Cardinals Split Doubleheader at No. 15/15 Duke

Saturday, March 11

Durham, NC

2:00 PM

University of Louisville

14-8, 0

Duke

20-4, 0

Louisville

Duke

March 11, 2023 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Cards fall 5-3 in game one, win the series finale 13-9

By: Lori Harmon

DURHAM, N.C. – The University of Louisville softball team split a doubleheader at No. 15/15 Duke, falling 5-3 in the first game and winning 13-9 in the series finale. The Cardinals (15-8, 1-2 ACC) will complete their four-game road swing with a game at Charlotte on Tuesday.

In the first game of the day, Duke built a 3-1 lead and held on to win 5-3 despite Louisville holding a 10-8 advantage in hits, including a home run by Taylor Roby. The second game of the day Louisville prevailed 13-9 in back-and-forth battle which featured five lead changes and a tie and lasted more than three hours.

Duke 5 – Louisville 3
Daisy Hess went 3-for-3 with a triple and two runs and a stolen base and Korbe Otis went 2-for-4 to lead the Cardinals at the plate.

Duke jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first courtesy of Aminah Vega's three-run double.

The Cards answered in the top of the second when senior Daisy Hess delivered a bunt single and came home on a double by Makayla Hurst to make the score 3-1.

The Blue Devils used two hits, an error and a sacrifice fly to take a 4-1 lead.

Louisville countered again, this time with a solo home run by Taylor Roby in the fourth. The graduate senior led off the frame with a towering shot over the center field fence to make the score 4-2.

The fifth inning brought another run for Duke, courtesy of a solo shot by Vega. Once again, Louisville answered with a run in the sixth when Daisy Hess connected on a triple to the wall in centerfield and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Madison 'Pickle' Winkler.

In the seventh inning, Otis registered a one-out single to bring the tying run to the plate, but a double play ended the game.

Roby (5-3) took the loss, allowing four runs three earned, on four hits in three innings.

Lillie Walker (6-0) picked up the win after surrendering one earned run on three hits in four innings of relief.

Louisville 13- Duke 9
In the series finale, Louisville scored seven runs in the final two innings to rally from an 8-6 deficit. Roby went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBIs while Otis, and File scored three runs each and Easton Lotus tallied three RBIs to lead the Cards at the plate.

Sam Booe (2-0) picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on four hits in 2.1 innings of relief.

The Cardinals struck first with three runs in the third inning. Otis extended her hitting streak to 13 games with a single and stole second. After Sarah Gordon reached on a dropped third strike, Roby followed with a two-run double. Daisy Hess singled pinch runner Mia Forsythe home to put the Cards on top 3-0.

Duke (20-5, 4-2) used three hits and an error to even the score at 3-3 in the home half of the third and took a 4-3 lead with a home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth.

Easton Lotus' three-run double in the fifth put the Cards back on top 6-4. With two outs in the inning, Lotus smacked a double to score File, Hess and Elana Ornelas, giving Louisville a 6-4 lead.

The Blue Devils regained the lead in the home half of the fifth, capitalizing on a home run by Ana Gold and a three-run double by Deja Davis to go up 8-6.

Once again, the Cardinals fought back, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth to go back on top 9-8. Otis started the frame with a walk and Gordon followed with a hit to put two on for File's RBI single. A walk to Hess loaded the bases and an error sent Gordon and File home.

The Cards used two errors and two hits, including Roby's two-run homer to plate four more runs and take 13-8 lead in the seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh Frelick's second homer of the game accounted for final run of the day and the 13-9 final score.

Lillie Walker (6-1) took the loss after giving up five unearned runs on three hits and striking out two in two innings of relief. Davis paced the Blue Devils offensively with a 3-for-5, three RBI performance at the plate.

NOTES

Korbe Otis extended her hitting streak to 13 games – the longest for a Cardinal player since Maggie Ruckenbrod in 2013. Otis has also reached base via a hit or walk in 16 straight games
With her two home runs on the day, Taylor Roby now has a team-best seven homers on the season and has extended her school-record total to 47.
Louisville's win against No. 15/15 Duke marked the third victory over a top-25 opponent for the Cardinals this season.