University of Louisville
SETON HALL
Louisville Softball Sweeps Seton Hall 7-2 and 10-2
April 02, 2011 | Softball
April 2, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - Freshman Katie Keller had four hits - including her first career home run and drove in five runs while freshman Caralisa Connell picked up two wins as the University of Louisville softball team swept BIG EAST Conference opponent Seton Hall 7-2 and 10-2 Saturday at Ulmer Stadium. The Cards improve to 25-10 (4-1 BIG EAST) while the Pirates drop to 12-18 (0-5).
"Caralisa Connell did a great job of pitching back-to-back games for us today," said head coach Sandy Pearsall. "We hit the ball well today - especially when we had runners in scoring position. We were happy to get two conference wins."
Louisville 7 - Seton Hall 2
In game one of the doubleheader, Keller went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs and Connell struck out eight to lead the Cards to a 7-2 win.
The Cardinals started the scoring with a leadoff walk to senior Chelsea Bemis in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman Maggie Ruckenbrod's RBI double brought Bemis home to give Louisville a 1-0 lead.
U of L added a pair of runs in the third. Sophomore Alicja Wolny was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a passed ball. Bemis drew her second walk of the day. With two on and two outs, the Cards got back-to-back singles from Ruckenbrod and Austin to push the score to 3-0.
Keller led off the fourth inning with a shot over the right field fence to give the Cardinals a 4-0 lead. Sophomore Jennifer Esteban followed with a hit and Wolny tripled off the fence to make it a 5-0 game. Wherry's sacrifice fly scored Wolny, increasing the lead to 6-0.
Seton Hall built some momentum in the top of the fifth with back-to-back singles by Brittany Schillizzi and Brooke Tull. Meredith Henze followed with a two-run double put the Pirates on the scoreboard, making it a 6-2 game. Nicole Lowenstein's infield single put runners on the corners with no outs for Seton Hall. After a meeting on the mound, the Cardinal defense buckled down with a strikeout by Connell and two groundouts, including a play at the plate to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Keller and Esteban connected on two-out hits and a throwing error put runners on second and third. Hannah Kiyohara's RBI single plated Keller to push the score to 7-2.
Connell (11-4) went the distance to get the win, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and striking out eight. Ruckenbrod was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Esteban was 2-for-4 with a run.
Seton Hall starter Brooke Tull (2-4) took the loss, allowing six earned runs on six hits in 4.0 innings of work. Henze led the Pirates offensively with a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance at the plate.
Louisville 10 - Seton Hall 2 (Five Innings)
In game two, Keller went 2-for-4 with four RBIs and Kiyohara was 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs as the Cards completed the doubleheader sweep with a 10-2 win.
The Pirates got on the scoreboard early with a run in the first. Maria DeLuca walked and scored on Kristen Kaelin's two-out double to give Seton Hall a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals answered in the home half of the first. Keller reached on a fielder's choice and Wolny's walk placed runners on first and second for Wherry's sacrifice bunt. An error on the play sent Keller home to even the score at 1-1.
U of L capitalized on five hits and an error to score five runs in the second. Kristin Austin walked and came home on Taner Fowler's double. Kiyohara followed with an RBI hit. Keller's two-run single plated Fowler and Kiyohara. Wolny singled and crossed the plate on a Pirate miscue to give the Cards a 6-1 lead.
Seton Hall got a run back in the third when Michelle Reed singled and took second on DeLuca's walk. Brittany Hammer's sacrifice bunt moved the runners and a wild pitch sent Reed home to make the score 6-2.
The Cards scored four runs in the fifth to end the game via the eight-run rule. Austin delivered a leadoff hit and stole second. Back-to-back RBI singles by Fowler and Kiyohara gave the Cards an 8-2 lead. Esteban's double put runners at second and third for Keller's game-ending two-run double which plated Kiyohara and Esteban for the 10-2 final.
Connell (12-4) picked up her second complete-game win of the day allowing two earned runs on three hits and striking out four. The win was her sixth in a row, dating back to last Saturday's win over Villanova.
