University of Louisville
CONNECTICUT
Softball Sweeps Connecticut Doubleheader
April 12, 2014 | Softball
April 12, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville softball team swept Connecticut 6-0 and 9-1 in an American Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Ulmer Stadium. The Cardinals improve to 26-15 and 7-4 in league play while the Huskies drop to 9-28 (2-8).
"I thought we had a great defensive effort from our team today and we hit the ball with a lot of power, which was exciting to see," said UofL head coach Sandy Pearsall. "I thought Rachel LeCoq did a great job and that's the kind of pitching we need to see from her."
Louisville 6 - Connecticut 0
The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first when Kelsi Jones drew a leadoff walk, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Katie Keller's RBI single plated Jones.
Louisville used a pair of two-run homers by Taner Fowler and Kelsi Jones to take a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Maryssa Becker led off with a walk and Fowler crushed a shot off of the scoreboard in left field to make the score 3-0. Hannah Kiyohara walked to set up Jones' team-best eighth home run of the season over centerfield.
The Cards added another run to take a 6-0 lead in the fourth. Jones singled and stole second. She stole third when Keller walked and crossed the plate on a double steal attempt which saw Keller out at third.
Maryssa Becker (11-3) got the win, holding the Huskies scoreless on six hits and striking out six in 6.0 innings. Tiarra Sanabria combined on the shutout, allowing two hits in the seventh inning.
Jones was 2 for 3 with a home run, three runs and two RBIs. Fowler was 1 for 3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run to lead the Cards at the plate.
Lauren Duggan (6-16) took the loss, allowing six earned runs on six hits and striking out three in 5.0 innings. Emily O'Donnell and Heather Fyfe each had two hits for the Huskies.
Louisville 9 UConn 1 (five innings)
In game two, Rachel LeCoq scattered two hits in 5.0 innings and the Cards backed her with nine runs on 10 hits to beat the Huskies 9-1 in five innings.
Louisville jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first when Whitney Arion reached on a fielder's choice and Keller singled to set up Brittany Duncan's two-run double off of the centerfield fence.
The Huskies got a run back in the top of the third when Jacklyn Dubois walked and took second on Heather Fyfe's sacrifice bunt. An error sent her to third and she came home on Emily O'Donnell's sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2-1.
The Cardinals answered with a pair of insurance runs in the home half of the third. Katie Keller beat the throw on an infield single and Kayla Soles smashed a shot off of the top of the scoreboard for her sixth homer of the season to make the score 4-1.
Louisville used three hits, including Whitney Arion's two-run home run to increase the lead to 7-1. Fowler connected on a leadoff double and moved to third when Hannah Kiyohara reached on a bunt single. A sacrifice fly by Jones brought Fowler home. Arion followed with her fifth homer.
The bottom of the fifth brought two more Louisville runs. Duncan led off with a walk and was lifted for pinch-runner Jordan McNary who took second on a hit by Soles. Becker's RBI single brought McNary home and Soles scored on a wild pitch for the 9-1 final.
Rachel LeCoq (8-7) got the win, allowing one earned run on two hits and striking out two in 5.0 innings. Soles was 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs while Keller was 2 for 3 with two runs.
Kayla Doty (2-5) took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits and striking out two in 3.2 innings. Valerie Sadowl was 2 for 2 at the plate for the Huskies.
The teams will wrap up the series Sunday at 12 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. Sunday, April 13 is UofL Softball's Pink Game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and the Cards will wear special pink jerseys to be auctioned during the game. All proceeds will be donated to Live Strong in conjunction with the YMCA.
