University of Louisville
INDIANA
Cards Top Hoosiers 6-1
March 24, 2009 | Softball
March 24, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - Sophomore Chelsea Bemis went 3 for 4 with two doubles as the University of Louisville softball team improved to 27-3 on the season with a 6-1 win over visiting Indiana (3-22) Tuesday evening at Ulmer Stadium.
The Cards took a 2-0 lead in the second. Kassie Stanfill led off the inning with a double and came home on Kristi Cunningham's triple which caromed off the centerfield fence. Cunningham crossed the plate safely on Brittany York's fielder's choice.
The Hoosiers got a run back in the top of the third. Kelsey Stander and Heather Nelson reached on back-to-back errors to place runners on the corners. A wild pitch sent Stander home to make it a 2-1 game.
U of L used four hits and a Hoosier error to put up a three-spot in the bottom of the fourth. Melissa Roth got things started with a double. Vanessa James followed with a bunt single, an error on the play allowed Roth to score and James to take second. Bemis registered an RBI double and Wherry's single increased the Cards' lead to 5-1.
The Cardinals tacked on another run in the sixth. Bemis drove a two-out double to centerfield and was lifted for pinch runner Megan Bivins, who scored on Wherry's double for the 6-1 final.
Kristen Wadwell (21-3) got the win, limiting the Hoosiers to one hit and striking out five in 4.0 innings of relief. Freshman starter Tori Collins gave up one unearned run on two hits and struck out two in 3.0 innings of work. In addition to Bemis' three-hit performance, James, Wherry and Cunningham had two hits each as the Cards tied a season high 13 hits.
Ashley Hobbs (1-7) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings.
Louisville just moved up a spot to No. 14 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll to its best ranking in program history. The Cards remained at No. 16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
The Cardinals just completed a 16 game home stand which spanned almost the entire month of March. During that time, they went 15-1 at Ulmer Stadium including four BIG EAST Conference victories. Louisville will now embark on its first league road trip of the season with a doubleheader at St. John's on Saturday and a twinbill at Seton Hall on Sunday.
