University of Louisville
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Softball Welcomes Northern Illinois Wednesday at 3 p.m.
March 13, 2018 | Softball
Cards continue homestand with a matchup against Northern Illinois Wednesday at 3 p.m.
The University of Louisville softball team will play host to Northern Illinois in a midweek matchup Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium. The game was originally slated for a 5 p.m. start, but was moved up due to cold temperatures. Admission is free.
 Team Notes
• The Cardinals bring a 19-5 overall record into the midweek matchup against Northern Illinois. Last weekend, UofL went 4-1 in the Louisville Softball Classic. For the fifth week in a row, Louisville is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. UofL is also receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Coaches poll for the second straight week and the fourth time this season.
• The Cards have won nine of their last 10 games and are 9-1 at Ulmer Stadium this season.
• Louisville has outscored opponents 143-82 this season. Eight different players have tallied double-digit run totals.
• On March 4, Louisville defeated Eastern Illinois 6-0 to mark the 700th win in school history - all under head coach Sandy Pearsall who started the program in 2000.
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Individual Notes
• Danielle Watson (12-3) leads the ACC and is fifth in the nation with 12 wins. The freshman right-hander carries a team-best 1.87 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 78.2 innings of work while holding opponents to a .179 batting average. Junior Megan Hensley (6-2) follows with a 2.23 ERA and 61 Ks in 72.1 innings and is limiting opponents to a .222 average.
•Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson leads the team with a .397 average and leads the Cardinals with 23 RBIs as well as multi-hit games (9) and multi-RBI games (6).
• Sophomore Celene Funke follows with a .373 batting average and is a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases.Â
• Junior Sidney Melton has scored a team-high21 runs and is 5-for-5 in stolen bases.
• Sandy Pearsall is in her 19th season as UofL's head coach. After building the program from scratch in 2000, Pearsall recently achieved her 700th victory at Louisville. She has guided the Cardinals to six conference championships. Under her watch, Louisville has made 13 NCAA regional appearances and served as a host site in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
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Cards against the field
Northern Illinois
Series Record: UL leads 4-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 7, 2014 - UL won 7-1
Scouting the Huskies: Northern Illinois enters the week with a 5-15 overall record prior to a Tuesday game at Kentucky. The Huskies are coming off of a 1-4 showing at the EKU Invitational last weekend. NIU dropped a pair of games to Saint Louis and Eastern Kentucky before beating Western Carolina in the third game of the tournament. The Huskies fell to Western Carolina in a second matchup and wrapped up the weekend with a loss to EKU.
• Kayla Scaperrotta leads the team with a .400 batting average. Jenny Van Geertry follows at .379 with a team-best 10 runs and nine RBIs and five stolen bases.
• Tara Thacker (3-7) carries a 3.68 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 57.0 innings.
Up Next: The Cardinals will open ACC play this weekend when Notre Dame visits Ulmer Stadium for a three-game series starting Friday at 4 p.m.
 Recapping last weekend
The Cardinals went 4-1 in the Louisville Softball Classic. UofL opened the tournament Friday with a pair of come-from-behind victories against Bradley and UMass to extend its win streak to 10 games. A loss to the Minutewomen on Saturday snapped that streak, but the Cards rebounded with a win over Eastern Michigan Saturday evening and beat Bradley Sunday to wrap up the weekend.
•Freshman Kyra Snyder went 8-for-16 at the plate to lead the Cardinals on the weekend. Junior Megan Hensley followed with a .471 batting average, scoring three runs and driving in four. Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson went 8-for-19 with a .421 average and a home run and scored five runs with seven RBIs.
•Henley posted a 2-1 record in the circle with a 2.57 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 16.1 innings.
 Louisville 10 – Bradley 8
Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson went 3-for-4 with a career-high three runs and four RBIs and Melton went 3-for-4 with three runs in a game which saw the Cards rally from deficits of 6-1 and 8-6. Seven players connected on at least one hit to help Louisville outhit Bradley 14-13. Megan Hensley got the win, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and striking out six in 4.1 innings of relief.
 Louisville 5 – UMass 4 (8 innings)
Caitlin Ferguson's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth lifted the Cardinals to a 5-4 win as Louisville scored five unanswered runs after trailing 4-0 entering the bottom of the seventh.
• Watson (12-3) picked up her ACC-leading 12th win of the season while striking out seven and allowing four earned runs on seven hits. Melton went 3-for-3 with a run to pace the Cardinals at the plate. Ferguson, Pufahl, Hensley and Szydlowski also tallied two hits as Louisville held a 13-7 advantage in hits.
 UMass 5 – Louisville 2
The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead, but UMass scored three runs in the third and two more in the second en route to a 5-2 victory which snapped Louisville's 10-game win streak.
• Hensley took the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits and struck out nine in seven innings. She also went 2-for-3 at the plate. Snyder also had two hits to pace the Cardinals offensively.
 Louisville 10- Eastern Michigan 6
Sophomore Celene Funke went 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI and freshman Maddy Newman went 3-for-4 with two RBs and a run to help Louisville overcome a 5-2 deficit and beat Eastern Michigan 10-6 in the second game of the day.
• Junior Darrianne Hale got the win, allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits and striking out three in 4.1 innings of relief. Freshman Danielle Watson picked up her first save after surrendering two hits and striking out two in the final two innings of the game.
 Louisville 6 - Bradley 3
The Cards wrapped up the Louisville Softball Classic with a 6-3 win against Bradley Sunday at Ulmer Stadium.
• Megan Hensley got the win, holding the Braves scoreless on three hits and striking out six in five innings of relief. She also went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Nicole Pufahl went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
 Pearsall, Louisville reach 700 wins
On March 4, 2018, the University of Louisville softball team defeated Eastern Illinois 6-0 in the final game of the Red & Black Classic at Ulmer Stadium.
Pearsall Highlights at Louisville
• Sandy Pearsall is in her 19th season at the helm after starting the program in 2000.
• She has registered a 704-355 record at Louisville; producing 14 consecutive winning seasons (6 winning seasons in the 18-year history of the program).
•Six conference championships in three conferences (C-USA, BIG EAST, American Athletic ConferenceÂ
• Louisville has been ranked in the top 10 numerous times, reaching as high as No. 7 (as recently as 2013)
• Conference Coaching Staff of the Year three times: 2012 (BIG EAST); 2006 (BIG EAST); 2000 (Conference USA); NFCA Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year (2012)
 Hitting for average
The Cardinals are hitting .309 collectively as a team with six players who are batting over .300 on the season. Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson leads the way with a .397 average. Fellow sophomore Celene Funke follows at a .373 clip while senior Nicole Pufahl is batting .357. Junior Megan Hensley carries a .328 batting average, Madison Cousineau (.320) and Kyra Snyder (.317) round out the top hitters.
 Watson off to stellar start
Freshman Danielle Watson has been impressive in her debut as a Cardinal. The right-handed pitcher leads the ACC and is tied for fifth in the NCAA in wins with a 12-3.
• The right-hander carries a 1.87 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 78.2 innings while holding opponents to a .179 batting average.
•The Osceola, Ind., native made her debut in the Cardinals 5-3 win over UCF. In that game, she surrendered one earned run and struck out five while scattering four hits in 5.0 innings.
 Hensley moving up in record book
Junior RHP Megan Hensley has entered Louisville's top career list in several categories.
• Fifth with six career saves and needs four more to tie for fourth with Tori Collins (2009-12).
• Ninth in appearances (70) - needs 10 more to move into a tie for eighth with Rachel LeCoq (2013-14).
• Ninth in career games started (49), needs one more to tie for eight with Tara McClure (2000-01).
• Tenth in career wins, needs one more to move into a tie for ninth with Tara McClure (2000-01).
 Pufahl eclipses 100 career runs
Senior Nicole Pufahl scored her 100th career run on March 10 when the Cardinals' 10-6 defeated Eastern Michigan at Ulmer Stadium. The senior outfielder now has 103 runs in her career and needs 14 more to move into a tie for 10th with Sara Bausher (2002-05) and Alicja Wolny (2010-13) on Louisville's all-time list for career runs.
 Senior leadership
The four seniors in the starting lineup have been instrumental in the Cardinals' early success.
•Catcher Jenna Jordan leads the team with two home runs and is second on the team with 15 RBIs.
•Centerfielder Nicole Pufahl is third on the team with a .357 batting average is on a 15-game reached base streak.
• Second baseman Jamie Soles has played in every game with 21 starts and stands third on the team with 13 RBIs.
• Third baseman Alison Szydlowski played in 23 games with 22 starts.
Note: Senior Ashley Nikolao is currently sidelined by injury.
 Youthful impact
Along with the veteran leadership on the field, several underclassmen have also made valuable contributions.
• Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson has started every game at shortstop, third base or first base and leads the team with a .397 batting average, seven doubles and 23 RBIs.
• Sophomore Celene Funke is second on the team with a .373 batting average, is on a 10-game hitting streak and is a perfect 7 for 7 in stolen bases.
• Freshman RHP Danielle Watson (12-3) leads the pitching staff and the ACC and is fifth in the nation with 12 wins. She carries a 1.87 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 78.2 innings of work.Â
• Freshman Kyra Snyder has started every game at first base or in the circle and stands sixth on the team with a .317 batting average.
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