Cards Travel to Notre Dame for Regular Season Finale
May 01, 2009 | Softball
May 1, 2009
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
U of L will wrap up the regular season with a doubleheader at Notre Dame. The Cardinals (45-7) currently stand at third in league standings with an 18-4 league record. At 18-3 in the conference Notre Dame is currently tied for first with DePaul.
Louisville Heads to Notre Dame for Season Finale
Television: ESPNU - Live, 12:05 first pitch; second game will start approximately 30 minutes following the completion of the first.
Play by Play: Justin Kutcher
Color Analyst: Cheri Kempf
Series History: Louisville leads 7-4
Last meeting: May 8, 2008 - Louisville defeated the Irish 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament. Prior to that, Notre Dame swept a doubleheader on April 18, 2009. Notre Dame won the first game 3-1 in eight innings and took the second 12-4.
Scouting the Irish: Notre Dame swept Providence 9-1 and 7-1 Thursday afternoon at PC's Raymond Field and then completed an 8-2 win at Georgetown Friday. The wins give the Irish an 18-3 conference record, tying them for first place with DePaul.
About the Cardinals
Louisville stands in at No. 18 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and No. 18 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, marking the eleventh consecutive week in the top 25. The Cards are hitting a healthy.322 as a team with seven starters above the .300 mark. Junior catcher Melissa Roth leads the pack with a .430 batting average. The leadoff hitter also has a team and conference-best 58 runs and 15 homers.Sophomore third baseman Chelsea Bemis follows with a.399 average and 15 doubles. Sophomore shortstop Colby Wherry rounds out the top three at .367 with 27 runs and 30 RBI.
Junior RHP Kristen Wadwell has been a workhorse for the Cardinals, posting nation-leading 38-7 record and a 1.36 ERA in 278.0 innings of work. She also has 226 strikeouts and is limiting opponents to a .199 batting average. Wadwell owns the single season (38) and career (72) records for wins.
Up Last
The 18th ranked University of Louisville softball team tied the school record for wins in a season at 45 with a 7-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky Wednesday evening at Ulmer Stadium. The Cards tied the record set in 2006 when they finished the year at 45-11 after advancing to the NCAA regional finals. Tori Collins (7-0) got the complete game shutout win, scattering four hits and striking out two. The Cards pounded out 12 hits in the game and were led by Kristin Austin's 3 for 3 performance at the plate. Chelsea Bemis and Collins each had a pair of hits.
Prior to that, Melissa Roth's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth broke a scoreless tie and Kristin Austin scored on Kassie Stanfill's sacrifice fly as the 18th ranked University of Louisville softball team defeated visiting Kentucky 2-0 in front of a season-high crowd of 985 Tuesday evening at Ulmer Stadium. Wadwell (38-7) continues to lead the nation in wins and picked up her 10th shutout of the season. She allowed four hits and struck out two in seven innings.
On Deck
Louisville will return home to host the 2009 BIG EAST Conference Tournament May 7-9 at Ulmer Stadium. The final seedings will be determined Sunday upon the completion of regular season play.
Card Notes
• Melissa Roth holds the single season record with 58 runs, surpassing Audrey Rendon's mark set in 2005.
• Kristen Wadwell now owns the school records for single season wins (38) and career wins (72).
• The Cardinals are an impressive 25-1 at Ulmer Stadium this season.
• Louisville stands third the BIG EAST standings with a 18-4 league record. DePaul and Notre Dame are tied at 18-3.
• U of L is in its eleventh 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 294-111
• Louisville needs six more runs to tie the single season record set in 2005.
• U of L has a 5-0 record in extra inning games
• Kristen Wadwell leads the nation with 38 wins and now owns Louisville's single season and career marks for victories.
• Louisville leads the BIG EAST in team batting average (.322), hits (456), runs scored (294), doubles (75), triples (16), ERA (1.70) and and wins (45)
•Melissa Roth leads the conference in runs scored (58). Roth also leads the league in slugging percentage (.848).
• 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 (38-7) has shouldered the majority of the pitching duties, logging 278.0 innings and posting a 1.36 ERA with 226 strikeouts. Freshman Tori Collins (6-0) has a 3.34 ERA with 16 starts in 65 innings of work.
• Senior centerfielder Kristi Cunningham is second on the school's all-time home runs list with 30. 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.
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, surpassing Catherine Bishop's mark of 67 (2004-07). She now has 38 wins.
Roth on the Run
With 58 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 139 runs.
Roth Earns BIG EAST Player of the Week Honors for the Third Time
Melissa Roth is the BIG EAST softball Player of the Week after producing a .667 batting average as the Cardinals rolled to a 3-1record in the week ending on April 26.
Roth had at least one hit in each of the Cardinals four games last week, including four that went for extra bases. She notched a .786 on-base percentage, after being hit by a pitch twice and being walked three times. Roth hit a home run in both of Louisville's wins in the doubleheader with Georgetown on April 25. In the second game of the twin bill with the Hoyas, Roth's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Cardinals a 4-2 win in walk-off fashion.
Austin Named U of L Freshman of the Year
Kristin Austin was named University of Louisville Female Freshman Athlete of the Year at the Cardinal Athletics All-Sport Banquet Monday, April 27.
Austin earned a starting role as an outfielder early in the season and has played in 48 of Louisville's 52 games with 43 starts. She leads the team with 16 stolen bases, is second with 38 runs and fourth on the team with a .351 batting average.
Cards Earn NCAA Academic Performance Program Recognition
The University of Louisville's softball team, along with the men's indoor track program earned special recognition with the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program (APP) public recognition awards released on Wednesday April 22.
The NCAA is honoring NCAA Division I sports teams that posted multiyear Academic Progress Rates in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
Cardinals On Pace for Record Setting Win Total
U of L's 45 wins on the season are tied with the most in program history. The record was set in 2006 when the Cards went 45-11 and advanced to the NCAA regional finals.
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.
Cardinals Among Nation's Best
U of L is one of six schools with 40 or more wins on the season. As of April 29, the Cards are ahead of North Carolina's 44 wins. They are right behind Florida Gulf Coast's 46 victories. Top-ranked Florida leads the nation with 49 wins.
Wadwell Sets Single Season Wins Record
In the April 14, 9-4 win over Middle Tennessee, 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 150 at bats.
Louisville on the National Scene
As of April 27, the Cardinals are ranked among the nation's leaders in several categories. As a team, Louisville is third in winning percentage (0.860), eleveth in batting average (.321), 18th with a 1.73 ERA , 22nd in scoring (5.70 runs per game) and 21st in slugging percentage (0.486). Kristen Wadwell leads the nation with 37 wins, is 16th with 9 shutouts, 27th in ERA (1.39) and 25th in strikeouts (225). Colby Wherry leads the `toughest to strike out' category with two strikeouts in 134 at bats. Melissa Roth is 8th in runs per game (1.12) and 7th in on-base percentage (0.556). Vanessa James is 13th in the nation with five triples.
Bombs Away
The Cardinals have hit 44home runs this season, more than doubling last year's total of 21. In fact, Louisville has now belted out the second most home runs in a season. The school record is 57, set in 2005. Melissa Roth leads the team with 15 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 25-1 record at Ulmer Stadium. Louisville's only home loss came at the hands of No. 14/16 Ohio State on March 14.
Working Overtime
The Cardinals are 5-0 in extra inning games this season. Below is a list of the extra inning game results.
Feb. 15: UL 6 - Virginia 5 - 8 innings - @UNLV Desert Classic
March 7: UL 3 - Michigan 2 - 8 innings - @ Ulmer Stadium
March 14: UL 3 - Minnesota 2 - 8 innings - @ Ulmer Stadium
March 20: UL 5 - USF 4 9 innings - @ Ulmer Stadium
April 25: UL 4 - Georgetown 2 - 8 innings - @ Ulmer Stadium
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.
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 369-213 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
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.
Bruggeman Gets 500th Career Win
On Feb. 14, the Cards defeated No. 18/21 Nevada 3-2 in the UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic. With the victory, Associate head coach Carol Bruggeman reached her 500th career win. She has been Louisville's Associate Head coach since 2006 and spent 12 years as the head coach at Purdue, where she started the program and amassed 380 wins.
