Cardinals Open Bluegrass Challenge with Wins Over Central Michigan, Valpo

Thursday, March 10

LOUISVILLE, KY

5:00 PM

University of Louisville

12-8

CENTRAL MICHIGAN

9-8

Central Michigan

Louisville

Cardinals Open Bluegrass Challenge with Wins Over Central Michigan, Valpo

March 10, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Lori Harmon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chardonnay Harris picked up two wins in the circle to help the University of Louisville softball team to a pair of victories on day one of the Bluegrass Challenge Thursday at Ulmer Stadium. The Cardinals opened the day with a 5-4 nine-inning victory over Western Michigan and topped Valpo 3-1 in the night cap.

Louisville (13-8) will return to action on Friday when the Cardinals face the Chippewas again at 2:30 p.m. followed by a 5 p.m. showdown with Ohio University.

Louisville 5 – Central Michigan 4 (9 inn.)
Easton Lotus was safe at the plate on Taylor Roby's fielder's choice in the bottom of the ninth to send the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over Central Michigan.

Harris picked up the win after retiring all three batters she faced – two on strikeouts – in the ninth inning.

Louisville took an early lead behind Roby's home run in the first inning. With two outs in the inning, the redshirt senior drilled a shot over the right field fence for her team-best seventh homer of the season.

Central Michigan (9-8) countered with three runs in the third to take a 3-1 lead.

Carmyn Greenwood's two-run double in the fifth drove in Jenna Servi and Vanessa Miller who delivered back-to-back hits to start the home half of the inning.

Louisville moved runners to third in the sixth and seventh innings, but could not capitalize and the contest remained tied at 3-3, sending the game into extra innings.

The Chippewas moved ahead in the eighth behind Skylar Coberly's RBI hit which plated Sam Souva, who started the frame on second as part of the international tiebreaker rule.

The Cardinals answered when Mia Forsythe started the bottom the eighth on second base and eventually crossed the plate on Servi's single to even the score at 4-4.

After Harris shut down the Chippewas' offense in the ninth. Lotus opened the home half of the frame on second base, moved to second on Greenwood's groundout and was safe on a play at the plate when Roby reached on a fielder's choice.

Roby and Greenwood had two RBIs each while Servi went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI to help lead the Cardinals at the plate.

Grace Lehto (4-5) took the loss after giving up two runs, one earned, on one hit and striking out two in 2.1 innings. Coberly led Central Michigan with a 3-for-4, three RBI performance at the plate.

Louisville 3 – Valpo 1
In the final game of the day, Louisville jumped to an early lead with three runs in the first and held on to win 3-1 behind a strong pitching performance by Harris combined with solid defensive play.

Harris went the distance, getting the complete game win while scattering three hits and surrendering one earned run to improve to 6-3 on the season.

Kendall Smith led the Cardinals at the plate going 2-for.2 with a triple, two RBIs and a run.

In the bottom of the first, Easton Lotus reached on an error and Roby walked to set up Smith's two-run triple. A two-out RBI double by Ally Alexander plated Smith to put the Cardinals on top 3-0.

The Beacons (8-7) had runners in scoring position in the second and third inning, but could not break through until the sixth inning when Kaiah Fenters walked and scored on a two-out single by Addi Weaver to make the score 3-1.

Harris and the Cardinals' defense retired the final four batters of the game to preserve the win.

Cheyenne Nietz (0-4) took the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits and striking out three in 3.0 innings of work.

NOTES:
• With the nine-inning win against Central Michigan, the Cardinals are now 3-0 in extra inning games this season. It marked the second time Louisville played a nine-inning game – the first was a 10-7 decision against Villanova on Feb. 18 at Florida's T-Mobile Tournament.
• Louisville turned a double play in the 5-4 win against Central Michigan, giving the Cardinals an ACC-best total of 14 on the season.
• Taylor Roby's home run against Central Michigan extended her career total to 32. She is now tied for sixth on Louisville's all-time list with Katie Keller (2011-14) and needs one more to move into a tie for fifth with Taner Fowler (2011-14).
• Kendall Smith is currently on a five-game hitting streak.