Cards and Cats Softball

.

Follow us live!

as Louisville and Kentucky play in the Battle of the Bluegrass softball tilt!

.

CARDS BLANK CATS 6-0 BEHIND COLLINS FIVE HIT MOUND PERFORMANCE

.

Bright skies and a stiff wind blowing out of Ulmer Stadium greeted the teams as pre-game introductions at 5:50 p.m. Jerry Newby, pictured here, did a bang-up job on the National Anthem (without Sonja beside him).

.

Cardinal pitcher Tori Collins (pictured right) sent UK to the dugout in the top of the first in order...fanning Megan Yocke and Kara Dill and getting Meagan Aull on a long fly to right-center that speedy center fielder Kristin Austin ran down. A near capacity Ulmer Stadium crowd greeted the Cards to bat in the bottom of the first.

.

UK pitcher Chanda Bell got Katie Keller to pop out to the catcher and Jennifer Esteban popped out to first to begin the inning and Bell got Chelsea Bemis on a called third strike to end the Cardinals' bottom of the first.

.

UK's Brittany Cervantes started the top of the second looking at a called third strike. Rachel Riley waited Collins out to draw a walk and Ginny Carroll came in to run for her. Alice O'Brien went down swinging for the second Wildcat out but Samantha DeMartine got hit by Collins pitch. The Cards trapped Carroll on a pick-off play, though, at second to end the top of the second.

.

Colby Wherry grounded out to short to begin the Cardinal second but Alicja Wolny smacked a homer over the right field fence to put the Cards up 1-0. Taner Fowler sent a long fly to left for the second out and Kristin Austin grounded out to Bell at the mound to finish the bottom of the second

.

UK menaced in the top of the third when Emily Jolly banged a deep fly to left center...but Austin once again flew to the ball and hauled it down for the catch. Annie Rowlands sent a shot off the glove of the Cards Keller for a single next. Yocke found the gap next between short and third for the second UK hit of the inning. Dill's fielder's choice advanced the runners but Aull ended the inning with a sharp ground out to Cardinal first baseman Wolny.

.

Maggie Ruckenbrod began the bottom of the third for Louisville by drawing a walk and Hannah Kiyohara send her to second with a blooper single to short left field. Chelsea Jordan came in to pinch run for Ruckenbrod. The runners advanced when Bell was charged with a wild pitch. Jordan scored UofL's second run on a sacrifice fly by Esteban but Bemis ended any other Cardinal chances for scoring with a long foul out to right field.

.

As the shadows started to set over the 3rd base line at Ulmer, the Cats' Cervantes began the top of the fourth with a similiar deep fly...foul down the right field line that Kiyohara tracked down for out one. Riley walked on a full count next and UK sent pinch hitter Lauren Cumbess up but she returned to the dugout after striking out. So did DeMartine and Collins got out of the inning unscathed.

.

Alicja Wolny began the bottom of the fourth with a walk and advanced on Fowler's sacrifice bunt. The Cards could not advance the runner, though, and it was still 2-0 after four innings.

.

Collins began the top of the fifth by fanning Jolly and Rowlands. Yocke flied out to left to end the inning.

.

UK's Bell got rocked by a Ruckenbrod double to start the bottom of the fifth and after Kiyohara sacrifice bunted Ruckenbrod to second...Keller flied out to deep left. Esteban beat out a bunt to put runners on the corners. The stage was set for Bemis to perform but before she could... Ruckenbrod stole home to make it 3-0 on a double steal maneuver. Bemis reached safely on a mishandled throw on her grounder to score Esteban and increase the lead to 4-0. Wherry grounded out to end the inning.

.

UK 's Dill grounded out to start the sixth. Aull popped a blooper over Wherry's head to reach safely for UK's third hit of the game. Next, Cervantes advanced Aull and reached on a bunt. Riley flied out to deep center and Austin came up with a running catch, turned and threw the ball to second for a double play...getting out Aull who took off around the bases...thinking it was a hit.

.

Ellen Weaver came in to pitch for UK to start the bottom of the sixth. Alicja Wolny greeted her with a single up the middle. Katelyn Mann came in to run for Wolny as Fowler batted next and reached on a sharp single to right. Tesha Paysen came in to run for Fowler and Austin, batting next, beat out an infield single to fill the bases with Cardinals. Ruckenbrod's single plated Mann and the Cards led 5-0. Kiyohara's sacrifice fly sent home Paysen and increased the Cardinal lead to 6-0. Austin was tagged out at home on a failed Keller bunt attempt for the second out of the inning. Weaver finally got out of the inning when Esteban struck out with runners on the corners.

.

Collins got Cumbess to pop up to begin the top of the seventh. Macy Allen singled over a drawn in Louisville infield to keep the Cats chances alive...but was picked off at first for the second out. Weaver went to the plate to bat and struck out to end the game.

.

Collins went the distance...allowing five hits and fanning nine in the win for Louisville. WE caught up with her after the game:

.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Tell us about the win tonight.

.

COLLINS: My defense is incredible and Kristin Austin had an incredible game. I've just been working really hard and staying focused, trying to win each pitch and putting my focus on attacking each batter. Doing what I'm supposed to do.

.

CARDINAL COUPLE: Villanova comes to town this weekend to begin BIG EAST play. What are you looking for out of the 'Nova bats?

.

COLLINS: Haven't even looked at them yet. We've been so focused on looking at the immediate game before us this season...so tomorrow I'll ...we'll...begin the focus on them.

We're ready for BIG EAST.We're ready to take down the competition. Some of the other teams in conference don't have it as hard as we do this year, so we're ready to attack it and show them what we're made of.

.

CARDINAL COUPLE also saw Lady Cards hoopster Becky Burke and Shoni Schimmel at the softball game tonight. Both were mobbed by appreciative Cardinal fans and Schimmell chuckled when I told her we had renamed her "the Judge" here at CARDINAL COUPLE. Coach Pearsall was all smiles after the game and reminded me as I congratulated her on the win that the Cards were in action this weekend. We're going to try and get out there. A special thanks to Louisville assistant S.I.D. Lori Korte for the accomodations in the press box and the wireless hookup. Also got to sit with Courier-Journal writer J.J.Hysell...which made it a fun and enjoyable two hours.

.

The Cards drew 908 fans to the game this evening, which featured free t-shirts to the first 300 through the gate. Looks like some of you folks are going to have to share...Nice black t-shirt that read...'Peace, love, softball.' Inppropriate for UK fans...however... because the Wildcats got no love tonight on the scoreboard and got no peace from the Cardinal bats or Collins' fastball...

.

Lady Cards win was sealed from the stripe

GREAT WEDNESDAY (WE SAY)...AT CARDINAL COUPLE

(The freshmen sensations...Ms. Schimmel and Tay)

-CARDS win...by the numbers

-Watson writes on Louisville victory

-Softball vs. UK today

-Sideline reporters challenge continues

Charmaine Tay sank seven out of eight free throws in the final 1:15 of the game and Louisville made twelve out of fourteen total in the final 1:23 to take a 10 point win back to Derby City in the 85-75 victory over #5 in the nation Xavier. During that 1:23 stretch, Xavier had three crucial turnovers, went 2-4 from the foul line and hit only 1 of 5 three point attempts...a meaningless three by Amber Gray with 3 seconds left in the game. The Cards had three steals in that fateful 1:23...two by Tia Gibbs and one from Tay.

Can't say enough about how well the fearless freshman from Bloomfield Tech in New Jersey played in the final eleven minutes of the second half. Her second half stats were very impressive...nine points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists...all in just twelve minutes of second half action. Louisville, meet your new Energizer bunny...

Schimmel, the Cards other freshman guard, was lights out in the final twenty minutes as well. 17 points, three steals, a block, two assists and three boards in the second half. Rounding out the Cards second half assault were Monique Reid (8 points, 1 steal and rebound) and Becky Burke (a three and free throw). Keisha Hines battled the Xavier twin towers with all her might for 19 of the twenty final minutes...scoring a basket and getting a block and steal. Louisville got 24 points off of turnovers in the final twenty minutes...an amazing stat...Xavier just 2...

The Cards went 28-53 from the field for the game (52.8%) while Xavier shot 50% (27-54). Louisville connected on nine of sixteen three point attempts (56.3%)while the Musketeers put up a season high 30 three balls, hitting 14 of them (46.7%). The Cards were deadly from the foul line...going 20-25 (80%) while Xavier sank seven of twelve (58.3%). Louisville actually tied the Muskies in rebounding with 28 grabs (Tay 6). The duo of Amber Phillips and Ta'Shia Phillips had 15 of the Xavier rebounds. The Cards had a very credible 20 steals while Xavier managed seven.

Louisville had a very low 12 turnovers in the contest, Xavier doubled that with 24. Despite the obvious height disadvantage...the Cards swatted 4 Xavier shots away and the Muskies had 8 blocks... Phillips with five and Harris with two. Louisville and Xavier both had 8 points off of fast breaks, the Cards with 12 second chance points compared to Xavier's 16 and both teams had 24 points in the paint. The telling stat...the Lady Cards put up 33 points off of turnovers, Xavier just 12.

Individually, Schimmel led all scorers with 33. Reid finished with 13, Gibbs added 12, Tay was good for 11 and Burke rounded out the double figure producers with 10. Hines was the only other Cardinal to score...with six. Harris led the Musketeers with 20, Tyeasha Moss finished with 17 (4 for 8 from three ball range) Katie Rutan added 15 (5 for 14 from deep) and Phillips rounded out the Xavier double figure scorers with 11. Special Jennings played a hard fought and gutsy game for Xavier at the point guard....playing 39 minutes and getting eight points, seven assists and four rebounds. Katie Rutan was the only player who fouled out on either team...Hines collected four for Louisville and Harris 4 for "X" .

Reid and Schimmel logged 38 minutes for Jeff Walz, Tia Gibbs played 37 and Keisha Hines saw 33 minutes on the court. Tay had 22, Burke 17, Asia Taylor 7, Sherrone Vails (hampered by a strained calf) with 7 and Shelby Harper, Polly Harrington and Rachel Story got in for the final 19 seconds of the contest.

Louisville's freshmen accounted for 44 for Louisville 81 points...all from Schimmel and Tay. They shot 14-22 from the field, 6-11 from three point range and 10 for 14 from the free throw stripe. 10 rebounds and 6 steals...all from Tay and Schimmel.

In a game that looked to be evolving into Xavier's hands with five minutes left, the Cards...behind the magic of Schimmel and clutch charity tosses at the end...take the win and move on to Spokane. We probably haven't seen the end of Harris or Phillips's basketball careers, though. Any WNBA team that passes on the chance to grab one or both of these powerful post players hasn't done their homework. And, they'll probably both make some serious $$$ in Euroball, too. But, it was "youth be served" on Tuesday night in the Cintas Center in a game that Lady Cards fans will remember for a very long time.

.

Tia Gibbs had the best player quote in the post game presser, about Schimmel:

"Now you know why we call her the 'Show'. When the stakes are high and the lights come on..she's shows up."

.

Second best quote, by Monique Reid, about Schimmel's 33 points:

"Hey...don't forget who was her host when she came here to visit. She's here because of me. I take full credit for the recruiment and signing of Shoni and deserve half of those 33 points tonight...(Laughter)."

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

DAVID WATSON sent in his game report at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. Sounds like Watson...I presume...took his time driving back from Cincy and got a nap in afterwards...He writes:

Paul may have hit it on the head when he renamed Sho-Time Schimmel to Judge Schimmel. She did rule the court Tuesday night in the Cintas Center. Check the BIG EAST highlight film of the game over at bigeast.org. Three and three and steal after steal. Is there anything this freshman sensation can't do? Wouldn't surprise me if she didn't drive the team bus back to Louisville. If not, Charmaine Tay probably did. Freshmen sensations, indeed.

As I sat directly behind Paul (without his knowledge) during this epic battle, several rows up and surrounded by Cardinal crazies, I went through a myriad of emotions. Elation at the start of the game when Louisville rolled out to a 5-0 lead. Nervousness when X took a seven point lead late in the first half. Hope when the Cards knotted it up at 56-56. A sinking feeling of doom when Xavier promptly hit two 3 balls in a row to go up 62-56. Despair when the Musketeers led by six and five minutes remained. Giddiness after Schimmel put Louisville up to stay 73-70 with a three that had the entire Cardinal section in a frenzied state of celebration. I even saw the usually sideline stoic Paul give a vigorous fist pump when the Oregon Oscar winner nailed the bomb. And pride and joy, with another dash of nervousness tossed in, when the Cards sealed the deal from the line late. If a manic/depressive syndrome sets in with me come Wednesday, you'll know full why. And, that had to be the longest 1:23 in the history of

women's college basketball. I swear..I grew a "five o'clock shadow" in that final 83 seconds. What were the refs doing for so long over at the scorer's table? Watching the UConn game on ESPN2?

A team that had Jeff Walz going crazy for the vast majority of the season because they had no "killer instinct" just committed a major homicide in the Queen City. Let the murdring spree continue on the West Coast. Louisville's version of Bonnie and Clyde are Spokane bound.

I-70 is one lonely road at midnight. Thank God for classic oldies, a patronizing younger daughter and the recruiting techniques of a certain coach who may be the first coach in history to get a technical for stuttering. I can say one thing, he'd make an effective alarm clock. His theatrics provided a wake up call to a Cardinal team that was about to slip into a coma in the first half.

It's 3 a.m. It's time for bed. Louisville put Xavier to bed 5 hours ago. Just call me 'Mr. Night Owl'.

DAVID WATSON is a special correspondent for CARDINAL COUPLE and is treating anyone who wants to go to an all-expenses paid trip to Spokane this weekend. Just kidding, but the enthusiasm and pride he has for the Lady Cards program will be there in spirit with them.

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

Cardinal Softball today at the Ulmer and it's a big one...UK comes to town. Kats come in at 19-6 and ranked #24 in the nation. Chandra Bell the big arm on the mound for UK. Game is at 6 p.m. Come out and have a ballpark dinner and catch this one. Admission is $5. Expect the outfield "grassy knoll" to be rocking...Most likely, the torrid Tori Collins will draw the assignment for Sandy Pearsall's squad. Let's hope the predicted isolated rain chances tonight are isolated somewhere else besides the UofL campus.

The Cards are getting strong at bats from Chelsea Bemis (.394 and four homers), Alicja Wolny (.394 and 27 RBI's) and Colby Wherry (.382 and eleven runs scored). Louisville (18-9) has lost to top 15 ranked teams six times this year. In UK, they'll face a team that just won 2 out of three on the road at LSU.

CARDINAL COUPLE will be there...and providing a full and live report on the battle.

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

.

In the battle of Sideline announcers, Erin Andrews sent Heather Cox to the showers (can we watch?) convincingly and moves on to the FINAL FOUR. Today's match up is surprising Tony Siragusa vs. upstart Allison Williams. Let us know if you need to know which picture here is who. We'll get right back to you. Paul is backing Allison, or at least hoping to back in to her. Sonja in the Williams camp, too. Watson will weigh in later, we suppose and Bill the Goat is in full support of "the Goose".. It's an animal thing, we're guessing. Comments section can record votes or e-mail it in @ cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

.

Lady Cards advance to Sweet Sixteen

Louisville advances to the Spokane Regional 3rd round action with a late, come from behind win over #2 seed Xavier Tuesday night at the Cintas Center. Shoni Schimmel throws in 33 points as the Cards go ballistic in the final 1:40 of the game, taking the lead on a Shoni Schimmel 3 and pulling away from the Musketeers.

Louisville used a 20-1 run in the last 5:16 of the contest....going from a 70-64 deficit into a 84-71 lead with 21 seconds. Louisville placed five players in double figures.
.
Things weren't so easy for Louisville to start in this one. After taking an early 8-6 lead after a Schimmel three with 17:35 to go...the Cards found themselves in a battle with jumpers, the three point shooting and inside game of the Musketeers. The Cards managed to hold on to the lead until an Amber Harris tip in at 10:44 put Xavier up 24-23. The Musketeers would build that lead to six when Ta'Shia Phillips hit a layup to make it 32-26 with 7:00 left in the first half. Louisville trailed 39-32 with 2:58 remaining in the first half and went into the locker room down 40-37 after Tia Gibbs hit a jumper at the buzzer.
.
Louisville went 15-28 in the first twenty minutes but could not stop a torrid Xavier 15-31 shooting effort. The teams combined for 12 first half threes.
.
The second half saw Louisville draw within one or two several times early and finally caught the Musketeers at 56-56 on a Monique Reid layup with 12:09 left. Then, Xavier threw a big scare into the Cards with two straight threes and a 62-56 lead with 11:28 left. They would keep Louisville a bay with the efforts of Phillips and Harris and led 70-64 with 5:16 remaining.

That's when Schimmel and her teammates went to work. Schimmel's three with 5:00 left and a free throw at 3:07 cut the Musketeer lead to 70-68. Schimmel then tied it at 70 with a jumper and 2:22 left. A Schimmel three made it 73-70 at the 1:50 mark. Louisville would go on to score twelve of the final seventeen points of the game from there on out...all from the free throw stripe.
.
Louisville gets Gonzaga next...in Spokane on Saturday, March 26th. The two have never met in women's college basketball.
.
In the end, the poise and top notch marksmanship from the stripe spelled the difference for the Cards. Oh, and a talented freshman from Portland, OR. named Schimmel. Call her "Judge Schimmel"...because her court awareness is second to none. Judge Schimmel rules the court.
.

Cards face Excellent Xavier...

CARDINALS look to advance to Sweet Sixteen

Welcome to the Cintas Center!

It's 5:29 in Cincinnati and the activity here at the Cintas Center is already hopping. Deep in the depths of the arena, Jeff Walz has his Louisville Cardinals squirreled away, stressing the obvious and reminding the Lady Cards of the mission ahead.

.

Make one thing perfectly clear. The Cards are happy to still be dancing and look to continue

the ball.

.

"We're excited to continue to be playing and it's a great honor to reach the second round and to be facing a very talented Xavier team. We felt like we played well against Vanderbilt but there are some things that we still need to work on. We need to play even better Tuesday to have a chance against Xavier." Walz commented yesterday during UofL's closed practice.

What did Louisville learn from their early season game against Xavier in November?

."We didn't score enough points. We've played a good enough non conference schedule. We opened with Tennessee at home, we played Kentucky at home. We went on the road to Old Dominion and here at Xavier. We played a Marist team that is still playing. It's not one game where we learned something about ourselves. We broke this season down into four parts. We got stage one as half the non-conference schedule. Part two was the rest of the non-conference schedule. Then in the BIG EAST...a variety of 16 teams. We saw some with big post players."

.

Forty minutes to tip and I'm watching the Cardinals and Xavier warm up. Sitting right across from the Cardinal bench and the Xavier players go thru their drills in front of me. Phillips and Harris look like amazons...They've got two more girls, also...that are 6'2".

.

Al Greener has the pep band rolling and looking forward to a good game. -Paul 6:21 p.m

.

The teams have left the court and the pep band battle reigns. Both cheerleading squads are active and Cardinal fans still continue to file in to Sections 107, 105, 103, 102 and 101. To the right of me...the Louisville radio crew is hard at work. A.J. just gave me a 'thumbs up.'...she's sitting with Paul and Matt. Gonna be a good night, tater. -Paul 6:42 p.m.

.

Cards re-enter the court to a cheering Cardinal section. They look loose..having a good time and grateful for the fans and band. Xavier, on the other hand, looks very serious and not many grins and smiles. Sherrone Vails looks fine...no limp that I can tell. -Paul 6:53 p.m.

.

2:43 to tip. Amazed at how many Cardinal fans are here! LET'S GOOOOO!! -Paul 7:05 p.m.

.

Wow! 15:38 to go. Cards up 10-9. Schimmel with first eight points for Cards. Reid at line after media timeout. It's three city in here...-Paul 7:17 p.m.

.

Schimmel another three...16-11. Cards on fire. -Paul 7:23 p.m.

.

Burke with a three but Xavier keeps hitting them also. 23-19 Cards with 11:27 to go. Nine threes already made in the game by the two teams. -Paul 7:27 p.m.

.

Another Tyeasha Moss three and it's all of a sudden 27-23 Xavier...Uh-oh. -Paul 7:31 p.m.

.

30-23 now...Moss has 13 points for x and Louisville looks fatigued. -Paul 7:35 p.m.

.

Special Jennings took a hard hit at half court and was down. Back up, appears OK. Didn't look intentional to me. Xavier fans think differently. A Burke three makes it 30-26. 7:32 to go. -Paul 7:38 p.m.

.

Cards rallying...32-30. Baskets by Schimmel and Gibbs. Louisville aggresive on the boards. -Paul 7:43 p.m.

.

Harris having her way inside against Cards. Putback makes it 36-32 with 3:41 left and she's on the line after the media timeout. She and Phillips have 16 points combined... Moss 14. Paul 7:47 p.m.

.

Walz got a technical at the 1:40 mark arguing a call. He's still going at it with the ref. 40-34 after Jennnigs hits the free throws. Paul 7:52 p.m.

.

40-37 at the half. Cards get a late three from Gibbs to draw within three. There's not a lot of love in here for Dennis DeMayo, the ref who T'd Walz up. He had to exit the floor in front of the Cardinal section and it looks like Christ on his way to Calvary...LOL. Louisville led by Schimmel's 16 . X doing a great job bottling Louisville up inside. Six 3's for Louisville, seven for X. Paul 7:57 p.m.

.

According to Louisville S.I.D. Kim Pemberton, Walz didn't say anything worth getting a technical over. Seems like he and Dennis DeMayo, the ref in question, have a 'history'. Hmmm. Getting crazy up in here. Xavier only out-rebounding Louisville 17-13 so far. Cards with eight steals. Schimmel 16 points. The second half should be interesting. -Paul 8:09 p.m

.

Tay took a hard hit on a layup at the 15:44 mark and was down beneath the basket for a few minutes. It's been a wild first four minutes 48-46. Xavier. Cards on a 5-0 run currently. -Paul 8:20 p.m.

.

12:05. tied at 56-56 after a Reid layup on a fast break. These two teams are at it tooth and nail. Both teams fans are going berserk. Instant classic, already. -Paul 8:27 p.m.

.

Two straight threes by Xavier and all of a sudden it's 62-56 and 30 seconds off the clock. Media timeout and Louisville has got to get out better on guarding Moss and Rutan beyond the arc. -Paul 8:32 p.m.

.

67-60 Xavier. The Cards trying to hang around but Xavier keeps going inside and drilling threes. 6:38 to go. Need some turnovers and someone to stop Rutan and Harris. -Paul 8:41 p.m.

.

Cards clawing back 70-67 and Schimmel going to the line after the media timeout. 3:07 left. Schimmel playing lights out tonight. -Paul 8:48 p.m.

.

Schimmel hit one...but the Cards have the ball back...down by two 2:47 left. -Paul 8:50 p.m.

.

SCHIMMEL THREE! 73-70 Cards. 1:40 to go. -Paul 8:52 p.m.

.

Refs gathered around monitor. Must be watching NCIS....1:23 left 73-70 Cards. -Paul 8:55 p.m. Holy cow...intentional foul on Gibbs AFTER a foul on Rutan? World's gone crazy...

.

78-71 now Louisville 52.6 left. Cards hitting free throws.

.

Tay at the line. 2 more free throws in. Cards on a roll. Tay trying two more. Gets them. 84-71. Xavier fans headed to the exits. 36 seconds left. Turn out the lights...Xavier's party is OVER!

.Paul 9:04 p.m.

.

FINAL Cards 85 -75. #2 seed goes down. Schmmel and Tay down the stretch. Schimmel with 33? Wow...just wow! CARDS WIN, CARDS WIN! Cardinal players climbing in the stands high fiving the fans. I just got a big grin from Becky Burke and a high five from Monique that about

took my hand off at the wrist. Sweet sixteen, here comes Louisville. Headed to presser. More later.

.

Collins, Wherry get Softball honors, WBB in action tonight.

TUESDAY as seen by CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Collins BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week

-Wherry named to BIG EAST Honor Roll

-LADY CARDS WBB vs. Xavier tonight.

-The Sideline Reporter Great Eight starts today.

-Dumb and Dumber on the air.

Paul Sanderford, pictured above, does color commentary on UofL Women's Basketball games. He'll be on hand for tonight's match up in Cincinnati when Louisville faces Xavier at 7 p.m. at the Cintas Center. Tickets still available. Sanderford was also a coach at Western Kentucky University and Nebraska and they say he was a pretty good catcher 'back in the day'. He and Louisville Bats radio voice Matt Andrews will have the broadcast on 790 AM/101.7 FM WKRD. The game will also be shown on ESPN2. WE strongly urge you to attend, though. Cincinnati is less than two hours away from Louisville and your LADY CARDS need as much "red" in the stands to offset what will be a large home advantage for the Muskies and their fans.

*************************************************************************************
Tori Collins has been named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for her 3-0 record last week. She also recorded a save in five appearances. The junior struck out 24 batters and allowed just two runs on 12 hits for a sparkling ERA of 0.59 in 23.2 innings. Opposing batters went an anemic .150 against Tori. It is the second time this season she has been selected Pitcher of the Week.

Colby Wherry swung the big bat for the Cards last week and has been named to the BIG EAST Softball Honor Roll for outstanding performance. Colby was a hitting machine...going .625 at the plate with a home run, three doubles, six RBI's and four scored runs. Her on base % was .611 and her slugging percentage a perfect 1.000. The senior helped lead the Cards to a 4-1 record out at the San Diego Classic II.

Louisville faces in-state rival Kentucky at Ulmer Stadium on campus Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Cards (18-9) also have a weekend series to begin BIG EAST play coming up against Villanova.

Tickets for UK are $5 and can be purchased at the field game day.

*************************************************************************************
Louisville's LADY CARDS basketball team will take on Xavier tonight at the Cintas Center on the Xavier University Campus tonight at 7 p.m. For the Cards, stopping the gigantic front line of Amber Harris and Ta'Shia Phillips will be a priority, as well as slowing down senior guards Special Jennings and Megan Askew. Local high school girls basketball fans may also remember Jeffersonville star center Sabrina Johnson, who is a reserve on the Xavier team.

The Cards will look to establish their own pace against the Musketeers instead of letting Xavier settle into their half court game of getting the ball inside to their dual post players and controlling the boards on both ends of the court.

The two teams met early in the season, on November 23rd. in the Cintas Center. Although Xavier won 71-59, Louisville jumped out to an eleven point first half lead using transition, fast break basketball and a stifling man-to-man defense. Xavier head coach challenged senior post Amber Harris, from Indianapolis to get more involved in the offense and she turned in a yeoman effort, torching the Cards for 13 points and 10 boards in the first half. Harris ended up with 28 points and 18 rebounds in the game and Xavier used a 19-3 run early in the second half to take control of the game. Senior guard Special Jennings nailed a couple of key 3's during that run.

"She's fantastic." head Louisville coach Jeff Walz remarked about Harris after the game. "She's unbelievable. Next to Maya Moore, she may be the best player in the country." Walz, known for his humorous sarcasm at times, was dead serious about Harris. She is all that.

Ta'Shia Phillips, Xavier's other post dominator, got into early foul trouble against the Cards and only played 20 minutes. The Cards had no one that could stop Harris, though, and it will be interesting to see what tactics Walz employs tonight to keep both from controlling the boards against a usually weak Cardinal rebounding squad. Louisville will also be wary of the three point shooting of guards Jennings, Tyeashia Moss and Katie Rutan.

Monique Reid had 20 points for Louisville in the loss.

SONJA SAYS:

The Cards will need to force the tempo and keep the Xavier guards from working the ball inside
to the Xavier twin towers if they are to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Cut off the head of the beast and the body dies. They'll also need to shut down any Xavier long range marksmanship, which they can do with effective full court pressure and a tight guarding scheme.
Keisha Hines needs to step up and have a big game on both ends of the court and if Walz chooses to give Asia Taylor extended minutes to combat the Xavier height advantage, the Columbus, Ohio sophomore must play prevention defense and avoid the reach-in fouls that have stymied her at times this season. Good shooting from the perimeter from Schimmel, Gibbs and Burke is a must and Reid will be expected to produce her usual stellar performance from inside the arc.

You counter height with quickness and Louisville has the fast break, transition basketball game to keep the Muskateers off balance and on their toes if they can get it started. Steals against the veteran Xavier back court may be hard to come by and turnovers few and far between...but if the Cards can contest ball movement and play smart, they can beat this A-10 powerhouse.
.
CARDINAL COUPLE (well, at least 1/2 of the couple...) will be court side for the action and bring you pre-game, in-game and post game reports from the Cintas Center. Look out I-71, the red is on the way...

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


The final eight contestant of the Sideline Announcers Bracket are ready and raring to go and the first matchup pits Erin Andrews vs. Heather Cox. Since the NCAA Men's basketball tournament is on CBS and their affiliates this year, we haven't seen much out of the ESPN duo lately. Maybe they're doing some women's or men's NIT games...but we aren't catching them if they are. Both have been embroiled in a bit of controversy lately...Cox and her obscenities during a taping of a halftime report and Andrews and the stalker. WE enjoy both, though, when they are on the air and this will be a tough one to decide. David Watson goes with Andrews, Paul is siding with the red-headed Cox and Sonja selects Andrews. You can weigh in on the fray here in the comments section..or send your vote to us at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com


*************************************************************************************
Did anyone else out there catch the Tennessee vs. Marquette game last night on ESPN2? We normally don't pay much attention to the meanderings and dribble that flows from the network play by play and color commentators...but Debbie Antonelli and "pretty boy"Dave Ryan must have had money on Marquette. Especially "pretty boy"... who almost reached orgasm every time Marquette's Angel Robinson took a step, tied her shoes or put up a shot. "Debs" was her usual condescending, haughty self...lamenting that Marquette could not produce enough defense to hold Tennessee. Hmmm. That Golden Eagle "d" had it down to a 2 point game late and both "pretty boy" and "Debs" were in full connubial ecstasy. Tough loss for a good and veteran Marquette team. Tougher, though, to listen to the 'dynamic' ESPN duo and their on air love affair for Terri Mitchell's squad. And...who cares if Bruce Pearl got fired and if it would affect the Vols? For goodness sake...do you really think losing a lying men's basketball coach is going to affect the way Pat Summitt prepares for and coaches a game? Please...ESPN and their "head games". We can understand "Debs" hatred for the Vols...she was UK's Director of Marketing early in her professional career. Once a Kat, always a Kat. Ryan, a veteran of both CBS and ESPN broadcasting needs to stick to college football...in our humble opinion.
.
We're OK with the studio show and Trey Wingo, Kara Lawson and Carolyn Peck. Wingo stays out of the way and lets Lawson and Peck talk about the sports they know. Lawson has improved dramatically over the past several years and it's good to see her on the studio report with Peck instead of "Ms Negative" Stacey Dales. We do wonder why Carolyn Peck hasn't been hired by someone has a coach. She knows the game quite well and that cute, little southern drawl of hers...well, we're sold. Sure, she had a rough 2006-07 season as Florida Gators head women's basketball coach which led to her dismissal...but she won an NCAA Championship while head coach at Purdue. She has WNBA coaching experience at Orlando, too. Maybe it's of her own choosing to stay in the studio instead of returning to the sidelines...but WE can think of at least five BIG EAST teams that would grow and prosper under Peck's knowledge and coaching ability. Sounds like we're trying to pimp her out as agents...that's not the case, though. We're perfectly fine listening to her intelligent and informative studio commentary. And Walz doesn't need another top flight, opposing coach to worry about in the BIG EAST.
.


.

Cards win over Vandy...await Xavier

MONDAY @ C.C.
.
-Louisville 81 - Vandy 62 by the numbers
.
-Watson reviews the game
.
-Softball romps Buckeyes
.
-Sonja spanks the competition
.
-A Womens NCAA quiz for you.
.
Tia Gibbs (pictured here) practicing to defend the amazon front line of Xavier?
.
The Cards ready themselves for a rematch against the #2 seed in the Spokane Region. Louisville will face a team in Xavier that will be playing on their home court, is decidedly taller and already owns a win over the Cards this season. Does it matter? Heck, no. It's tournament time and the upsets do happen. Ask VCU over in the men's tournament if they were intimidated. Game on!
.
Louisville used 60% shooting to down the Vanderbilt Commodore yesterday in the Cintas Center and a 35-19 rebounding edge. The shooting performance we fully expected and understand...when the Cards guards are hot and Monique Reid can penetrate and score on defenses, they're capable of high shooting % numbers. The rebounding a pleasant surprise, though. Normally the numbers are in favor of the Lady Cards opponents in the battle of the boards. Louisville had a 26-12 advantage on the defensive boards and limited Vandy to nine second chance points. Keisha Hines had nine grabs for the Cards and Tia Gibbs added eight.
.
The shooting numbers were boosted by the Cards' red hot 15-21 in the final twenty minutes (71.4%). Take out Becky Burke's puzzling 0-5 performance and you've got only fifteen missed shots for the entire game. Reid and Schimmel went a combined 18-28 for the Cards and Schimmel and Gibbs 8-14 from beyond the 3 point arc. Vandy went a respectable 43.9% from the field for the game and did sink 7 of their 18 three-point attempts. It just wasn't good enough to top the marksmanship from the Lady Cards...
.
Louisville was also excellent from the charity stripe, sinking 13-14 free throws. Keisha Hines sank all six of her attempts and Sherrone Vails was the only Cardinal to miss (1-2) from the line. Vandy did make 5 of 6 from the stripe. Louisville stayed out of foul trouble for once...committing only 11 fouls in 40 minutes. Hines picked up three but had 32 minutes on the court...high numbers for the senior. Vandy was whistled for 15 infractions...backup bruising freshman center Stephanie Holzer collecting four.
.
The Cards gained 12 points in fast break opportunities. Several were wide open, unguarded attempts in the second half. Vandy with just 4 fast break points. The Vandy bench did contribute 27 points to the Vandy scoring, including a 19 point second half performance from freshmen guards Christine Foggie and Jasmine Lister. Louisville had only three bench points in the contest..at the foul stripe from Becky Burke's two tosses and Sherrone Vails hitting 1.
.
The Cards freshmen tallied 20 of the 81 points...19 for Schimmel and 1 for Vails. All five played and Schimmel saw 37 minutes, Charmaine Tay 19, Vails 7, Antonita Slaughter 4 and Polly Harrington 1. The freshmen grabbed six rebounds and handed out 8 of Louisville 20 assists.
.
Louisville blocked 2 shots and Vandy swatted three attemps away. The Cards had 10 steals (Hines and Gibbs three each) and the Commodores pilfered the orb 12 times, Elan Brown getting 5 of them. Vandy committed only 14 turnovers and Louisville was guilty of 20 miscues (Schimmel 5 and Reid 4).
.
Vandy never led in the contest. The Cards led by 20 with 6:55 to go in the second half after a Gibbs score at 68-48. Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb was effusive in her praise for Louisville's effort...stating that the Commodores 'actually lost the game in the first half...something I don't say very often'. She also remarked that Reid had 'improved a lot in physicality'. She had no comment on the performance of former Vandy player Tia Gibbs.
.
All in all, a very good, workmanship type effort by the Cards to dispatch the Commodores. Louisville met the challenge of a 12-0 second half Vandy run with a 13-0 run of their own and were never seriously challenged in the final nine minutes of the second half.
.
*************************************************************************************
.
DAVID WATSON watched the fray from Section 104 and has this report on the Louisville win:
.
I'll give you five reasons why Louisville defeated the Vanderbilt squad Sunday, and I'll provide them in alphabetical order.
.

Tia Gibbs. Revenge is a dish best served at tournament time and the silky, smooth sophomore showed Melanie Balcomb, head Vanderbilt coach, that she might of made a mistake in letting her get away. Gibbs first half shooting clinic left me convinced that not only is she a dead on distance shooter but she can do the things needed to get in position to attempt the deadly three. I didn't check on the way out of the Cintas Center, but it wouldn't surprise me if Gibbs was still raining down threes out on the blacktop outdoor court near where we parked. Her back-to-back threes (nearly three in a row) late in the first half keyed a 8-0 closing run that effectively sank the Commodore boat. All hands on deck, attention! We have an long range artillery specialist on board. Her three with 33 seconds left in the game was the final nail in the Commodore coffin...a three that Vandy fans cried about being in poor sportsmanship. You play to the final buzzer, Commodore crybabies. Better luck next year.
.

Keisha Hines. This senior must have watched a Sylvester Stalloine or Arnold Schwartzenegger movie before the game, because she came out and became the ultimate warrior. Scoring easily inside, containing the Vandy inside game and grabbing board and board. What used to be a 'close your eyes and pray' Hines at the foul stripe has turned into an automatic point producer. Last chance to dance for the senior and she has her ballet slippers on and has cued up the mirrored ball and Bee Gees. Not Saturday Night Fever, but Sunday Afternoon Smackdown.
.

Monique Reid. No disapperance for the flashly junior Sunday. Two solid halves of basketball and the classic Reid inside punishment by use of the backboard and soft jumper. Her war whoop when she nailed an inside jumper at the 8:11 mark of the second half was probably heard back in Fern Creek without the aid of the television volume. Reid layup, Reid inside, Reid layup, Reid plus 1. It may be boring script, but it is effective, successful and useful as any self-help paperback. Paul tells me that when she saw her walking out for the second half, he gave her the 'thumbs up'. She just gave him a self-assured smile that mission would be accomplished and opponent stifled. When she's golden, she shines like the sun.

.
Shoni Schimmel. No first time, freshman nerves here. Beginning with a three that gave the Cards a 5-2 lead and ending with a three with five minutes remaining that made it 71-51, the Portland progeny controlled the game with a maestro's touch and was the only other Cardinal besides Gibbs to hit from beyond the arc. I'll give Charmaine Tay a prop here also, off the bench and very steady in the nearly twenty minutes she contributed. As for Schimmel, another 'Sho-Time' performance that gets her one step closer to playing in front of her fanatical followers on the West Coast. They should call her Judge Schimmel because of her court awareness.
.

Jeff Walz. Coach coached the perfect game. Substitutions when needed, a persistant and wise dialouge with the officials which kept the Cards from getting too infractioned and letting the team solve their own couple of slumps during the contest. Walz knows quite well that you don't mess with good performances and gave four of the starters plenty of minutes to shine. He also saw that a three guard attack was the best way to calm the Commodores and Asia Taylor will have other days to compile points and boards. If he can figure out the mystery of the Becky Burke recent slump, we'll nominate him for Mayor of Louisville (no offense Greg Fischer). His next test is also how to contain the Xavier amazons Phillips and Harris. Don't bet against him.
.

As we drove home after the contest, my daughter made a very valid and wise observation. She commented that Louisville never seemed to be flustered or panicked during the game. Even when Vandy cut the Cardinal advantage to five, the girls re-grouped and pushed the lead back to 18. Consider the situation. The Cards have been battling all season in the best conference in women's college basketball. All nine BIG EAST teams won their first round games. Think that a 10-6 SEC Vandy is going to strike fear and apprehension into the hearts and minds of Walz's bunch? Not bloody likely, sir. Past performances matter. This wasn't Louisville's first rodeo, time at bat or situation under pressure. No problems here. Onto the rematch, now. Tear down the tall timber, Cards.
.
DAVID WATSON is a special contributor to CARDINAL COUPLE. He probably wouldn't make a great lumberjack or action figure hero...but we like his references and allegories. Here's hoping his 2 1/2 hour drive back from Cincy Tuesday night is one following a Cardinal win.
.
*************************************************************************************
.
Louisville softball closed out their participation in the San Diego Classic II with a 9-1 win over Ohio State on Sunday. The Cards finished the three day event with a 4-1 record and went to 18-9 overall. They took the tournament title and got the trophy thanks to the strong pitching of tori Collins against the Buckeyes. Collins allowed only two hits and fanned four in the five inning contest. She is 11-5 on the season.
.

Louisville struck early against OSU, getting two runs in the bottom of the first. A Jennifer Esteban triple scored Katie Keller and Esteban touched home on a Colby Wherry sacrifice fly.
The Cards added another run in the second when Keller singled home Kristin Austin.

.
Louisville took it to 5-0 in the third inning when they got fence clearers from Wherry and Alicja Wolny. After Ohio State scored a run in the top of the fourth, the Cards countered with four in the fourth. Wherry and Taner Fowler smacked back to back singles with two out. Wolny singled to get Wherry home. Austin drew a walk to fill the bags. Maggie Ruckenbrod's single scored Fowler and Wolny touched the plate on a wild pitch to make it 8-1. Walks by Hannah Kiyohara and Keller brought Austin to the plate for the final 9-1 tally.

.
Louisville returns to Ulmer for their next game, a matchup against the UK Wildcats on Wednesday. Game time is 6 p.m. and admission is $5.
.
*************************************************************************************
.
Sonja is spanking the competition in the women's NCAA Tournament bracket pick 'em. Her 27-5 first and second round performance leads by 4. Losses in a #8 vs #9 matchup (won by Purdue), and incorrect picks of Iowa State, Iowa, Arizona State and Middle Tennessee were the only blemishes on a brilliant bracket breakdown. Surprisingly, Bill the Goat is in second. As for Paul, once again...he sits in the cellar of the bracket basement. 19-13. Typical. BIG EAST teams went 9-0 in their opening games. The ACC fared 6-0. Give the SEC a 3-1 beginning. The Big 12 stumbled out 2-5 and the PAC 10 went 2-1. The Big 10 advanced 4 out of 5 in the "power conferences" results.
.
*************************************************************************************
.
A short NCAA Womens Tournament quiz for you:
.
1) How many states are represented in this year's tournament? Include the District of Columbia.
a) 37
b) 29
c) 33
d) 40
.
2) Which state has the most participants (6)?
a) Tennessee
b) Texas
c) Florida
d) Arizona
.
3) Which state has NO participants?
a) Kansas
b) South Dakota
c) Mississippi
d) Montana
.
4) Name the three North Carolina participants:
a) Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina
b) North Carolina, East Carolina, Duke
c) Marist, Duke, North Carolina
d) Gardner-Webb. Duke, North Carolina
.
5) Joanne P. McCauley coaches:
a) Marist
b) BYU
c) Duke
d) McNeese State.
.
(answers below)
.
Here in Kentucky, two teams are in the BIG DANCE (Louisville and Kentucky) and both advanced to the second round. Ohio has four universities involved and Ohio State and Xavier
were the only two to move on. The biggest upset in the first two days of action? Give it to #11 seed Gonzaga...who downed #6 seed Iowa. No #12 thru #16 seeds survived their first round games. Missing names from this year's Big Dance? Syracuse had a credible BIG EAST season but wasn't included despite going 22-9. LSU and South Carolina failed to get the call despite having .500 seasons in the SEC and winning records.
.
Boo to Xavier for trying to rip off the Western Kentucky University mascot with their "Blue Blob". They're the Musketeers, but we saw no dashing swordsman mascot on the sidelines Sunday. Just a second rate imitation of WKU's Hilltopper. We cry foul!
.
The Vanderbilt Commodore mascot looks like the late, great famed actor Leslie Nielsen after a few tough nights....we expected to see him stumble into the court action or create a typical Nielsen blunder or gaffe. I can hear Paul Sanderford's commentary now..."OMG! The Vandy mascot just took out Monique Reid on a fast break layup! And...no whistle? Amazing..."
.
ANSWERS:
.
1) c. 33 states have entries, including Georgetown, from D.C.
2) b. Texas has six schools in. Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas, Houston and Prairie View
3) c. Mississippi has no one. No Ole Miss, Miss St. Southern Miss or even a near miss.
4) d. Gardner Webb joins Duke and North Carolina from the TarHeel state.
5) c. Duke. Joanne has held the helm at Duke for four seasons.
.
5 for 5...You know your womens hoops! Give yourself a Naismeth Award and apply at ESPN.
4 for 5...Not Bad. You've seen a few games this year.
3 for 5...Average. Questions one and four were tricky. You'll do better next time.
2 for 5...40% shooting. You need to watch a few more games than your hometown school's.
1 for 5...Gotta send you to the bench, with a NCAA facts book and water bottle.
0 for 5...We don't encourage UK fans to visit...but they still show up and embarrass themselves.
.
.

Lady Cards down Vandy 81-62

-The fearless foursome of Gibbs, Schimmel, Reid and Hines
lead CARDS to second half romp.
.
(Back in Louisville and power back to the laptop!)
.

Tia Gibbs drilled five 3 point shots for Louisville and four Cardinals accounted for 76 of Louisville's 81 points in a 19 point win over SEC member Vandy in the Cintas Center Sunday afternoon in NCAA first round action in Cincinnati. Gibbs finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds and was joined in double digits by Monique Reid (22 points, 6 boards), Shoni Schimmel (19 points, three 3 pointers) and Keisha Hines (16 points, nine rebounds).
.
Louisville was sparked by a 13-0 run in the second half, after Vandy had cut a 17 point Louisville lead to five at 49-44 with a 12-0 run of their own.
.
Coach Jeff Walz said he didn't do or say anything special to get the Cards motivated to roll back out to a 62-44 lead with 8:11 left in the game. Hines hit an inside jumped and four straight free throws to get the Cards re-started and Reid finished the run with a layup and then a jumper plus one to put the Cards back up safely to stay.
.
"There was no special motivation, no time out. They all know that it's one loss and it's over this time of year...so I just let them go and they got it straightened out themselves." Walz commented after the game.
.
Louisville used a eye-popping 35-19 advantage on the boards to spark 12 fast break points in the second half and stop Vanderbilt's inside game. The Cards also shot a red hot 15-21 in the second half for 71.4% and sank all eight free throw attempts to keep Vanderbilt at bay.
.
*************************************************************************************
.
The three point barrage by Schimmel and Gibbs in the first half accounted for 18 of the Cardinals 41 first half points and two straight by Gibbs at the end of the first half put Louisville up 39-26 near the end of the first half. Reid inside, which Cardinal fans in attendance in Cintas Center saw plenty of, closed out the first half scoring...and Louisville led 41-26.
.
The Cardinal fans in attendance far out-numbered the Vandy fans in the stands and proved to be a rowdy and loud support group for the Louisville players. They got the attention of Jeff Walz as well...who commented after the game that he and the players were very excited about the "red" in the seats and how the Cardinal supporters travelled the two hours to watch the Lady Cards in action.
.
Louisville will face Xavier at 7 p.m. Tuesday night to attempt and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Muskies defeated the South Dakota State Jackrabbits 72-56 in the second game of the day in the Cintas Center. 6'5" twin towers Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris combined for 43 points and 27 rebounds. The Jackrabbits stayed close for most of the first half and went in at halftime down only 39-30, but could not deal with the Xavier strength inside in the final twenty minutes.
.
Paul lost his bet with Sonja that Howie Lindsey would not make the Louisville game and both of us would like to thank him for letting CARDINAL COUPLE readers know that WE were basically dead in the water with no laptop access. It's a simple rule, check the laptop case to make sure you've got ALL the essentials and accessories.
.
If anyone had the biggest reason to celebrate the Cardinal win over the Commodores, it might well could have been former Vandy player and current Louisville Lady Card Tia Gibbs. After sitting out a season after transferring to Louisville from Vandy, the former Louisville Butler All-State selection has been a valuable contributor and starter for the 2010-11 Cards. Gibbs went a red hot 7-9 from the court Sunday, grabbed eight boards and had three assists and steals in 36 minutes of action. When asked about the win, she stuck to the standard script answer that Walz and Reid kept using as a mantra:

"I'm just excited to be playing"

Based on the way the Cards looked this afternoon, so is the Louisville fan base.
.
*************************************************************************************
.
Sherrone Vails saw only seven minutes of action because of a gimpy leg. When Walz was asked about the injury, he shrugged and said :

"It doesn't matter, she's got another one.".
.
Walz then went into a short dissertation about the number of body parts she and the other Lady Cards have before commenting that Vails would be available for action Tuesday. It's good to know that all the Lady Cards have two eyes, arms and ears and only one nose each. When the press conference disintegrates into joking like that, it's time to end it and it did end shortly after the anatomy lesson. WE'RE glad that Jeff is a basketball coach and not a biology teacher at UofL. .
*************************************************************************************

.

CARDINAL COUPLE will be on-site for the Tuesday night match-up against Xavier. At least part of CARDINAL COUPLE, anyway. Sonja will be at work, listening to the radio accounts and descriptions of the game and pacing furiously. Paul will make the two hour trek to see it live.

GO CARDS!

.