Softball to Wrap Up Regular Season at Connecticut and Providence
May 01, 2008 | Softball
May 1, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville softball team will will close out the regular season with BIG EAST doubleheaders at Connecticut and Providence.
The Cardinals (29-18, 12-6) are currently tied for third in the BIG EAST Conference and have secured a spot in the league tournament which will be held May 8-10 at Ulmer Stadium.
U of L is led offensively by sophomore catcher Melissa Roth who is batting .373 with 40 runs, 20 doubles, four triples and eight stolen bases. Freshman 3B Chelsea Bemis follows with a .316 average, a team-leading 46 RBI and five home runs. Senior 1B Sarah Totten rounds out the top three with a .312 average, 28 runs, 25 RBI. The Cards' number two hitter has tied a single season record with 15 sacrifice bunts.
Kristen Wadwell (17-11) leads in the circle with a 2.05 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 201.1 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .216 batting average. In her last six games, she has posted a 5-1 record - her only loss was a 1-0 decision to No. 23 DePaul. Wadwell has posted a 0.70 ERA while pitching 40 innings since the April 20 DePaul series.
Up Last: U of L defeated host Eastern Kentucky 4-2 in its final non-conference game of the season. Melissa Roth blasted her first home run of the season, a two-run shot, Kristi Cunningham had two doubles with a run and an RBI. Brittany York went 2 for 3 with a run. Kassie Stanfill (10-6) got the win, allowing two earned runs and striking out five.
Louisville (29-18) vs. Connecticut
Series Record: Tied at 2-2
Last Meeting: 4/27/07 - UConn swept a doubleheader at Ulmer Stadium, beating the Cards 6-4 and 4-1
Scouting the Huskies: Connecticut brings a 25-21 overall record into Saturday's series. At 11-7, the Huskies are currently tied for fifth in the league standings. Melissa Lucas leads the Huskies with a .364 batting average. Danielle Del Ponte follows with a .336 average, six home runs, 20 runs and 26 RBI.
Rachael Crossin (9-11) carries a team-leading 2.20 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 124.1 innings. Tricia Sullivan (13-10) has 139 Ks in 140.1 innings of work.
Louisville (29-18) vs. Providence
Series Record: U of L leads 4-0
Last Meeting: 4/29/07 - Louisville swept a doubleheader beating, the Friars 4-3 and 4-0 at Ulmer Stadium.
Scouting the Friars: Providence entered the week with a 24-22-2 overall record prior to a game against Boston College on Thursday and a doubleheader against USF on Saturday.
PC carries an 8-10 league record and clinched the final spot in the BIG EAST tournament early this week when Rutgers and Villanova split, giving the Friars sole possession of eighth place. Providence is led offensively by Mary Rose Sheehy, who is batting .359 with 18 runs and 30 RBI. Katelyn Revens follows with a .316 average, 29 runs and a league-leading 25 stolen bases. Danielle Bertolette (13-10) leads in the circle with a 1.88 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 134.1 innings.
On Deck: The University of Louisville will host the 2008 BIG EAST Softball Conference Tournament May 8-10 at Ulmer Stadium. All participating teams have already punched their tickets, with the seedings yet to be determined. The current standings are as follows: #1 - USF (14-4); #2 - DePaul (13-5); T#3 - Notre Dame/Louisville (12-6); T#5 - Connecticut/Syracuse (11-7); #6 - Pittsburgh (10-8); #8 - Providence (8-10)
Cardinal Quick Hits
• Sophomore catcher Melissa Roth has 20doubles on the season. Her leadoff double in the first inning of the 5-4 win over Evansville tied the school single-season record, set by Melissa Jacobo in 2001.
• Roth's .486 on-base percentage currently stands atop the school's single season record list.
• Roth leads the team with 16 multiple hit games.
• Freshman 3B Chelsea Bemis has a team-leading 13 multi-RBI games.
• Bemis is also on pace for reaching a single-season high for walks. She currently has 26 with the record being 31, held by Courtney Moore (2007) and Melissa Jacobo (2001 and 2002).
• Bemis also needs 7 more RBI to set a new single season high. She has 46 with the current record (53), held by Courtney Moore (2007).
Roth and Wadwell Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
Sophomore catcher Melissa Roth helped lead the Cardinals to a 3-0 record on the week, batting .400 (4 for 10) with a double, three runs and three RBI. Roth's performance included a three-run double in the 11-0 win over USF. She also stole two bases on the week and was hit by two pitches to set a new single season record at 17. Roth posted a .500 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage.
Sophomore Kristen Wadwell went 3-0 in the week, allowing two runs with two shutouts for a 0.74 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 19 innings. She pitched every inning for the Cardinals and notched two complete game shutouts, including an 11-0 decision against conference-leader USF and a 4-0 win over host Indiana. She gave up 16 hits, limiting opponents to a .222 batting average in three games.
Bemis Driving Them Home
Freshman Chelsea Bemis leads the team with 46 RBI and is fourth on the school's single season list, seven away from tying Courtney Moore's single season school record of 53.
On the National Scene
The Cardinals rank among the top 50 in the nation in several categories. Most notably, Melissa Roth is third in doubles per game (0.42), and fourth in hit by pitch per game (0.36). Sarah Totten is eighth in sacrifice per game (0.33). Chelsea Bemis is 21st in RBI per game (1.02).
For the Record...
• On April 29, Melissa Roth led off the first inning with a double against Evansville giving her 20 on the season, tying a school record for single season doubles, set by Melissa Jacobo in 2001.
• In the 5-1 win over Southern Miss on Feb. 9, sophomore catcher Melissa Roth tied a school record with three doubles in a single game. She tied Lisa McMillan's record set in 2003.
• In the March 17 5-4 win over Minnesota, freshman Chelsea Bemis tied a school record with four walks. Courtney Moore set the record on May 7, 2006 against Villanova. She drew four alks and scored four runs.
• Pitcher Kristen set a painful school record (at least for the opponents) with four hit batters in the March 12 6-2 win over Marshall.
Taking One for the Team
Sophomore catcher Melissa Roth set a new school single season record for being hit by a pitch with 18. She broke her own mark, set in the 2007 season and holds the career record with 34. The record was previously held by former Cardinal great Sara Bausher who finished her career (2002-05) with 23.
Pearsall, Cards Reached 300th win at Louisville
On March 1, the Cards posted a 2-0 win over Oregon State, to mark the program's 300th win since the program started in 2000. The win happened to come against Pearsall's alma mater where she played in 1983-84.
Rising in the (BIG) EAST
Entering this week, sophomore catcher Melissa Roth leads the league with 39 runs scored, 20 doubles and four triples. Roth is second with a .486 on-base percentage. She has been hit by a conference-high 17 pitches.
Freshman Chelsea Bemis leads the conference with 46 RBI and is third with with 26walks.
Senior Sarah Totten is tied for first with 15 sacrifice bunts.
Fair Weather Fans
The Cardinals have been hampered by inclement weather most of the season. They have missed eleven games because of rain or snow. The final day of the Samford Bulldog Bash and the Cardinal Classic were ( washed out. The entire Red & Black Classic was cancelled after a foot of snow hit the Louisville area. The most recent lost matchups were the games were the March 22 games against Illinois-Chicago and Indiana.
Rookies Making an Impact
With the loss the top two hitters and offensive record holders from last year's team, freshmen Chelsea Bemis and Colby Wherry have turned in solid performances at the plate. Bemis, the No. 3 hitter for the Cardinals leads the team with 46 RBI and five home runs and is second on the team with a .316 batting average and 25 runs, she also has 12 doubles on the season. Bemis has started all 47 games at third base.
Stanfill Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
Junior RHP Kassie Stanfill was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on March 3. The Cards were coming off of a 2-3 showing at the Fullerton Worth Classic in which Stanfill posted a .600 batting average (9 for 15) with one run and four RBI. She had at least one hit in each game and went 4 for 4 against UC-Davis.
Big Cleats to Fill
The 2008 Louisville squad features a mix of youth and experience. The entire left side of the field has had to be replaced due to the loss of some of the most highly decorated players in school history. Gone from this year's team are: Four-time All-Conference First team member 3B Audrey Rendon, three-time All-Conference team shortstop Courtney Moore - Rendon and Moore have left their names atop virtually every offensive record. Louisville also has been force to replace consistent post-season standout Candi Hicks. In addition, the Cards said good-bye to RHP Catherine Bishop who owns nearly every school record in the book.
