University of Louisville
St. John's
Softball Splits with St. John's
March 28, 2009 | Softball
March 28, 2009
Queens, N.Y. - The No. 14/16 University of Louisville softball team defeated host St. John's 3-1, and took its first BIG EAST loss of the season with a 5-4 decision in the nightcap.
In the first game, Louisville scored all three runs in the first inning and held on to beat St. John's 3-1.
The Cards jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Chelsea Bemis delivered a two-out single and scored on Colby Wherry's double. Wherry crossed the plate on Kassie Stanfill's base hit.
Louisville added another run in the second. Brittany York singled and came home when Melissa Roth reached on a two-out error.
The Red Storm got a run back in the fifth when Erin Harris drew a leadoff walk, stole second and took third on Chelsea Durning's groundout. Roxy Struble's two-out RBI single to make it a 3-1 game.
Kristen Wadwell (22-3) picked up the complete game win, giving up one earned run on four hits and striking out five. Stanfill was 2 for 2 with an RBI to lead the Cards offensively.
Linzee Sumrall (6-6) took the loss, allowing three runs, two earned on four hits and fanning 10.
In game two, a seventh inning rally fell short as the Cards dropped their first BIG EAST game of the season 5-4.
Down 5-1 in the top of the seventh, the Cards rallied to score three, but left the tying run in scoring position as St. John's held on for the win. Vanessa James started the scoring with a one-out double. Bemis and Wherry each singled to load the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate. A wild pitch sent James home, making the score 5-2. Pinch runner Tesha Paysen scored on Stanfill's groundout and Cunningham's double plated pinch runner Megan Bivins to pull Louisville within one. With Cunningham at second, Wadwell stepped up to the plate, representing the go-ahead run, but Sumrall delivered a strikeout to end the game.
The Red Storm took an early lead in the bottom of the first. Chelsea Durning led off with a single, and eventually came home on Stacia Dopudja's RBI single to make it a 1-0 game.
St. John's tacked on another run to take a 2-0 lead in the third. Struble connected on a one-out single. Cox followed with a walk and Dopudja's single moved the runners. An error on the play allowed pinch runner Shauntaine Harris to score.
Cox's RBI double in the fifth scored Dopudja who had reached on a one-out single to give the Red Storm a 3-1 lead. St. John's had a chance to push more runs across when two singles and an error loaded the bases with one out. After leaving the game in the fourth inning, Louisville starter Kristen Wadwell re-entered the game and struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Stanfill led off the top of the sixth with a solo home run over the left field fence to put the Cards on the board 3-1.
The Red Storm put up two more runs on Durning's RBI double and Dopudja's RBI single to increase the lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth.
Wadwell (22-4) took the loss, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits and striking out three in 4.2 innings. Tori Collins gave up one earned run and three hits in 1.1 innings of relief. Bemis was 4 for 4 with a double and Stanfill and James each had a pair of hits as the Cards compiled 11 in the game.
Dopudja went 4 for 4 with three RBI to pace St. John's offensively. The Red Storm (12-13, 2-4) tallied 11 hits. Kat Lawrence (6-7) got the win, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits and striking out seven. Sumrall gave up one hit while earning her second save of the season.
U of L (28-4, 5-1) will continue BIG EAST play when they travel to Seton Hall for a Sunday doubleheader.
