Softball Concludes Regular Season at Pittsburgh

After wrapping up the home season with a 13-10 win over Marshall, the University of Louisville softball team will conclude the regular season with a three-game ACC series at Pittsburgh this weekend. All three games will be televised on ACC Network Extra.

• The Cards bring a 32-17 overall record following a midweek win against Marshall and stand eight in the conference with a 10-10 mark after sweeping Boston College in a three-game ACC series last weekend.
• Pitt enters the weekend with a 29-17-1 record after Wednesday's 5-1 loss at Ohio State snapped the Panthers' eight-game win streak. Pitt stands second in the ACC standing and is atop the Coastal Division with a 14-6 league record.

Team Notes
• The Cardinals recently collected their 30th win, marking the 15th straight year with at least 30 wins.
• 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. She now has a 716-366 mark at UofL.

Individual Notes
• Junior Megan Hensley earned USA Softball Collegiate Player, NFCA Division I Player, ESPNW Player and ACC Pitcher of the Week honors following her performance in the circle and at the plate last week when she led the Cards to series sweep of Boston College.
• Hensley (16-7) leads the pitching staff with 130 strikeouts in 172.0 innings. Freshman Danielle Watson leads the team with a 2.79 ERA and is limiting opponents to a 216 batting average.
• Hensley also paces the Cards with a .370 batting average, nine home runs. and 48 RBIs.
• Junior Sidney Melton leads Louisville with 43 runs and has 15 stolen bases.
• Sophomore Celene Funke has collected a team-best 16 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.

Cards vs. Pittsburgh
Series Record: Louisville leads 19-2
Last Meeting: March 17-19, 2017 - Louisville swept the Panthers in a three-game series, winning the first game 7-6 behind Tiarra Sanabria's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. The Cards went on to take game two 5-2 and completed the sweep with an 8-2 victory.
Scouting the Panthers: Pitt enters the weekend with a 29-17-1 record after Wednesday's 5-1 loss at Ohio State snapped the Panthers' eight-game win streak. Pitt stands second in the ACC standing and is atop the Coastal Division with a 14-6 league record.
• Giorgiana Zeremenko leads the team with a .346 batting average, 15 home runs and 29 RBIs. McKayla Taylor has scored a team-high 39 runs.
• Sarah Dawson has a 14-11 record with a 2.71 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 131.2 innings of work. Kayla Harris (13-2) shares the pitching duties, carrying a 2.16 ERA with six shutouts and 44 Ks in 119.2 innings.

Up next: The Cardinals will travel to Atlanta for the ACC Championship hosted by Georgia Tech May 9-12.

Up last
Megan Hensley's two-out grand slam in the bottom of the fifth erased a three-run deficit and aided her cause in the circle as the University of Louisville softball team defeated Marshall 13-10 in their home finale Wednesday evening at Ulmer Stadium.
• Hensley and senior Nicole Pufahl tallied four RBIs apiece and each connected on a home run in a wild fifth inning which saw both teams combine for 16 runs and two lead changes. Junior Sidney Melton went 2-for-3 and scored three runs. Senior Alison Szydlowski had two hits and scored two runs while freshman Jordyn Wolfe add a pair of hits and scored a run to help pace the Cardinals. Louisville outhit Marshall 12-9 with five hits falling in for extra bases.

Recapping last weekend
The Cardinals swept Boston College in a three-game series to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship field. Megan Hensley posted three wins in the circle and helped lead the Cards at the plate on the weekend. The junior pitcher started all three games and collected three wins in the circle. She also posted a .556 batting average (5-for-9) two home runs and a double on the weekend. She totaled four runs, scoring at least one in each game and tallied eight RBIs.
Louisville 4 - Boston College 2
Hensley used two homers to drive in all four of the Cardinals' runs and picked up the win in the circle to lift the University of Louisville softball team to a 4-2 win over Boston College in the opening game of an ACC series.
• Hensley surrendered one earned run and scattered three hits in 6.1 innings of work while striking out five. Her two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored paced the Cardinals as they outhit the Eagles 6-4 in the contest.
• Allyson Frei took the loss after giving up four earned runs on six hits and striking out three in 4.1 innings. Four different players registered hits for the Eagles.
Louisville 3 - Boston College 2
Hensley drove in two runs - including the game-winner - and got the win in the circle to help the Cards defeat Boston College 3-2 and clinch an ACC series Saturday.
• Hensley surrendered two unearned runs on seven hits, struck out one and did not issue a walk in five innings. Maddy Newman led the Cards with a 3-for-3, one run showing at the plate. Kyra Snyder entered the game in the sixth inning and retired five of the six batters she faced while giving up one walk to earn her first save of the season.
• Jessica Dreswick took the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on nine hits and striking out two in six innings of work. CC Cook went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Eagles.
Louisville 8 - Boston College 0
Hensley tossed a complete game shutout and picked up her third straight win and Sidney Melton drove in three runs to help lead the Cards to an 8-0 win over Boston College and complete an ACC series sweep Sunday.
• Hensley notched her third win of the weekend, tossing a complete game shutout while scattering four hits in 5.0 innings and striking out one. She helped her own cause by going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run. Melton finished the game with a 2-for-3, showing at the plate and had one run. Funke went 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and an RBI. Alison Szydlowski also had two hits and scored a run for the Cards who outhit the Eagles 11-4.
• Allyson Frei took the loss, allowing three earned runs on five hits in 2.0 innings. Four different players had a hit apiece for the Eagles.

Hensley sweeps national weekly awards
Megan Hensley earned ESPNW, USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Player of the Week honors for the period ending on April 29.
• She becomes the second player in program history to sweep the national awards, joining Katie Keller who collected both on March 5, 2013.
• Hensley led her team at the plate and in the circle as the Cardinals went 3-1 on the week which featured a three-game sweep of ACC opponent Boston College to clinch a spot in the 2018 ACC Championship.
• The junior from Ashland, Ky., hit .500 (6-for-12) with a double, three home runs, nine RBIs and scored five runs on the week – at least one in each game. After connecting on a solo homer to give Louisville an early lead in the eventual 3-1 loss at No. 8/10 Florida State, she used a pair of home runs to account for all four RBIs in the 4-2 series opener against Boston College. Hensley went on to drive in two more including the game-winning run in the 3-2 victory to clinch the series against the Eagles and capped the weekend with two more RBIs in the 8-0 win to help the Cards complete the sweep.
• Hensley's performance at the plate backed her efforts in the circle, where she posted a 3-1 record and a 1.25 ERA in 22.1 innings of work with her only loss coming at the hands of No. 8/10 Florida State in Tallahassee. She also issued 11 strikeouts and held opponents to a .232 batting average and tossed two complete games.

Hensley named ACC Pitcher of the Week
Megan Hensley has been named ACC Pitcher of the Week for the period ending April 29.
• In the Cardinals' ACC sweep of Boston College over the weekend, Hensley started all three games in the circle and picked up three wins to help Louisville clinch a spot in the 2018 ACC tournament.
• The junior from Ashland, Ky., posted a 0.43 ERA against the Eagles, allowing three runs, one earned, and striking out seven. She surrendered 14 hits to hold the Eagles to a .230 batting average while tossing 16.1 out of 19 total innings for the Cardinals. Hensley completed the weekend with a complete game shutout to move to 15-7 on the season.
• On the week, Hensley posted a 3-1 overall record and a 1.25 ERA in 22.1 innings of work with her only loss coming at the hands of No. 8/10 Florida State in Tallahassee.

Cards reach 30-win mark for 15th straight season
On April 29, the Cardinals beat Boston College 3-2 to notch their 30th win of the season.
• Louisville has now posted 30 or more victories in 15 straight seasons (dating back to 2004). The Cards have posted at least 30 wins 17 times in the 19-year history of the program with a record-setting 55 victories in 2012.

Cards clinch a spot in ACC Championship field
The Cardinals swept Boston College in a three-game series to secure a spot in the 2018 ACC Championship.
• Louisville has made the conference postseason in each of its four seasons as an ACC member and has been a top-five seed in the 17 years in program history dating back to 2000, its inaugural season in Conference USA.

Senior salute
Prior to Saturday's game, Louisville honored seniors Jenna Jordan, Ashley Nikolao, Nicole Pufahl, Jamie Soles and Alison Szydlowski. As a class, the 2018 seniors have collected 128 wins, played in two NCAA regionals. All five players have been integral in the Cardinals' success since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference their freshman season.

Hensley surpasses 100 career RBIs
On April 6, Megan Hensley hit two home runs to help the Cardinals beat Virginia 14-7. With her first home run of the game, a three-run shot, she achieved and surpassed her 100th career RBI. Hensley became the 16th player in school history to reach the 100 RBI milestone.
• Her grand slam in the 13-10 win against Marshall on May 2 moved her into a tie for tenth place Lacy Wood (2003-06) on Louisville's career RBI list. She needs three more to tie Whitney Arion (2012-15) for ninth place.

Pufahl joins 100 RBI club
In the April 13, 4-3 loss at Syracuse, senior Nicole Pufahl connected on a two-run single to record her 100th and 101st career RBIs. She became the 17th player in program history to reach the 100 RBI mark and currently has 108.

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 115 runs in her career and needs two 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.

Hensley enters Louisville's top 10 list for career home runs
With her grand slam in the 13-10 win over Marshall (May 2), Megan Hensley tallied her 25th career home run and moved into a tie for tenth on Louisville's career home run list. She needs one more to tie Maryssa Becker (2014-17) for ninth place.

Funke fast
Sophomore Celene Funke (pronounced Funky) is 16-for-17 in stolen bases to lead the Cardinals. The speedy outfielder needs one more to enter Louisville's top 10 list for stolen bases in a single season joining Shannon Nord (2004), Vanessa James (2010) and Jennifer Esteban (2012) who are in a three-way tie for tenth with 16. Coleen Coughlin owns the school record with 28 stolen bases in 2000.

Melton also moves into top 10 in career stolen bases
Sidney Melton is a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases and recently moved into a tie for the team lead. She improved her career total to 33 to move into tenth place on Louisville's all-time list, needing two more to tie Kenzie Meisenburg (2001-02) for ninth.

Ferguson matches single-season run record
In the Cardinals' April 7 16-1 win over Virginia Caitlin Ferguson tied a school record with four runs after registering a double and three walks.
• She became the 12th player in program history to score four runs in a game and the first since Sidney Melton accomplished the feat against Southern Utah on Feb. 10, 2007.

Melton ties school single game record with three stolen bases
On March 23, junior Sidney Melton recorded three stolen bases in Louisville's 5-3 win at Duke. In doing so, it marked the sixth time in program history that a player accomplished the feat and the first time since April 12, 2014 when Kelsi Jones swiped three against Connecticut.

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 717-363 record at Louisville; producing 14 consecutive winning seasons (16 winning seasons in the 19-year history of the program).
•Six conference championships in three conferences (C-USA, BIG EAST, American Athletic Conference
• 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 lead the ACC with a .303 team batting average and feature eight players batting over .300 on the season. Junior Megan Hensley is the team's leading hitter with a .370 average. Sophomore Celene Funke follows at a .358 clip. Freshman Maddy Newman stands third at .338. Junior Sidney Melton is fourth with a .329 mark. Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson (.321), junior Madison Cousineau (.310), seniors Nicole Pufahl (.310) and Alison Szydlowski (.310) round out the top hitters.

Life is grand for Hensley
Megan Hensley connected on a grand slam to erase a three-run deficit in the Cardinals' 13-10 victory over Marshall (May 2) for her second grand slam of the season.
• She also registered one in Louisville's 9-4 win against Northern Illinois on March 14 marked the first since Feb. 17, 2017 when Hensley launched a grand slam in the 9-0 win over Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Hensley connected on her first career grand slam as a freshman on March 30, 2016 when the Cards beat Western Kentucky 12-0.
• She leads the current team with four career grand slams and is tied with Lacy Wood (2003-06) to hold the school career record with four.

Hensley registers 200th strikeout
In the March 14, 9-4 win against Northern Illinois, Megan Hensley picked up the win while striking out six in 4.2 innings of relief. In doing so, she registered and surpassed her 200th career strikeout. She now has 273Ks and recently moved into a tie for eighth among Louisville's all-time strikeout leaders.

Watson off to stellar start
Freshman Danielle Watson has been impressive in her debut as a Cardinal.
• Watson (14-8) carries a 2.79 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 120.1 innings while holding opponents to a .217 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 record watch
Junior RHP Megan Hensley has entered Louisville's top career list in several categories.
• Fifth with eight career saves and needs one more to tie for fourth with Tori Collins (2009-12).
• Seventh in appearances (91). Tori Collins (2009-12) stands sixth at 142.
• Seventh in career games started in the circle (63). Carlisa Connell (2011-14) is sixth with 98.
• Tied for seventh in games finished (31), needs five more to tied Tori Collins (2009-12) for sixth.
• Seventh in career innings pitched (424.0). Caralisa Connell is sixth with 608.0.
• Eighth career wins (40), needs two more to move into a tie for seventh with Aja Sherman (2002-05).
• Ninth in career strikeouts (273), needs nine more to tie Tara McClure (2000-01) for eighth.
• Ninth in career complete games (26). Needs six more to move into a tie for eight with Tara McClure (2000-01).
• Tied for tenth in career home runs with 25 - needs one more to move into a tie for ninth with Maryssa Becker (2014-17).

Youthful impact
Along with the veteran leadership from the upperclassmen on the field, several underclassmen have also made valuable contributions. Entering the weekend, Louisville's top two hitters are underclassmen.
• Sophomore Caitlin Ferguson has started 46 games at shortstop, third base or first base and is second on the team with 37 RBIs and 11 multi-RBI games.
• Sophomore Celene Funke is second on the team with a .358 batting average and leads the team with 16 stolen bases.
• Freshman Maddy Newman stands third on the team with a .338 batting average and has scored 21 runs with seven stolen bases. She has played in 41 games with 31 starts.
• Freshman RHP Danielle Watson has collected 14 wins and carries a 2.79 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 120.1 innings of work.
• Freshman Kyra Snyder has started 47 games at first base or in the circle and carries a 3.27 batting average.

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Players Mentioned

Madison Cousineau

Caitlin Ferguson

Celene Funke

Megan Hensley

Jenna Jordan

Sidney Melton

Maddy Newman

Ashley Nikolao

Nicole Pufahl

Kyra Snyder

Jamie Soles

Alison Szydlowski

Danielle Watson

Jordyn Wolfe

University of Louisville Athletics