good time seemed to be had by all.  The knuckleheads took the day off from radio due to heading various places to celebrate the municipal show-off event of the year, so there's no Facebook stream to point you to for a replay as their was no play to be replayed.  We'll be back in the studio next week with all the latest news and updates on UofL women's athletics.

Finally, I'd just like to take a moment to share my hearty congratulations to Case.  He, as he shared yesterday, passed his Fundamentals of Engineering exam as a first step on him way to be a licensed professional engineer.  I run in circles with some honest-to-goodness engineers, so I have had the opportunity to see, several times, just how much time and effort goes into preparing for this task in order to be successful.  And while my job title is "Senior Network Engineer", I tend to be careful to disclaim being a "real" engineer in the PE sense, because I know the level of rigor and standards are on a whole other level.

Congratulations, and maybe after the show next week, you can take us up to Frankfort Avenue and tell us all about the trains.

--
JMcA

Back in the Saddle -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Softball Falls at Pitt; 9-8

Despite a furious comeback to tie the game at 7 in the sixth inning, Louisville was ultimately unable to sustain the torrid pace of Pitt's offense and dropped game two of the series. 

The Cards took the lead in the top of the second when Jenna Jordan scored after the Pitt catcher threw the ball away trying to catch Celene Funke stealing. The lead was short lived, though, as Pitt scored four runs on two home runs and a double in the bottom half of the inning. They added on another 3 run homer in the bottom of the 3rd and Louisville found themselves with a 7-1 deficit. After that, Louisville realized this longball thing could be a bit of fun, so they joined in. In the fourth, Caitlin Ferguson knocked a 2 run shot to score Nicole Pufahl, and Alison (Mike) Szydlowski added a dinger of her own later in the inning. The Cards trailed by only 3 runs. In the sixth, Louisville erased those final three runs with solo shots by Ferguson (2 in the game!), Madison Cousineau, and Sidney Melton. 

Danielle Watson didn't have her best stuff yesterday. It happens. After the Cards tied the game in the top half, Watson gave up a walk, triple, and wild pitch for the Panthers to regain the lead at 9-7. Watson finished with 5 hits, 6 walks, and 5 earned. Megan Hensley took the start and the first 4 earned runs, but Watson finished with the loss. Some days you just struggle in the circle. On days like yesterday, a batter's day, you just try to outlast the opposition. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The Cards young pitching will continue to develop. Danielle Watson doesn't have 14 wins this season for no reason. 

In their last chance, the Cards made a bit of noise. Jenna Jordan pulled a run back with a full-count solo home run to open the inning, but the Pitt starter returned to the mound to pick up the save. She retired Pufahl, Funke, and Ferguson in order on 8 pitches. Ball game over. The Cards take on the Panthers in the rubber match today at 1PM. If you can manage to tear yourselves away from the horse track, this one could be fun to watch.

I'm Back!

Well, did you miss me? After a short stint on the DL, both for medical and personal reasons, I'm finally able to return to the pages. It's only fitting that I return on Derby Day so that I can put my title to a nice double meaning use. A bit has changed for me since we've last spoken. The last two Saturdays were dedicated not to Derby Festival activities, but to preparing for and taking the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Taking (and passing) the FE is the first step toward attaining my professional engineering license. I took a practice exam a couple of weeks ago and spent most of my day last week taking a 6 hour exam. I'm happy to report that I found out much sooner than expected, I passed! Now I'll get to put the books aside for awhile before I eventually begin preparing for another 8 hour exam in a few years.

My other big news comes from my ankle recovery. I finally had another doctor's appointment this week, and I'm now doing some in home physical therapy exercises and putting weight on my injured foot to walk with the assistance of a crutch. I've even taken to walking a little bit in the house with no crutches, but that might be a bit ambitious yet. I'm still a long way from returning to the soccer field or the Tough Mudder course, but as I told someone at work the other day, each update is a step in the right direction towards taking steps. I hope to return to the radio next week as my new directives give me a bit more freedom.

Speaking of the radio, we're off today. In case you haven't heard, there's some big race going on in Old Louisville. Something about some horses or something. It's a big deal in this town apparently. I joke, of course. As a native Louisvillian, I'm more than excited for the Derby today. Strangely, because of the circumstances surrounding this Derby season for me, I've not even been able to look too hard at the field. Fortunately, you don't have to look to me for horse picks, as Paulie has an entire site dedicated to handicapping. Enjoy Derby Day today, wherever you may be. We'll be back on the air next week to continue to bring you the joy and excitement of Louisville women's sports!

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Oaks Day -- Softball Visits Pitt -- What Day Is It -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Happy Oaks Day!

On May 19, 1975, less than 10,000 people found their way to Churchill Downs for the inaugural Kentucky Oaks, trailing the inaugural Kentucky Derby by two days.  Originally 1 1/2 miles, the race was lessened to 1 1/4 miles and eventually 1 1/16 miles before being raised up to its current distance of 1 1/8 miles in 1982.

Now, the Kentucky Oaks is run on the day before the Kentucky Derby, the Friday before the first Saturday of May.  Three year old fillies line up in front of a crowd over 100,000 in hopes of being able to have a garland of lilies draped over them.

The Kentucky Oaks ranks number one in horse racing attendance in regards to races that are not part of the Triple Crown.  It is common for patrons to wear pastel-colored suits or spring dresses as well as a chance for the women to showcase the "southern belle tradition" of extravagant head ware for both the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

Betting

Whether you are a pro handicapper or an amateur betting has been a popular tradition for everyone who walks through the gates of Churchill Downs.  However, types of bets and terms can confuse the newbies.

WIN- betting on a horse to finish first.
PLACE- betting on a horse to finish first or second.
SHOW- betting on a horse to finish first, second or third.
ACROSS THE BOARD- betting to win, place, and show. You're making and paying for three different bets. If your horse finishes first you get payouts for win, place, and show. If your horse finishes second you get payouts for place and show.  If your horse finishes third you get the payout for show.
WIN/PLACE- betting to win and place. You're making and paying for two different bets. If your horse finishes first you get payouts for win and place. If your horse finishes second you get the payout for place.
PLACE/SHOW- betting to place and show. You're making and paying for two different bets. If your horse finishes second you get payouts for place and show. If your horse finishes third you get the payout for show.

EXACTA- betting on two horses to finish first and second in exact order.
QUINELLA- betting on two horses to finish first and second in any order.
TRIFECTA- betting on three horses to finish first, second, and third in exact order.
SUPERFECTA- betting on four horses to finish first, second, third, and fourth in exact order.
DAILY DOUBLE- betting on two horses to win back-to-back races
PICK 3- betting on three horses to win three races in a row
PICK 4- betting on four horses to win four races in a row
Although tellers have become more relaxed about how you introduce your bet the traditional way is racetrack (unless you are at that facility already), race number, amount of bet, type of bet, horse number.

For example, if you are betting on a horse on the Longines Kentucky Oaks you would say "Churchill Downs, race 11, $2 to win, horse 10."

For the latest in handicapping our very own expert Paul Sykes breaks it down for you on his site http://pauliesykes.blogspot.com/.  This guy is good, folks.  He doesn't guarantee you will walk away on top, but odds are you will.  LINK: HANDICAPPING HEROES OAKS DAY SELECTIONS

Someone came into the bank the other day to offer betting advice by going with the horse's name followed by "between the sheets".  By that standard my Oaks pick is Eskimo Kisses and my Derby picks are Promises Fulfilled and Good Magic.  I would not advise this as a good way to bet if you hope to come out on top.

Softball Visits Pittsburgh to Conclude Regular Season

The travel socks crew is coming down to their final few trips as Louisville softball (32-17, 10-10) visits Pittsburgh this weekend.  They will have a chance to showcase their fancy socks on their trip to Atlanta, and hopefully to an NCAA Tournament location after that.

Megan Hensley continues to heat up.  After pitching a majority of the game Wednesday and hitting the go-ahead grand slam the junior from Ashland hopes to strengthen her case for All-American with strong performances in the three games against the Panthers.  She has now surpassed 100 career RBIs and is tied for tenth in program history.  Her 25th career home run moves her to tenth in program for that category, just one homer shy of tying Cardinal-great Maryssa Becker.  Her four career grand slams are tied for first in program history.

Sidney Melton is 15-for-15 in stolen bases and has moved into tenth in program history in stolen bases.  Celene Funke is 16-for-17 in stolen bases and needs one more steal to move into the top ten in program history for successful stolen bases in one season.

Nicole Pufahl also homered in the win against Marshall.  By crossing the plate she has scored 115 times in her career.  If she scores two more times she will move into the top ten in program history in career runs scored.

Pitt is 29-17-1 and had an eight-game win streak before falling to Ohio State earlier this week.  They're second in the ACC and first in the Coastal division with a conference record of 14-6.

Louisville is eighth in the ACC currently.  Depending on what they do and how other teams fare they could climb to as high as sixth or drop down to ninth.  The 8- and 9-seeds will battle it out with the winner taking on 1-seed Florida State in the conference tournament.  The 7- and 10-seeds will face each other with the victor taking on the to-be-determined 2-seed in the tournament.

Louisville is nowhere to be found in or near the Top 25 rankings.  Their RPI clocked in at 39th before their Wednesday game.  One can assume it stayed the same or rose due to the win.

64 teams make the NCAA Tournament.  Similar to baseball the first round is a regional consisting of a four-team double elimination tournament.  The regional winners will advance to the super regional, where two teams will battle it out in a best-of-3 series.  Eight teams will earn a trip to Oklahoma City where its another four-team double elimination tournament and the championship being another best-of-3.

What day is it?

If you haven't figured it out from the top half of the article it's Oaks Days!  It is also national Star Wars Day - May the Fourth (Force) Be With You!

Grab candied orange peels, orange juice, or have a healthy snack (lunch hero day) for your food holidays.  It is also a day to celebrate space, respect for chickens, and to promote anti-bullying.

Being a musician I must recognize that it is also national tuba day, my secondary instrument back in my music major days.  The 2014 football season involved me parading around Papa John's Cardinal Stadium with a sousaphone on my shoulder and back.

Happy Friday and Oaks Day!  May the Force be with You as you follow Paulie's advice on your betting today!

- Jared -

David Watson column -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HOW'S YOUR DERBY WEEK? 

Hey, ho! Dave-O here, pinch-hitting this morning for Paulie. 

It is Derby Week in Louisville, KY., in case you've just come out of a coma or happen to be reading this in a locale where the residents do not place as much emphasis on the first week of May as the Louisville locals do. 

I spoke with "our fearless leader" last night and he's involved in a myriad of events and activities that began on Tuesday and will carry him through "The Run for the Roses" (as they call it up there.) I can only surmise that running through roses has its share of calamities. The thorns and occasional bumblebee could turn against you.

I always wondered why they never had Bret Michaels and hair-metal band Poison sing "Every Rose Has Its Thorns" on Derby Day at Churchill? Sing along at the link below. 

EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORNS

Paulie is quite busy with his horse-racing handicapping site 
(check out HANDICAPPING HEROES at this LINK ). Truth be told here, when we spoke last night, he sounded worn-out but happy after a day at Churchill Downs and gladly and gratefully turned the keys to the website vehicle over to me today with what sounded like relief, gratitude and maybe a bit of Jefferson's Reserve mixed in. So, let's go for a spin! 

I grew up in New Albany and so I remember quite a bit about Derby Week back "in the day". Being in Bradenton now, an expatriated Hoosier, if you will, I still have an interest in things like Balloon Glows and Steamboat Races, along with Mini-Marathons a few of the many events that are part of Derby week. Following them from afar is tough at times, but ask you hve to do is ask Google, Siri or Alexa, right? I even ran in the "Mini" -- as we called it back then -- and finished. I spent the next three days recovering, but I can say I did it. I apologize again to the guy whose front yard I threw up in. No pain, no gain, right?  

On the Louisville Cardinals sports scene, I see that things are slowly winding down. I should mention (after all, this is a women's sports site) that Sandy Pearsall's squad came out on top of the "hit parade" in Ulmer Stadium last night. It was a 13-10 win for the Louisville Sluggers against Marshall and the final regular-season home game for the Cards. 

Megan Hensley has been quite the offensive dynamo for UofL lately -- in addition to her pitching prowess -- and knocked a grand slam home run last night that was essential in Louisville's come-from-behind victory. This contest featured what had to be a wild and wonderful fifth inning, where a total of 16 runs were scored. What did UofL do? Bring Jeff Walz back throw the opening pitch and just decide to leave him in the circle? 

As the scoreboard operator gets a few days off to recover from sprained fingers, the Cards conclude the season at Ulmer with a guaranteed spot in the ACC Tournament but uncertain of their seed just yet. They'll head to the Panthers lair by the three rivers' convergence this weekend to decide all that. One can only hope, for Louisville's sake, that they don't bring in the Pittsburgh Pirates dressed in wigs and clean-shaven, to do their bidding. Or, maybe that wouldn't be so bad...the Pirates are in fourth in the NL Central, right behind my Cubbies and just above those laughable, losing Reds. 

I'm a big golfer (not gopher) as you might know if you've read these pages previously, so I do need to give you a report on the UofL women's golf squad. 

Olivia Cason, a junior from Owensboro, KY, has qualified for the U.S. Women's Open Championship. She fired a one-under par 143 to win the qualifying event for the Championship. That's 36 holes of golf in one day, dear readers. Ol' Dave-O can barely get through 18 holes these days, unless he's playing miniature golf. Even then, the clown's mouth and water hazards always get me.

Cason's big day, plus Louisville women's golf getting selected to compete in the NCAA Championships from May 7-9 out in California and being sponsored by Stanford, are another bright and successful sport for UofL women's athletics. I guess I could even surmise, if you're playing golf at Stanford, one must watch out for "the Trees"? 



It's been my esteemed pleasure to return to the hallowed pages and visit with you today. Thanks to Paulie for calling me out of the bullpen to pitch a few innings of relief here at the site. And, NO, I wasn't pitching for either Marshall or Louisville last night. The score would have been much higher. 

I hope, if you're of that persuasion and location, you have a great rest of Derby week and have a winner on Derby Day. I'd offer to give you a Derby horse I think might win, but my knowledge of horse-racing is equal to my knowledge of fluid hydraulics. I can tell you they run around the track in counter-clockwise fashion and the hooves pounding the dirt are quite audible if you stand by the rail.

Wait a second. Audible. Hmmm. There's a horse named Audible in the Derby! 8-1 morning line and won the Florida Derby? OK, I guess I have a Derby Pick after all. Audible. Barely. I can't heat you! (with respect to Gomer Pyle's Sgt. Carter) 

(Thanks to whoever for the pics I borrowed for today's article) 


Your pal
Dave-O
David Watson

  

Softball Notes and Marshall Preview -- Upcoming Interviews -- Derby Week -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

As the semester winds down so does the number of spring events in the realm of athletics.  No. 29 Louisville topped No. 15 Vanderbilt in baseball last night but the only other teams still playing are softball, women's golf, and track and field.

UofL concluded final exams yesterday, coincidentally the same day the city celebrated its 240 birthday.

Hensley Hauls in Awards

Megan Hensley's hot weekend helped her rake in awards.  She was named ACC Pitcher of the Week, Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week, and USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week.

Megan Hensley at FSU

Over the weekend plus the Monday night game at Florida State the junior batted .500 after going 6-for-12 including a double, three home runs, and nine RBIs.

She now leads the team in batting average (.370), hits (50), doubles (12), home runs (8), and RBI (44).  In the circle, Hensley posts a 3.14 ERA and a 15-7 record.  She has struck out 127 batters while walking 77 and allowing 161 hits.



Softball Hosts Marshall

Although Senior Day happened over the weekend the true final home game for Louisville softball is today at 3:00 p.m.  Louisville comes into the game with a 31-17 record.  This will be their final out-of-conference game.

The Thundering Herd are 23-27-1 and are on a losing streak.  They are lead by Aly Harrell, who bats .360 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs.  Elicia D'Orazio is a threat on the bases and her 43 stolen bases rank fifth in the nation.

Louisville leads the all-time series 4-2, but the two teams have not played each other in a decade.  The Cards swept Marshall 6-2 and 7-0 in a doubleheader on March 12, 2008.

Louisville cannot afford to drop a game this late in the season.  They are on the line in terms of making the NCAA Tournament.  Winning their last four regular season games and making a run in the ACC Tournament should earn them a spot.  Having the 39th best RPI in the country is a plus for a Louisville softball team, that has had struggles in the back half of the season.


Cardinal Couple Plans Interviews with Current and Former Cards

Coach Pearsall and Nicole Pufahl

We at Cardinal Couple hope to help give our readers and followers an insight into UofL athletics with interviews with the student-athletes themselves.  These interviews will consist of learning more about the players' personal lives as well as what it is like to be a student-athlete and the happenings of their respective sports.

Casey Madura (left) and Jillian Balog (right)

Video interviews lined up include Casey Madura (lacrosse senior) and Minout "Mini" Mink (field hockey sophomore).  There are also plans of bringing others onto the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour in the near future including Stephanie "Steph" McNamara (lacrosse alumna) and Nicole Pufahl (softball senior).

Stay tuned to see when these interviews take place!

What Holidays are Today?

The Belle of Louisville

If you like food you can celebrate truffles or tuna or take a baby to lunch, all holidays.  You can also whip out your ukulele and play it while you enjoy a fire.

However, May 2 may be most famously known as the day when Osama Bin Laden was taken out by US Special Force back in 2011.

The Great Steamboat Race, Beerfest, and Urban League Derby Gala are all happening in the Ville today to continue the Derby week celebration.

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Yacine Diop Becomes A Card -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

PITTSBURGH RED-SHIRT SENIOR TRANSFER HEADED TO LOUISVILLE

The Derby festival weekend might have done it. Maybe she was impressed with Walz's softball pitch delivery. It could have been Sam Purcell's wardrobe. Playing for a team that won 30+ games last year could have been a factor. Whatever the reason, Yacine Diop's weekend visit to Louisville has turned into a Monday commitment to come to Louisville and play a year for the Cardinals. 

She'll have a year in the KFC YUM! Center and was the leading scorer and rebounder last year for the struggling Panthers. A team that loses head coach Susie McConnell-Serio. How much that played into the factor of coming to Louisville....we're not sure.

As head Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz and the Cards wait for the official paperwork to arrive in Louisville, Walz most likely will have an official statement when the "papers are in hand". Maybe even a Derby pick or two?

Let's take a look at Diop's student-athlete resume so far, shall we? 

She was a starter in all 32 games her first year at Pitt. Ended up the third leading scorer (9.4 ppg) and second leading board grabber (7.2). She also had five double-doubles and made the All-ACC Academic Team. 

As a sophomore, she started all 31 games and was the second leading scorer at 10.4 ppg. She poured in 26 points vs. Michigan for a season high and got five steals against Louisville. During the trials for the Senegal National team over the 2016 summer, though...she suffered a stress fracture in her foot and was lost for the entire 2016-17 season to the Panthers. 

She lost nothing in her game, however, when she returned for her red-shirt junior season. Leading scorer, leading rebounder and one of the lone bright spots on a troubled Pitt squad. She rang up 26 points twice ( Louisville and Wake Forest) and had a season high 15 rebounds against Duke. 

Diop, a 5'10" "3" forward can easily go to the "2" guard if needed....possessing an effective outside shot and great rebounding skills. How she'll fit in to a Louisville lineup that returns all but graduated Myisha Hines-Allen and transfer Syd Zambrotta is going to be a top discussion topic over the summer and fall. The Cards have depth and incoming freshmen at the "3" and a full roster. How will Walz keep all the players happy? 

Remember what Coach says: 

"It's not necessary for me to keep them happy. They need to keep me happy." 

(Rumors are the Panther is looking to transfer also...)  

Diop majored in rhetoric and communications at Pitt. Rhetoric is defined as language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content. 

(Make your own one-liner here on that definition in regards to her understanding of Walz...) 


I can see her as a "off the bench" player to spell Jaz or maybe one of the "bigs" and giving opponents nightmares with her propensity for scoring and her talent at rebounding. It's way too early to know just what Jeff will use her for...but her talent is unmistakable and will be a great addition to a Cardinal lineup that lacks very little.

An incident her sophomore year (2015) which involved aggravated assault and disorderly conduct was stricken from her record and all charges were dropped after 100 hours of community service. In a statement, she "expressed sincere regret being involved in the incident and vowed to exercise better judgement in the future."  

None of us are perfect. The key here is learning from an error and, from all accounts, Diop has been a model citizen since. Youth leads to maturity. People get second chances every day. Louisville even gave Bobby Petrino one. 
.

The sisters experiment ends at Pitt

Diop's decision to forego her final year at Pitt and come to Louisville could quite possibly correlate with the messy McConnell-Serio dismissal. Transfers were a on-going scenario at Pitt the last three years. At the end of 2015-16, three-point specialist Fred Potvin and leading scorer Stasha Carey left. 2016-17's end brought a departure of leading scorer Brenna Wise (to Indiana). Beside Diop...at the end of this year...Aysia Bugg and Kalista Walters allegedly sought releases. 

McConnell-Serio's firing may have stemmed from player allegations and complaints of verbal and other types of abuse. It warranted Pitt bringing in an outside firm to investigate the situation. The results of the investigation were not made public but a coaching change was made in early April -- the Panthers replaced McConnell-Serio with Florida State assistant Lance White. 

Basketball turmoil in the Iron City. First Kevin Stalllings and then Susie.  

Diop has three brothers and a sister. She spent a year at Oak Hill Academy after finishing high school at Pittsburgh's Seton-La Salle. She speaks (3) languages...English, French and Wolof (a regional Senegalese language). 

Welcome your newest Cardinal.....YACINE DIOP !!!!!