Softball Opens BIG EAST Play Friday
March 29, 2007 | Softball
March 29, 2007
The University of Louisville will open BIG EAST play when Villanova visits Ulmer Stadium for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. The Cards will play host to Rutgers Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
About Louisville
Louisville (16-15) is hitting .282 as a team and are led offensively by sophomore Kristi Cunningham who is hitting .333 with 27 hits, four doubles, 10 runs and 14 RBI. Sophomore Brooke McCrain follows with a .329 batting average, 28 hits, five doubles, 11 runs and 14 RBI. Senior Audrey Rendon (.327) has a team-leading 29 hits, five triples, five doubles and 17 runs. Senior Courtney Moore (.319) leads the Cards - and the BIG EAST with seven home runs, 21 RBI and 19 runs.
The Cards will look to sophomore Kassie Stanfill and freshman Kristen Wadwell to lead in the circle. Stanfill has posted an 8-5 record with a 2.30 ERA. Wadwell (2-4) carries a 2.04 ERA.
Last up for the Cards
U of L is coming off of two losses to Missouri, falling 5-2 and 4-2 in a doubleheader at Ulmer Stadium. The Cards built a 2-0 lead in the third, but the Tigers scored four runs in the sixth and a run in the seventh. Kristen Wadwell was 2 for 2 with a double and a run.
In game two, the teams traded leads with Mizzou jumping to an early 1-0 lead in the first. The Cards tied the game in the second and took a 2-1 in the third. The Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the fourth and tacked on another run in the seventh. The Cards amassed 12 hits, but left a season-high 12 runners on base. Kristi Cunningham led the Louisville attack, going 3 for 4 at the plate.
Cardinals vs.Villanova (14-9, 0-0 BIG EAST)
March 31- 4:00 p.m. (DH)
Series Record: U of L leads 2-0.
Last meeting: May 7, 2006. The Cards closed out the season- and clinched the BIG EAST regular season title by sweeping the Wildcats 6-1 and 9-1.
Scouting the Wildcats: Villanova is coming off of a doubleheader split against Towson State. They lost the the first game 3-2 and won 3-2 in eight innings in the second. The Wildcats are batting a healthy .301 as a team and are led by Jessica Curtis who is hitting .434 with 33 hits, 11 runs and 10 RBI. Five other players are batting over .300 on the season Cassie Koenig follows with a .392 average, three home runs and four doubles. Maggie Seidel (.333), Jackie Dempsey (.314) and Sheri Donley (.309) round out the top six hitters.
Cardinals vs. Rutgers (10-18, 0-0 BIG EAST)
March 31- 11:00 a.m. (DH)
Series Record: U of L leads 2-0
Last meeting: May 6, 2006. Louisville swept a doubleheader, winning the first game 7-3 and the second 3-0.
Scouting the Scarlet Knights: Rutgers enters the weekend with a 10-18 overall record as they open BIG EAST play at USF on Friday. The Scarlet Knights are hitting .271 as a team and are led offensively by Sarah Kalka who is batting .357 with 25 hits, six doubles and 17 RBI. Pitcher Chrissy Yard (5-7) carries a 4.56 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 58.1 innings. Rutgers is coming off of a double header sweep of Princeton, beating the Tigers 9-4 and 10-0. U of L also swept beat Princeton twice (5-0 and 6-1) in the Maryland Tournament. The other common opponent between the teams is Liberty. The Cards defeated the Lady Flames 4-3 in eight innings with Liberty topping the Scarlet Knights 7-3.
Up Next
The Cards will play host to Indiana in a single game on April 4 at 5 p.m. Following that, Louisville will travel to Tampa, Fla. for a BIG EAST Conference double header against South Florida.
Wadwell Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
Freshman RHP Kristen Wadwell was instrumental in Louisville's 3-1 performance in the Women 4 Women Softball Invitational, posting a 1.71 ERA against No. 6/9 Michigan, No. 7/8 Northwestern, No. 25 California and Liberty. Wadwell pitched in every game with two starts on the weekend. She got the save in the Cards 4-3, eight inning win against Liberty, holding the Lady Flames scoreless, and without a hit and striking out one in the eighth inning. She also pitched 5.1 innings with a career-high six strikeouts in the 5-4 win over No. 7 Northwestern - although she did not get the win because the game was tied when she left in the sixth inning. Wadwell picked up the win against #25 California and did not allow a run in five innings of relief against No. 6 Michigan. She leads the team with a 1.68 ERA. She also batted .429 (3 for 7) on the week with two runs and an RBI. She went 2 for 3 with two runs against Cal and was 1 for 2 against Michigan.
Cards Go 3-1 in Women 4 Women Softball Invitational
The Cards went 3-1 in the Women 4 Women Softball Invitational over the weekend with wins over Liberty, No. 7 Northwestern and No. 25 California. The only loss came at the hands of sixth-ranked Michigan - which was coming off of a loss to Liberty. Louisville and Northwestern each finished the tournament with 3-1 records with the Cards winning the tiebreaker by virtue of head-to-head competition.
- Sophomore right fielder Brooke McCrain helped lead the Cardinals offensively to a 3-1 record in the Women 4 Women Softball Invitational. She batted .417 (5 for 12) with two doubles, three runs and was perfect in the field on the weekend. McCrain went 2 for 4 with an RBI in the 4-3, eight inning win over Liberty, was 1 for 2 with a run in the 5-4 win over No. 7/8 Northwestern and was 2 for 3 with two doubles and two runs in the 12-2 win over No. 25 California. She is currently second on the team with a .321 batting average and 13 RBI.
Rendon Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
Audrey Rendon was named to the BIG EAST honor roll on March 19 after leading the Cardinals offensively on the week. The senior third baseman batted .500 (10 for 20) on the week with two doubles, two triples, three runs and three RBI.
Bishop Sidelined with Stress Fracture
The Cardinals are without the services of ace pitcher Catherine Bishop (6-6)who has been out since March 14 with a stress fracture. The 2006 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year has a 6-6 record, a 1.94 ERA and struck out 80 batters in 68.2 innings pitched.
Note Cards...
• Three underclassmen lead the Cardinals offensively. Freshman Kristen Wadwell carries a .346 batting average with nine hits in 26 at bats. Sophomore Kristi Cunningham follows with a .333 average and sophomore Brooke McCrain steps in next with a .329 average.
• But the upperclassman are leading the way with runs and RBI. Senior Audrey Rendon (.327) leads the team with 36 hits and five triples and is second with 17 runs. Senior Courtney Moore (319) leads the Cards with seven home runs, 19 runs and 21 RBI.
• Rendon currently has 237 career hits and needs three more to tie the school record of 140, held by Keola Calderon which has stood since 2003.
Load `Em Up for McCrain
Sophomore Brooke McCrain is batting 1.000 with the bases loaded this season. In her four at-bats with the bases juiced, she has recorded four hits, including a double and six RBI.
Cards win Maryland Terrapin Invitational
U of L put together a 5-0 win streak to claim the Maryland Terrapin Invitational title. The Cards started the tournament with a 5-0 win over Princeton and then needed Brooke McCrain's two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the host Terrapins. The Cards didn't allow a run in the next two games, needing only five innings to dispatch Rhode Island 9-0 and Central Connecticut 12-0. The finals of the tournment pitted U of L and Princeton - this time the Cards won 6-1. Courtney Moore was named tournament MVP and Catherine Bishop, Kristi Cunningham and Brooke McCrain earned all-tournament honors.
Moore Named BIG EAST Hitter of the Week; Bishop Named to Honor Roll
Shortstop Courtney Moore was named BIG EAST Hitter of the Week for the period ending March 11. Senior Catherine Bishop was also named to the league's weekly honor roll.
Moore batted .471 (8 for17) with three homeruns, a double, nine RBIs and eight runs on the week as Louisville posted a 5-1 record, including a five-game winning streak to win the Maryland Terrapin Softball Invitational. Moore also posted a 1.059 slugging percentage and was named the tournament's MVP.
Bishop was named to the BIG EAST honor roll after posting a 3-1 record and a 1.33 ERA on the week while striking out 23 batters in 21 innings of work. She tossed two one-hitters - including a complete-game shutout against Rhode Island. Bishop picked up wins over Maryland, Rhode Island and Princeton en route to being named to the Maryland All-Tournament team.
Moore Moves to Top of RBI Record List
Courtney Moore moved to first place on Louisville's career RBI list and now has driven in 149 RBI in her career. She also holds the career records for home runs (36) and runs (139).
Bishop Claims Career Strikeout Record
Catherine Bishop posted eight strikeouts in the 6-1 win over Princeton, moving to first place on the school's career strikeout list with 565. She also got the win in that game and is now tied for career wins with 65.
Rendon and Bishop Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
Seniors Audrey Rendon and Catherine Bishop were named to the BIG EAST honor roll announced on March 5. Rendon led the team offensively on the weekend, batting .571 (4 for 7) with a run, two RBI and a stolen base. She went 3 for 4 in the 7-4 win over Akron.
Bishop did not allow a run and struck out 15 in 9.1 innings pitched over the weekend. She held opponents to two hits (0.69 batting average). Matched her career high 12 strikeouts while getting the complete game win in the 1-0 decision against Bradley. Bishop posted her second save of the season in the 7-4 win over Akron, holding the Zips to one hit and striking out three in 2.1 innings.
Bishop Owns Career Shutouts Record
Catherine Bishop is now in sole possession of the school's career shutout record with 27. With her first shutout of the season against Bradley (3/2), she surpassed Jessica Rak's career mark of 26 which has stood since the 2003 season.
Rendon Selected in National Pro Fastpitch League College Draft
Senior third baseman Audrey Rendon was selected in National Pro Fastpitch League College Draft. The Pueblo Colorado native was chosen by the Rockford Thunder in the third round.
The six teams of the NPF held a four-round draft of the NCAA elite college softball athletes. Players selected in the NCAA draft will be permitted to pursue any available roster spot on their assigned team after completing their college season. Due to NCAA regulations, an active college senior-athlete is not eligible to sign with her respective franchise until her 2007 college season is finished.
Major League Baseball is the Official Development Partner of National Professional Fastpitch in the category of women's professional fastpitch softball. The partnership, which began the fall of 2002, is part of The Commissioner's Initiative on Women and Baseball, a league-wide effort to help MLB and the 30 Major League Clubs build stronger relationships with female audiences.
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL).
Moore and Rendon Racing Home
Seniors Audrey Rendon and Courtney Moore are in a race to see who can finish as the top run-scorer in Cardinal softball history. Moore currently holds the record at 139 while Rendon stands at 136. The two are no strangers to the school's career list - Rendon owns the stolen base record with 65, while Moore holds the home run mark with 36.
Cardinals Fall Out of Top 25
For the first time in a year, U of L has dropped out of the top 25 rankings. Louisville, which started the season at No. 20 in the NFCA poll and No. 21 in the USA Softball poll. The Cards have gone 4-7 in the first three weeks of the season with wins over No. 21 Fresno State and Florida International. Three of the Cardinals' losses have come to teams ranked in the top 25, then-No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 21 Fresno State (twice).
Cards Preseason Pick to Win 2007 BIG EAST Championship
Louisville has been selected to finish first in the 2007 BIG EAST Softball Preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
The Cards return six starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's team, including 2006 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year and NFCA All-South region second team member senior Catherine Bishop. Also back for the Cards are three-time all-conference third baseman senior Audrey Rendon and two-time all-conference shortstop senior Courtney Moore. Three-year starter Candi Hicks rounds out a veteran senior class.
Bishop Named to ASA Softball Top 50 Watch List
Senior Catherine Bishop has been named to the Amateur Softball Association's "Top 50 Watch List" for the sixth annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award. This award, which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country. The 2007 Pre-Season Watch List is comprised of 50 players representing 33 schools and 11 different NCAA Division I Conferences.
Bishop, a senior pitcher from Adelaide, Australia was the 2006 BIG EAST Softball Pitcher of the Year, an All-South second team member and was named to the all-BIG EAST first team. Last season she led the league and was fourth in the nation with a 0.78 earned run average and finished with a school-record 30 wins. Bishop held opponents to a .178 batting average and tied the school record for career shutouts with 25.
Bishop helped lead the Cardinals to a program-record 45 wins and the 2006 BIG EAST regular season championship. In 2006, U of L also achieved its first national ranking and appeared as high as No. 17 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and No. 18 in the USA Softball polls. In addition, Louisville received its third consecutive NCAA tournament bid and advanced to the regional finals.
Moore a Member of the 200 Club
Courtney Moore went 2 for 3 with a home run in Louisville's 6-4 win over No. 21 Fresno State on Feb. 17. In doing that, she became only the fourth player in U of L history to have over 200 hits. Keola Calderon (2000-03) owns the career record with 240. Last season 2006 senior Lacy Wood became the second player to reach 200 hits and finished her career with 223. Moore's current teammate Audrey Rendon broke the 220 mark at the end of the 2006 season and stands in third place with 237 hits.
