By Dalton Ray–

Softball dropped their double-header against No. 3 Florida State as the Seminoles blasted the Cards in game one, but need extra innings to surpass U of L in the second game. The Cardinals fell 11-0 in game one and 4-3 in game two.

“After the first game, I was not very happy with them and I said ‘You have to go in and show some fight and character,'” coach Sandy Pearsall said. “The outcome isn’t what we wanted, but (they) came out, fought, dug in and kept coming back. That’s what we wanted to see.”

Louisville had very few highlights during game one, as the Cardinals recorded one hit and committed six errors. Florida State’s Jessica Burroughs pitched a no-hitter into the fifth inning before senior Morgan Meyer’s double.

The Seminoles won 11-0 and used explosive innings to curb the Cards. FSU kicked off the game with five runs in the first inning and capped it with a three-run homer run in the fifth. The game ended due to the eight-run rule.

“We started off on a bad note right away (in game one). The first inning killed us,” Pearsall said. “You can’t make those kind of mistakes against Florida State. You know you’re going to score runs and we gave them even more.”

After allowing 10 hits in the first game, the Cardinals entered a pitching duel in game two. The teams combined for two hits in the first four innings.

FSU started the sixth inning off when a single and no outs, but Louisville closed the inning with a strike out and two pop-ups.

U of L capitalized on FSU miscues and loaded the bases with one out.  Senior Maryssa Becker’s two-run RBI single gave Louisville their first runs of the day.

The nation’s third ranked team didn’t fold, putting runners on the corners with one out. Zoe Casas’ single brought both home, tying the game at 2-2.

FSU’s Carsyn Gordon launched a bomb to left in the ninth inning, giving FSU their first lead of the game. A fielding error allowed junior Nicole Pufahl to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.

Sydney Broderick’s double sent home Alex Powers, giving Florida State a one-run lead in the 10th.

With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Becker reached base on a HBP and a fielding error put runners on first and third. The Seminoles ended the comeback chance with a fly-out in the infield.

Sophomore Megan Hensley pitched all 10 innings, recording nine strikeouts.

Game three is April 24 at 7 p.m.

Photos by Dalton Ray / The Louisville Cardinal