Cards Sweep First Two Games of War Eagle Challenge

Friday, March 8

Auburn, AL

10:00 a.m.

University of Louisville

12-6

Radford

6-10

Louisville

Radford

Celene Funke runs to third base against Indiana State

Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics

March 08, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Louisville 1 - Radford 0 Louisville 14 - Michigan State 1

Louisville defeats Radford 1-0, Michigan State 14-1 to extend win streak to six games

By: Lori Korte

AUBURN, Ala. – Junior Celene Funke had five hits and scored four runs on the day to help lead the University of Louisville softball team to a pair of wins in the War Eagle Challenge at Auburn's Jane B. Moore Field on Friday. The Cardinals (13-6) beat Radford 1-0 and Michigan State 14-1 to extend their win streak to six games.

Louisville will continue tournament action on Saturday at 10 a.m. (ET) against Mercer followed by a 3 p.m. matchup against host No. 19/20 Auburn.

Louisville 1- Radford 0
The Cardinals scored a run in the first inning and held on to beat Radford 1-0 to notch Louisville's third straight shutout.

Senior Megan Hensley (4-1) picked up the win, holding the Highlanders scoreless on three hits and striking out six in 4.2 innings. Redshirt freshman Taylor Roby picked up her second save of the season after surrendering one hit and striking out three in 2.1 innings of relief.

Louisville jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first when Melton reached on an infield hit and moved to second when Hensley was hit by a pitch. Junior Caitlin Ferguson followed with a one-out double to put the Cards on the scoreboard.

Funke paced the Cardinals offensively with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate as Louisville outhit Radford by a margin of 6-4.

Radford (6-10) had a chance to score in the fourth when a pair of singles and a hit batter with two outs loaded the bases, but Hensley got a called strikeout to escape the jam. The Highlands threatened again in the seventh when a walk and a single put the go-ahead run on base with two outs, but this time Roby delivered a strikeout to end the game.

Jessie Marvin (2-4) took the loss, allowing one earned run on six hits and striking out two in 7.0 innings.

Louisville 14 - Michigan State 1 (Five innings)
In Louisville's second game of the day, Funke scored four runs, tying a school record and went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Melton and Hensley drove in four runs apiece to help the Cardinals to a 14-1 win over Michigan State (5-14). Every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit as Louisville belted out a season-highs in hits with 16 and runs with 14.

The Cards wasted little time getting on the scoreboard for the second straight game. Funke led off with a single on the first pitch she saw. The speedy centerfielder proceeded to steal secon and third before crossing the plate on a groundout by senior Sidney Melton.

The Spartans evened the score with an unearned run in the home half of the first. Charla Echols registered an infield single and took second on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch and an error sent Echols home to tie the game.

The Cards used five hits, including Chung's two-run double, to score five runs in the second. Sophomore Kyra Snyder led off with a double and crossed the plate on a hit by Watson to make the score 2-1. Back-to-bat singles by sophomore Maddy Newman and junior Celene Funke loaded the bases. Pinch-runner sophomore Paige Schindler was safe at the plate on Melton's fielder's choice. A fielder's choice for Hensley sent Newman home. Chung connected on a two-run double pushed the lead to 6-1.

Louisville tallied another five-spot in the third. Consecutive hits by Watson, Newman and Funke loaded the bases for Melton's two-run single. One out later, Ferguson laced a two-run double down the right field line and would eventually cross the plate after an error on freshman Taylor Roby's fly out to bring the score to 11-1.

Hensley's three-run homer in the fourth extended Louisville's lead to 14-1. Newman walked and Funke reached on a fielder's choice to set up Hensley, who took her first pitch over the fence for her third home run of the season.

Watson (5-4) tossed the complete game win, allowing one unearned run on two hits and striking out five in 5.0 innings. She also tallied a career high in hits with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate to go along with a run and an RBI. Newman went 2-for-2 and tied a career high with three runs in the game.

Alli Walker (2-4) took the loss, allowing three earned runs on five hits in 1.0 innings.

LOUISVILLE NOTES
LOUISVILLE NOTES
• Hensley has extended her hitting streak to nine games.
• Ferguson has reached base via a hit or a walk in seven straight games and is on a five game hitting streak.
• Funke leads the team with a .369 batting average, 15 runs and six stolen bases.
• Hensley leads the team with 16 RBIs and is tied with Chung with three home runs.
• Ferguson has belted out a team-best five doubles.
• Watson leads the pitching staff with five wins and a .180 opponent batting average.
• Hensley leads the pitching staff with a 1.85 ERA and is tied with Watson with 48 strikeouts.
• Melton now has 122 career runs and stands by herself in eighth place on Louisville's all-time list. Chelsea Bemis (2008-11) is ranked seventh with 131 runs.
• Funke's four-run performance in the game against Michigan State tied a school record.
• With her home run against Michigan State, Hensley now has 28 in her career and stands eighth on Louisville's all-time list. She needs one more to tie Alicja Wolny (2010-13) for seventh.
• Hensley has tallied 145 career RBIs and is tied for sixth on UofL's all-time list. Maryssa Becker (2014-17) is in fifth with 157.
• Watson's three hits in the Michigan State are a career high.
• Melton now has 38 career stolen bases and is tied for seventh on Louisville's all-time list with Melissa Roth (2007-10). She needs one more to move into a tie for sixth with Shannon Nord (2002-04).