Softball Plays Host to Georgetown Saturday
April 23, 2009 | Softball
April 23, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
The Cards will celebrate senior day on Saturday, April 25 with a doubleheader against BIG EAST opponent Georgetown. Louisville will honor the senior class of: Patrika Barlow, Brittney Counts, Kristi Cunningham, Mandi Rodriguez and Kassie Stanfill.
Louisville stands in at No. 17 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and No. 18 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, marking the tenth consecutive week in the top 25. The Cards are hitting a healthy.323 as a team with eight starters above the .300 mark. Junior catcher Melissa Roth leads the pack with a .414 batting average. The leadoff hitter also has a team and conference-best 53 runs and 12 homers.Sophomore third baseman Chelsea Bemis follows with a.411average and 15 doubles. Sophomore shortstop Colby Wherry rounds out the top three at .384 with 27 runs and 26 RBI. Senior Kristi Cunningham has driven in a team-best 41 RBI and 11 home runs on the season.
Junior RHP Kristen Wadwell has been a workhorse for the Cardinals, posting nation-leading 35-7 record and a 1.47 ERA in 257.0 innings of work. She also has 217 strikeouts and is limiting opponents to a .196 batting average. Wadwell owns the single season (35) and career (69) records for wins.
Cards Against the Hoyas
Saturday, April 25, 3 p.m.
Series Record: First meeting
Scouting the Hoyas: Georgetown enters the weekend with a 14-26 overall record and a 6-11 mark and sit in tenth place in BIG EAST Conference play. The Hoyas are coming off of a 4-2 win over James Madison and have won four of their last five games.
Mackensey Carter leads the team with a .333 batting average with five home runs and 21 RBI. Kelsie Hanson follows at .290 with 14 runs. Jennifer Connell (11-11) carries a 3.10 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 153.1 innings of work.
Up Last
The Cards are coming off a split with BIG EAST Conference leader DePaul on Wednesday, April 22. The showdown between the top two teams in the BIG EAST ended in a split as the No. 17 Cards defeated No. 20 DePaul 10-1 in six innings in the first game and the Blue Demons responded with a 9-1 win in the nightcap. DePaul (32-10, 16-3) remains in first place while Louisville 41-7 (16-4) slipped to third with Notre Dame in second at 14-3.
On Deck
Louisville will play host to Kentucky on April 28 at 5 p.m. Admission to `Pack the Park' night is $2. Sixth grader Michala Riggle will throw out the first pitch for `Autism Awarness.'
The game will be the featured `Pack the Park' night as the Cards face in-state rival Kentucky. Admission will be $2 dollars with the first 400 fans receiving a Cardinal backpack.
Promotions Information
: "Pack the Park"
#17 Louisville vs. Kentucky
Tuesday, 4/28 @ 5 PM, Ulmer Stadium
1st 400 fans will receive a Cardinal backpack and pom-pom!
$2 Admission - seating is limited and available on a 1st come - 1st served basis. "Autism Awareness Night"
Louisville native Michala Riggle will throw out the first pitch. After observing how an experimental treatment helped her brother autism symptoms, she wanted to help other children by funding research at Kosair Children's Hospital.
The local sixth grader has beaded and sold bracelets and raised nearly $300,000 to date for an autism research study. Her efforts have been recognized nationally through her appearances on Good Morning American and The Ellen Degeneres Show.
For more information on Michala's organization, Beading to Beat Autism, please go to:http://www.beadingtobeatautism.com Game Information
No. 17/18 Louisville vs. Kentucky (RV)
Series History: UK leads 12-10
In 2009: Louisville won the first matchup 5-1 on April 1 in Lexington. Kristen Wadwell allowed one unearned run and scattered five hits while Kristi Cunningham and Melissa Roth each homered as the (then) 16th ranked Cards topped the Cats. Chanda Bell took the loss and Natalie Smith went 2 for 3 to lead UK offensively.
Bemis on Honor Roll
Sophomore third baseman Chelsea Bemis was named to the BIG EAST Conference honor roll on April 20. She helped the Cards to a 4-1 record on the week, batting .579 (11 for 19) on the week with three doubles, a home run, six RBI and six runs. She hit .467 (7 for 15) in league play with a homer and two doubles. Bemis posted at least one hit in each game including a 4 for 4, four RBI performance in the 9-4 win over Middle Tennessee and a 3 for 4 showing in the 8-2 win over Syracuse. Bemis registered an .895 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage.
Cardinals On Pace for Record Setting Win Total
The 8-2 win over Syracuse on April 19 gave Louisville its 40th victory of the season, marking the fourth 40 win campaign in the 10 year history of the program. The Cards need five more wins to tie their highest win total of 45 - set in the 2006 campaign.
With 41 wins on the season, the 2009 Cardinals are tied for the third most wins in school history - matching the total in 2004. U of L is four wins away from tying the program record of 45 set in the 2006 season - when the Cards won the BIG EAST Conference regular season and advanced to the finals of the Knoxville Regional.
Cardinals Among Nation's Best
U of L is one of four schools with 40 or more wins on the season. As of April 23, the Cards are tied with Florida Gulf Coast for the third most wins in the nation with 41. They are right behind North Carolina's 42 victories. Top-ranked Florida leads the nation with 46 wins.
Card Notes
• Melissa Roth set a new single season record with 51 runs, surpassing Audrey Rendon's mark set in 2005.
• Kristen Wadwell now owns the school records for single season wins (35) and career wins (69).
• The Cardinals are 21-1 at Ulmer Stadium this season.
• Louisville stands third the BIG EAST standings with a 16-4 league record. DePaul leads the league at 16-3 and Notre Dame is second with a 14-3 conference record.
• U of L is in its tenth consecutive week in the national rankings. The Cards rejoined the top 25 on Feb. 17, after a two-year absence and reached as high as No. 14 - a program-best.
• The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 274-109
• Kristen Wadwell leads the nation with 35 wins and now owns Louisville's single season and career marks for victories.
• Louisville leads the BIG EAST in team batting average (.323), hits (409), runs scored (263), doubles (69), triples (13), ERA (1.62) and and wins (40) •Melissa Roth leads the conference in runs scored (51). Roth also leads the league in slugging percentage (.787).
• Junior Vanessa James tied a school record with two triples against Albany (2/21). She has seen time at second base, in the outfield and at designated player. She now has a conference-best five triples on the season.
• Kristen Wadwell (34-6) has shouldered the majority of the pitching duties, logging 250.1 innings and posting a 1.34 ERA with 212 strikeouts. Freshman Tori Collins (6-0) has a 3.00 ERA with 15 starts in 60.2 innings of work.
• Collins is the first left-handed pitcher in the history of Louisville softball.
• Senior centerfielder Kristi Cunningham is second on the school's all-time home runs list with 28. Courtney Moore holds the record with 41.
• Senior Kassie Stanfill snapped a 14 game hitting streak in the March 29, 6-1 win over Seton Hall. Prior to that, Stanfill had been tied for third for the longest hitting streak in Louisville program history. The longest hitting streak was 16 and was held by Coleen Coughlin in 2001.
• Sophomore shortstop Colby Wherry is the NCAA's 'Toughest Player to Strike Out' with only 2 Ks in 138 at bats.
Wadwell Owns Career Wins Record
Kristen Wadwell tossed a two-hitter to get the complete game win in Louisville's 8-2 win over Syracuse on April 19. The win gave her the career wins record. She surpassed Catherine Bishop's mark of 67 (2004-07).
Roth on the Run
With 53 runs on the season, junior catcher now holds the single season record for runs. In the April 19 8-2 win over Syracuse, Roth scored two runs to surpass Audrey Rendon's mark of 50 set in 2005. She is currently third on the career list with 134 runs.
Wadwell Sets Single Season Wins Record
Kristen Wadwell picked up the win in four innings of relief to set a new record for single season wins with 31. She surpassed Catherine Bishop's record set in the 2005 season.
In the 6-5 win over Pittsburgh, junior Kristen Wadwell tied the school record for single season wins with 30.
Wherry Tough to Strike Out
Colby Wherry is currently the toughest players in the nation to strike out according to the NCAA statistical rankings on April 21. She went the first 35 games of the season without striking out... until the April 3 game against Villanova when she fanned twice. She now has two Ks in 132 at bats.
Louisville on the National Scene
As of April 21, the Cardinals are ranked among the nation's leaders in several categories. As a team, Louisville is third in winning percentage (0.870), ninth in batting average (.323), 16th with a 1.62 ERA , 21st in scoring (5.72 runs per game) and 21st in slugging percentage (0.486). Kristen Wadwell leads the nation with 34 wins and is 28th in ERA (1.34) and 17th strikeouts (212). Colby Wherry leads the `toughest to strike out' category. Melissa Roth is 13th in runs per game (1.11) and 14th in on base percentage (0.538). Vanessa James is ninth in the nation with five triples.
Bombs Away
The Cardinals have hit 39 home runs this season, almost doubling last year's total of 21. In fact, Louisville has now belted out the second most home runs in a season with school record is 57, set in 2005. Melissa Roth leads the team with12 home runs,Kristi Cunningham has 11 and is second on the school's all-time list with 30.
There's No Place Like Home
The Cardinals have been tough at home this season posting a 21-1 record at Ulmer Stadium. Louisville's only home loss came at the hands of No. 14/16 Ohio State on March 14.
Roth's Grand Slam in the Books
In the April 10, 5-2 win over Pittsburgh, Melissa Roth recorded her first career grand slam and the ninth in program history. The only other active player on the roster with a grand slam is Brittany York, how registered one on March 30,2007 against Villanova.
April 7 Eastern Kentucky Game Postponed
The April 7 game against Eastern Kentucky was postponed due to weather conditions - it has been rescheduled for April 29 at 5 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium.
Cards Earn Highest Rankings in Program History
On March 24, the Cardinals moved to No. 14 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and were at No. 16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and coaches polls released on Tuesday, March 23. The Cards were also No. 14 in the Ultimate College Softball rankings.
The rankings marked the highest in program history in each of the polls. The Cards matched their highest rankings on March 17, when they were No. 15 in the NFCA poll and No. 16 in the USA Softball rankings. They were also No. 17 and 18 respectively in the 2006 season. This is their first year in the UCS poll.
Pearsall Reaches 600 Wins
On March 22, 2009, the University of Louisville defeated Rutgers 9-0 in game two of a BIG EAST Conference doubleheader. With the win, U of L head coach Sandy Pearsall reached 600th career victory Pearsall is in her 23rd year as a head coach, and her tenth season since starting the program at U of L where the Cards have compiled a 361-211 record.
Wadwell Sets School Record for Strikeouts in a Game
In the March 16, 3-2 win over Eastern Michigan, Kristen Wadwell set a new school record with 16 strikeouts in the game, breaking Aja Sherman's mark set on March 25, 2005 against Western Kentucky.
Roth Sets New Home Run Record
Junior catcher Melissa Roth set a school record with three home runs in Louisville's 12-3 win over Albany. She also tied a school record with four runs. Her six RBI fell one short of tying a school record.
