University of Louisville
WESTERN KENTUCKY<BR>(Red & Black Classic)
Softball Splits on First Day of Red & Black Classic
March 04, 2006 | Softball
March 4, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - The University Louisville softball team defeated Wright State 10-1 in five innings, then fell to Western Kentucky 6-4 on the first day of the Louisville Red & Black Classic. The No. 21 Cardinals (10-2) will face Akron (5-4) Sunday at 1 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium.
Louisville 10 - Wright State 1
In their home opener, the Cardinals took advantage of nine hits, highlighted by Lacy Wood's grand slam in the second inning to roll to a 10-1 win over Wright State.
The Cards took an early 4-0 lead when Audrey Rendon led off the game with an infield single. A wild pitch and passed ball sent Rendon to third and Candi Hicks' RBI single made it a 1-0 game. Hicks stole second and scored on Courtney Moore's double. Moore came home on Wood's single and Michelle Vasquez delivered an RBI to give the Cards a 4-0 lead.
Wright State got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first when Jacqueline Macy led off with a double, took third on Brandi Steiner's sacrifice bunt and scored on Amanda Cody's single to make it a 4-1 game.
Louisville put up a five spot in the top of the second. Kristi Cunningham walked, Rendon singled and Candi Hicks reached on a fielder's choice. A Wright State error on the play loaded the bases for Moore who drew a walk to score Cunningham. With the bases still loaded, Wood stepped up to the plate and delivered her second grand slam of the season to make it a 9-1 game.
The Cards added another run in the fourth when Moore, moved to third on Wood's double and came on Sarah Totten's to increase the lead to 10-1.
U of L starter Kady Garrick (3-0) picked up the win, scattering two hits and allowing one run in five innings. Rendon led the Cards offensively with a 2 for 2, two-run performance. Wood was 2 for 3 with five RBI and two runs. Moored was 1 for 1 with three runs and one RBI.
Cody (0-4) took the loss for the Raiders, allowing 10 runs, eight of them earned, on nine hits and striking out five in five innings. The Raiders fall to 0-7.
Western Kentucky 6 - Louisville 4
The Cards could not overcome errors and missed opportunities to score in the game against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first when Alana Towns singled and Rebecca Horesky followed with a walk.
Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Amanda Ford-Feitz singled to score Towns and a Louisville error sent Horesky home.
The Cardinals put up a run in the bottom half of the inning when Rendon drew a walk, stole second, took third on Moore's flyout to centerfield and scored when Wood reached on an error to make it a 2-1 game.
Brooke McCrain's solo shot over the right field fence in the second inning tied the game at 2-2.
Horensky tripled and scored on a wild pitch to give Western Kentucky a 3-2 lead in the third.
The Hilltoppers added another run in the fourth when Becky Bishop beat out an infield single and scored when Bailey Rolfs reached on an two-out, two-base error to make it a 4-2 game.
U of L pulled within a run in the sixth inning when Jenn Skaggs was hit by a pitch, moved to second on McCrain's walk and scored on Rendon's single.
Western Kentucky put the game away in the seventh when Shelby Smith led off with a double and Becky Bishop reached on an error. Renikka Toliver's two-run double scored pinch-runner Allie Miles and Bishop to give the Hilltoppers a 6-3 lead.
Louisville threatened in the bottom of the seventh when Moore singled and was lifted for pinch-runner Brittney Counts, who scored on Vasquez's double to make it a 6-4 game. A Western Kentucky error allowed Sarah Totten to reach and placed runners on first and third with two outs for Jenn Skaggs, whose high fly ball to deep left field didn't quite have the distance and was caught to end the game.
Cardinal starter Catherine Bishop (5-1) took her first loss of the season, allowing four runs, only two earned, on four hits and striking out four in 4.0 innings. Kassie Stanfill allowed two unearned runs on three hits and struck out five in 3.0 innings of relief. Offensively, the Cardinals had six hits in the game and were led by McCrain, who went 2 for 2 with the solo home run.
Western Kentucky starter Adrienne Lathrop (7-3) got the win, allowing four runs, three earned on six hits and struck out four in seven innings. Bishop led the Hilltoppers at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two runs. Western Kentucky also defeated Akron 6-1 in Saturday's final game to improve to 11-8 on the season. WKU and Wright State will square off Sunday at 11 a.m. at Ulmer Stadium.
