University of Louisville
Kentucky
No. 16/19 Louisville Downs Kentucky 5-1
April 01, 2009 | Softball
April 1, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. - - The No. 16/19 University of Louisville softball team defeated host Kentucky 5-1 Wednesday evening at the UK Softball Complex. The Cards improve to 30-5 on the season, while the Wildcats fall to 22-12.
The visiting Cardinals pounded out 12 hits, including two home runs, two doubles and a triple and surrendered only one unearned run to beat the host Wildcats in front of UK Softball Complex record crowd of 827.
"We're excited to win this game against a very good Kentucky team," said U of L head coach Sandy Pearsall. "We created a tremendous amount of offense and came ready to play today and that's something we haven't seen our team do in the last few games. I tip my hat to UK, they have a good team and they are having a great season."
After each team was retired in order in a scoreless first, the Cards broke through with two runs in the top of the second. Kassie Stanfill connected on a one-out single and Kristi Cunningham followed with her seventh-home run of the season, a towering shot over the centerfield fence.
Louisville had a chance to push more runs across in the third when Chelsea Bemis drove a two-out double off the right field wall, Colby Wherry singled and Stanfill walked to load the bases to bring Cunningham to the plate. This time she sent a shot to left field that sent UK left fielder Annie Rowlands to the warning track, but was caught for the third out of the inning.
The Wildcats got a run back in the home half of the third. Molly Johnson reached on a fielder's choice. Natalie Smith followed with a two-out single, an error on the play sent Johnson home to make it a 2-1 game.
Melissa Roth led off the top of the fifth with her seventh home run of the season. The shot over left center gave the Cards a 3-1 lead.
Louisville tallied two more runs in the top of the sixth. Christina Roesel led off with an infield single and took second on Brittany York's sacrifice bunt. Vanessa James stepped up to the plate and delivered her team-leading fourth triple of the season. Roth's RBI single plated James to make it a 5-1 game.
The Cardinals thwarted a Wildcat scoring threat in the bottom of the sixth. Smith led off with a double. Two outs later, she tried to score on Brittany Cervantes single to shallow centerfield, but Cunningham scooped up the ball and fired a throw home to Melissa Roth who was waiting to tag Smith out at the plate and send the game into the seventh inning with the score still 5-1.
U of L starter Kristen Wadwell retired all three batters she faced in the seventh to get the complete game win. She allowed one unearned run on five hits and striking out five and continues to lead the nation in wins. She needs six more to tie the school record for single season wins. Roth, Austin and Cunningham each had two hits while the rest of the batting order registered one hit to total 12 in the game.
Chanda Bell (15-7) took the loss, giving up five unearned runs on 12 hits and fanning three. Smith led the Wildcats offensively, going 2 for 3 at the plate.
