Lacrosse clobbers Canisius 13-3, Softball outslugs Minnesota

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Early offense, dominating defense corrals Canisius 13-3 

-Softball with 21 hits in 16-8 trouncing of the Gophers

It was a "Golden" day for two Louisville women's sports teams. Lacrosse handled the Golden Griffins by ten and softball blasted the Golden Gophers by eight. Maybe they all went to Golden Corral after the wins...

Al Greener and the pep band were on hand.

A spectacular start for Louiville Lacrosse Sunday afternoon at the Lacrosse Stadium, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first 12 1/2 minutes of the first half and shutting down the Golden Griffins to just three goals in a 13-3 opening-day win in front of 300 fans who braved the 40 degree temperature.

After a nicely done rendition of the National Anthem by UofL red-shirt sophomore midfielder Amy Poteet, the teams got busy and the Cards were doing the majority of the work.

Kay Morissette with an impressive start to her career, the freshman scoring four unassisted goals. Louisville goalie Ashley Herbst collecting seven saves and the Cardinal defense limiting Canisius to just 10 shots on goal.

Freshman Erika Eipp scored first for the Cards with only two minutes gone from the clock and another freshman Cortnee Daly followed with the second UofL score with 23:48 left in the first half. Junior Nikki Boltja made it 3-0 Cards just 24 seconds later on a free position shot and the Cards leading scorer from last season took advantage of another penalty shot at 20:42 to put Kellie Young's squad ahead 4-0.

The Cards got a Morissette unassisted goal three minutes later and it wasn't until the 14:47 mark that Canisius hit the scoreboard for the first time. The UofL defense was styming the Golden Griffins attack and the offense was maintainin long stretches of possession.

Faye Brust collected another Cardinal goal near the net and Morissette tallied her second score of the first half as the clock ticked down to 13:02.

The Cards tenacious defense continued to turn the Griffins away and Katie Oliverio registered her first goal of the season with 7:29. When Boltja got her second net-finder of the game...Louisville led 9-1 with 5:33 remaining in the half. Morissette completed the first half hat trick with her third score 15 seconds before half and Louisville took a 10-1 lead into the YUM! Center locker room.

Six Cardinals had scored for Coach Young and Louisville had forced Canisuis into 12 turnovers, while just committing seven themselves. Louisville held a 17-10 shot advantage and Herbst and the defense allowed only five shots on goal.

Canisius switched goalies to start the second half but it didn't appear to be a wise move at first...because
Louisville got off to a speedy start when Oliverio scored on a fast break just 23 seconds into action. Two Canisius goals followed over the next seven minutes, but the Cards defense tightened up and did not allow another Golden Griffith score over the final 22:28.

Morissette notched her fourth score on an unassisted drive at the 15:59 mark to make it 12-3 and Colleen O'Malley closed out the game's scoring on a free position shot three minutes later for the final 13-3 score.

Louisville attempted 32 shots in scoring their 13 goals and held Canisius to 3 for 18 shooting. Morissette led Louisville with four goals on seven attempts, Boltja was three for nine and Oliverio two for three. Eipp, O'Malley, Brust and Daly all had one score each for the Cards.

Six of the 13 Cardinal goals came from the freshman class.

CARDINAL COUPLE (Paulie and Jeff McAdams) caught up with Coach Young after the contest and got these exclusive observations:

On the play of the freshmen:

"They really are a big impact and change for our program, coming in with their talent and what we call LAX IQ. They're fast, they've got great sticks and they're elevating the players around them.

On the defensive effort:

"It was multi-faceted. We stopped them 7-on-7, we stopped them when we were a player down (from penalties). We stopped them in three different sets that we run. They were very consistent in what they did. From top to bottom, I was very happy with our defensive play."

On Nikki Boltja:

"As I just said to her team-mates, we don't want to call out any one player but we go to Nikki a lot because she is literally out here every day. The reason she takes over a game is because she has done the work. She gets her bag of balls, she takes her shots and with as many saves that the Canisius goalies had today (14) you can bet Nikki will be back out here tomorrow taking twice as many shots. She's a fighter. She just wants to put the ball in the back of the net for her team-mates and they follow her lead."

And a battle well-fought today by Boltja and her teammates. Louisville Lacrosse returns to action Saturday with Ohio State visiting the stadium.

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Louisville softball finished their Vegas stay in booming fashion Sunday afternoon, out-slugging Minnesota 16-8.
The Cards had 21 hits and four home runs. Katie Keller went 3-4 with seven RBI's and two round-trippers and Taner Fowler 3-5 with four RBI's and a fence-clearer.

The Cards scored once in the top of the first when Whitney Arion singled home Alicja Wolny. The Cards narrowly missed a second run when Fowler was thrown out at the plate attempting to score.

Minnesota touched Cardinal starting pitcher Rachel LeCoq for four first-inning runs, the big blow a 2 run homer with two outs.

Louisville came back with the bats in the top of the second. A Katelyn Mann single, Maggie Ruckenbrod double and Jasmine Smisthson-Willett walk loaded the bases with no outs. A walk and fly out scored two runs and the Cards were within one. Taner Fowler followed with her first home run of the season... a three run blast to make it 6-4 Cards 

A Minnesota two-run homer with one out sent LeCoq to the dugout and Caralisa Connell took the circle. Carl got the Cards out of the jam and it was 6-6 after three innings.

Louisville took a 7-6 lead on a solo blast by Keller in the fourth and Connell held the Golden Gophers at bay in the bottom half of the inning.

UofL added four more runs in the top of the fifth on six hits...Keller highlighting the inning with a 2 RBI double. Louisville now led 11-6. Carl got the job done again on the mound, holding UM scoreless.

The Cards exploded for five runs in the top of the sixth...Katelyn Mann with a two-run shot and Katie Keller's three run "touch 'em all" had the Cards ahead 16-6. Carl gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning but held on to retire the side and get the win.

Le Coq pitched 1.2 innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Connell's relief effort was 4.1 innings of four run, five hit pitching.

So, the Cards leave Vegas with a 4-1 record. Pitching not quite where it needs to be yet, but the UofL bats have covered it in four out of the five games. Much as Pearsall intimated it might be. Once thing for certain, Louisville appears to be never out of any contest so far, if the hitters are "on". 21 hits is a new Cardinal game record.

Softball returns to action Friday with another three day, five game marathon in the Jacksonville (FL) Tournament. They'll face Stony Brook and Bethune-Cookman on the 15th., Ohio State and Jacksonville on Saturday and Stony Brook again on Sunday.
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Softball takes two against Georgetown

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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Softball takes two from Georgetown 4-0, 11-0


-Kelly Meyers Rothberg not retained as women's golf coach.


-Joe Tartamella named St John's WBB head coach


-Oh, hail yes...opening night at Churchill interrupted by the elements


Cardinal pitching recorded two shutouts Saturday and allowed just five Georgetown hits in 12 innings. The Cardinal bats exploded for 19 hits and 15 runs against the Hoyas. Louisville goes to 46-2 with the wins, and still holds a one game lead in the BIG EAST. 


GAME ONE

Louisville got a big performance from Katelyn Mann, who had two hits and a home run in three at-bats. The Cards tacked their first run on the Ulmer Stadium scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning when Jennifer Esteban led off with a triple and scored on a Katie Keller sacrifice fly .


The Cards put three more runs up to complete the scoring in the fourth inning. Jordan Trimble homered  to left to make it 2-0 Louisville and after a Maggie Ruckenbrod single, Mann blasted the first pitch from Georgetown's Lauren O'Leary over the center-field fence to give UofL a four run lead. 

Tori Collins gave the Cards five strong innings of pitching...the senior allowed just one hit and struck out three. Chelsea Leonard got the save with two innings of two hit pitching.


GAME TWO


Caralisa Connell got the start in game two and Louisville gave her the only actual run she needed in the bottom of the second when Trimble doubled and scored on a Whitney Arion single. 


The Cards were nowhere near done touching home plate, though. 

Katie Keller started the third inning with a double. She scored when Alicja Wolny's fly ball was dropped. Taner Fowler smashed a line drive down the left field line next to score pinch-runner Chrisanna Roberts. Ruckenbrod made it 5-0 with a single. After Mann drew a walk, Arion got her second and third RBI's of the game with her second hit of the contest, a deep double to center. It was 7-0 Louisville and looking good.

The Cards added four more runs in the third. Keller led off with a walk, Wolny singled and Fowler reached on a error to load the bags with Cardinals. A walk to Trimble sent home Keller, Mann grounded out to score Wolny and Arion's double plated Fowler and Trimble to make it 11-0


Connell gave Louisville five strong innings to go to 16-1....allowing just two hits and striking out three. 


The teams will play the final game of the series Sunday. 


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After 12 years as the University of Louisville women's golf coach, Kelly Meyers Rothberg's contract will not be renewed for next season. The Cards recently finished play with a third place finish in the BIG EAST Tournament and are "on the bubble" for the NCAA Tournament. 


Not many details are available at the time of this printing about the move. Charlie Springer, of UofL Card Game, delivers the story at the link below:


Rothberg won't return as Cardinals' Women's Golf coach

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St John's has named Joe Tartamella as the new head coach of women's basketball. He has been an associate coach for the Red Storm for the past nine years. Tartamella takes over for former head coach Kim Barnes Arico, who recently accepted the head coaching spot at Michigan. 


Tartamella's scouting and game planning tactics have been a prime reason for the success the Red Storm has experienced over the past several years. He began as a Red Storm graduate assistant in 2002 and was promoted to associate coach in 2008. 

The Red Storm has been to four NCAA Tournaments and gotten two NIT bids since Tartamella has been at St. John's and he has helped develop 19 All-BIG EAST and All-Rookie players. 


Nice to see the Red Storm stay within the ranks with this hire. Joe is widely been seen a rising star in the associate coaching ranks and he has a talented and experienced squad returning for the 2012-13 season. 


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Hierro a hero for Julian Leparoux 

Opening night at Churchill Downs was interrupted between the fourth and fifth races last night when a strong thunderstorm with inch sized hail swept through the Louisville area. Racing resumed at 8:45 p.m. after a lengthy delay of almost an hour because of the elements. 

Hail in grassy area of CD paddock

Members of the jockey's guild and head of track maintenance Butch Lehr inspected the conditions after the track had been "floated" by tractors and deemed it OK to run on. Conditions were changed from "fast" to "sloppy" and the 10th race was removed from the turf and run on the dirt. 


Crowded and cozy conditions under the Clubhouse cover developed while mother nature unleashed her fury. A large crowd attended the start of the Spring Meet at Churchill. Almost 27,000. 

The start of the 8th race -- the Derby Trial --  was delayed about 30 minutes while a farrier tried to change shoes on the #4 horse...Nonious...in the paddock. area. The attempt failed, and the horse was finally scratched from the race. Post time favorite at 3-2 was Paynter, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Martin Garcia. Track conditions were still "sloppy" as the horses finally hit the race track and loaded into the starting gate. 

Hierro leaves Paynter behind near the wire

Hierro, ridden by Julian Leparoux and trained by Steve Asmussen, proved to be the best of the eight runners. A strong stretch drive pushed him past Paynter for the win. Finishing third was Stealcase and Bourbon Courage completed the superfecta. Hierro went off at 5 to 1 odds and paid $12.00 to win. 


Fun times at the Twin Spires Saturday night. A crowd of over 26,000 outlasted the elements and enjoyed acts from Circus de Soilel out the the paddock area...as well as a DJ pumping the grooves out. 

Party in the Paddock!

Night racing at Churchill is nothing like the regular days of racing at the Central Ave. oval. The crowd is younger, larger and more lively. It's a fun and welcome diversion from the normal events and activities at Churchill. It gets people through the gates and although some racing purists stay away because of the party-style antics and Mardi Gras feel to the track on those evenings...it is a energy-drink boost to an industry that will accept and certainly needs all the new fans it can handle. 


WE talked to John F.. (last name withheld by request) about the difference the Downs takes on at night...

John also likes Keeneland

"It's fun...almost electric out here at night. The girls are everywhere and looking fine. Me and a few buds...we don't ever miss a night racing event out here. I went online and got tickets for $5 each.  And, the racing is fun too. I mean, I caught the best jockey out there, in Julian Leparoux, tonight on a 5-1, man! If you're a good handicapper, you can cash out sweet here on racing nights, because the odds are there if you know what to look for. And, there are babes everywhere..." 


Derby one week away...racing resumes at CD on Tuesday.


If you like reading about horse racing, here's one of many sites that cover the sport. 


The Rail


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SOFTBALL GOES TO 21-0 with 6-0 ROAD WIN OVER WKU

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4 run 1st inning key for Louisville


Ticker...NCAA Men: 


 Murray St. 58 - Colo. St 41 FINAL...
 Kansas St. 70 - Southern Miss 64 FINAL
 Louisville 69 - Davidson 62 FINAL
 Syracuse 72 - UNC-Asheville 65 FINAL
 Marquette 88 - BYU 68 FINAL                       
 Wisconsin 73 - Montana 49 FINAL
 Vanderbilt 79  - Harvard 70 FINAL
 New Mexico 75  - Long Beach St. 68 FINAL

 Kentucky 81 - Western Kentucky 66 FINAL
 VCU 62 - Wichita St. 59 FINAL                           
 Gonzaga 77 - West Virginia 54 FINAL
 Baylor 68 - South Dakota St. 60  FINAL


 Iowa St. 77 - Connecticut 64 FINAL 
 Colorado 68 - UNLV 64 FINAL
 Ohio St. 78 - Loyola 59 FINAL
 Indiana 78 - New Mexico St. 66 FINAL


      


THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Collins, Leonard hold WKU to 3 hits in 6-0 win.



-Tournament thoughts...


-(Here it comes again...) Play the WBB Bracket Challenge with CARDINAL COUPLE !!


The 14/15 University of Louisville softball team defeated host Western Kentucky 6-0 to improve to 21-0 on the season Wednesday evening. 

Senior Tori Collins and sophomore Chelsea Leonard combined to notch the Cards' 11th shutout of the season while juniors Alicja Wolny and Katelyn Mann and sophomore Hannah Kiyohara drove in two runs each.


"I was pleased with how we came out and scored four runs early and set a great tone for the game." said UofL head coach Sandy Pearsall. "We knew they would be a tough opponent and would constantly put pressure on us and we knew we would have to be aggressive."


The Cards put up four runs in the first. After Esteban and Kristin Austin singled, Taner Fowler drew a walk to fill the bases with Cards. Wolny followed with a single that scored two and Kiyohara singled to make it 4-0.

 

Louisville increased the lead to 6-0 in the third. Jordan Trimble was safe on a fielder's choice and went to third on a Kiyohara double. Mann drove them both home with a double to end the game's scoring. 


Collins went four innings, giving up three hits and fanning three. Leonard tossed the final three and allowed no hits while getting four KO's. 


Louisville travels to Sacramento, CA. next for the Sacramento State Capital Classic. The two-day event starts Friday. 


21-0. An incredible start to what just might be the most memorable season in Sandy Pearsall's coaching career at Louisville. The BIG EAST and Kentucky await down the road...but for now, these Cards are raking every pot. How this team isn't ranked in the top ten of NCAA Women's college softball is a mystery to us...


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"I am 99% certain that man was not Benjamin Franklin.."

- We're not sure...but while watching the First Four last night in the men's tournament, it looked like Dwight Schrute of THE OFFICE television show fame was sitting on the South Florida bench, wearing a suit and tie in the game against California. Or maybe it was the corned beef sandwich I was having...performing mind altering and sight hallucination symptoms. Whoa...

"No, I am NOT Mel Brooks and I'm getting tired of the references!"

- We like the NCAA's sly dealings at times when it comes to the Tournaments. On the men's side...Harvard vs. Vanderbilt. As Milt Wagner would say...two of those academic schools. Maybe they should skip the hoops and settle this one with GPA's and ACT scores...also how about, on the women's side...putting Louisville in the same region as Arkansas? Ex UofL coach Tom Collen could meet current Louisville coach Jeff Walz if both teams make it to third round. 


-Which letter of the alphabet is most represented in the women's tournament teams' names? It's "S" (Santa Barbara, Sacred Heart, Stanford, South Carolina, South Dakota State, St. John's, Samford, St. Bonnie and San Diego). Nine teams. Which popular letter is not represented? "J". No "J"'s in the women's bracket. "M" finished a close second with seven. If that's not a bracket choosing ploy, we've never seen one. 

Charlie's last name starts with an "S" also. 

"S rules!" says Sonja Sykes. A final four with Stanford, St. Bonnie, St. John's and Sacred Heart? Not bloody likely...


-Another NCAA WBB sly plot. Tennessee playing Tennessee-Martin? And guess who coaches one of the programs and played at the other? Not Geno...


Also, matching ex-BIG 12 Nebraska against current BIG 12 Kansas. Putting soon-to-be BIG 12 member West Virginia up against current BIG 12 member Texas? Well played, ye NCAA WBB bracket deciders!


-Biggest first round NCAA WBB blowout? Here's six candidates...


-UConn vs. Prairie View
-Notre Dame vs. Liberty
-Maryland vs. Navy
-Baylor vs Santa Barbara
-Stanford vs. Hampton
-Duke vs. Samford. 


We're going with Notre Dame. (Watch it go to overtime...)


Finally, here's a Shoni article that Jody Demling (or J-Dem, if you go the street vernacular route of names) did with her. Click the linkie and thanks to Commish Mark for sending it!






Shoni ready

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Guess what? We're having a bracket challenge for the Women's NCAA Tournament. Yes, that's right! You can enter the CARDINAL COUPLE contest on YAHOO and win a $25 Panera Gift Card if you do the best. (Tell me more, Monty!) 


"Just follow the link below and fill out your entries. You can join Yahoo, or enter using your Facebook or Google information. It's just that easy!" (Crowd gasps)


(But Monty...isn't that a difficult and time-consuming process?) 


"Hey, pal....life is a difficult and time-consuming process. We get one chance, one opportunity to make our mark on this spinning orb and we need to make the most of it. Bungee jumping, dining at Panera, filling out brackets, buying Easter baskets...it's all the same. DON'T MISS OUT ON THE CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL "ONE SHINING MOMENT" (cue soundtrack) IF YOU WIN THIS CHALLENGE. AND, IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THE WINNING. IT'S ABOUT PARTICIPATION, ABOUT..." (...reaches for remote..changes channel.) 


Our ID is 814 and the password is ladycards.


LINKIE:


Cardinal Couple women's NCAA Bracket Challenge
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