Softball Wraps Up Successful Fall Season
October 20, 2005 | Softball
Oct. 20, 2005
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - The University of Louisville completed a successful fall season going 5-0 in tournament play with wins over Morehead State, Western Kentucky, Indiana, Butler and Ohio State.
"I felt like our fall season went really well," said U of L head coach Sandy Pearsall. "Overall, the team looked good. I was pleased with our aggressive base running and offense. Defensively, we've still got some things to work on, but we made some great plays and we're shaping up to have a strong spring. The fall season is usually an inconsistent time for most pitchers, but we saw some good things from all three of our pitchers which is a great sign for the upcoming season."
The Louisville Fall Tournament
vs. Morehead State
The Cards began fall play Sept. 24 at the Louisville Fall Tournament against Morehead State. Junior Audrey Rendon, who led the nation in triples in 2005, picked up where she left off, starting the game with a triple. Almost all the Cardinals were able to contribute offensively and gain experience as U of L romped to an 11-0, five inning win. Sophomore Kady Garrick got the decision, holding the Eagles to one hit and striking out two in 3.2 innings. Freshman Kassie Stanfill shared the shutout, also allowing only one hit and striking out four in 1.1 innings.
vs. Western Kentucky
Louisville followed with a 4-3 win over Western Kentucky on Sept 24. The Cards jumped to a 3-0 lead, which held until the sixth inning when the Hilltoppers tied the game at 3-3. The freshman took over when Kristi Cunningham delivered a leadoff double, moved to second on a bunt and scored on Brittany Counts' RBI single to give the Cards the 4-3 win. Junior Catherine Bishop tossed a complete-game winn, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out three.
The final three games of the Louisville Fall Tournament were canceled due to inclement weather.
Indiana Fall Triangle Classic vs. Indiana
The Cardinals then traveled to Bloomington for Indiana's IU Fall Triangle Classic Oct. 2. where they picked up a 4-3 win over the host Hoosiers. Rendon led off with another triple and came home on 2005 Conference USA Co-MVP junior Courtney Moore's single to give the Cards a 1-0 lead in the first. The Hoosiers tied the game in the bottom of the frame. The Cards scored two runs on singles by Moore, junior Christine Bartle and sophomore Sarah Totten to make it a 3-1 game in the fourth. Indiana answered again in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3. U of L won the game in the top of the seventh when Totten singled, took second when Counts walked, was bunted over to third and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Candi Hicks. Bishop started the game and allowed one earned run on four hits and striking out four in 4 innings. Garrick got the win in relief, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out two in three innings.
vs Butler
U of L remained undefeated in the IU Fall Triangle Classic with a 6-1 win over Butler. The Cards jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the second when redshirt freshman Brooke McCrain led off with a double and scored on Stanfill's single. Stanfill came home on a hit by Hicks. Moore walked to set up Cunningham's two run single. Louisville tacked on another run when senior Alma Navarrete singled and crossed the plate on a double by Stanfill. Butler scored a run in the fourth to make it a 5-1 game. The Cards added another run in the sixth when junior Skye Miller singled and scored on a double by Moore for the 6-1 final. Stanfill picked up the win, allowing one earned run on four hits and striking out on ein four innings. Garrick held Butler to one hit and struck out three in three innings of relief.
At Ohio State
Louisville closed the 2005-06 fall season at Ohio State. In what was originally scheduled as a double-header, the teams agreed to play a single nine-inning contest. Both teams scored two runs in the third inning, but the Cards put up a five-spot in the fourth on Candi Hicks' two-run single and Courtney Moore's double to make it an 8-2 game. The Buckeyes scored a run in the fifth to make the score 8-3. The Cards' put three more on the board in the eighth with an RBI single by Tino Bartle and a two-run homer by Kristi Cunningham. Ohio State answered with three runs in the bottom of the eighth for the 10-5 final. Starter Catherine Bishop got the win, allowing four hits and three runs and striking out five in five innings. Stanfill pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit. Garrick allowed three runs on four hits and struck out two in two innings.
U of L is coming off of a record-setting season in 2005 with a 43-20 mark. The Cardinals set records for wins, home runs, doubles, triples and shutouts. Louisville won its first C-USA regular season title, finished runner-up in the league tournament and earned their second consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. U of L returns 12 letterwinners from last year's team including 2005 Conference USA Co-Player of the Year Courtney Moore and fellow All-C-USA selections Audrey Rendon, Lacy Wood and Catherine Bishop.
The Cardinals will open the 2006 season in Tallahassee at Florida State's Early Bird Tournament Feb. 10-12.
2005 University of Louisville Softball Results09/24/05 Sat MOREHEAD STATE ULMER STADIUM W, 11-009/24/05 Sat WESTERN KENTUCKY ULMER STADIUM W, 4-310/02/05 Sun at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. W, 4-310/02/05 Sun vs. Butler Bloomington, Ind. W, 6-110/09/05 Sun at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio W, 10-5
