By John Evanko

The University of Louisville softball team was on a seven-game winning
streak and had won 15 of their last 16 games before their road trip this
weekend, where Cardinals took on Big East foes St. John’s and Seton Hall
in two doubleheaders. The Cardinals went 1-1 against each team, losing
each by only one run and dropping them to a 29-5 record.
The Cardinals will now travel to Lexington looking to rebound against
the University of Kentucky Wildcats. While the game may be on April
Fools’ Day, the Cardinals are looking to prove that their No. 14
ranking, which is the highest in the program’s history, is no fluke.
To do this, the Cardinals will have to defeat a Wildcat team that is
22-11 and having a great season. However, coaches and players alike know
that any time Louisville plays Kentucky; you can throw the numbers out
the window.
“Everyone knows it’s a big rivalry,” Sandy Pearsall, U of L softball
head coach, said. “Their kids want it as much as our kids do. It’s a
battle of pride.”
Senior centerfielder Kristi Cunningham couldn’t agree more.
“There is a huge rivalry there so we’re always really excited to come
out and play,” Cunningham said. “You don’t ever want to lose to
Kentucky.”
Kentucky leads the all-time series against Louisville, but the Cardinals
swept the Wildcats for the first time last season, and they feel they
have the team to do it again this year.
“Our team really feels confident and they’re going to fight to be on top
this year,” Pearsall said. “We want to go 2-0 against them.”
The Cardinals then will return for five straight home games, with the
first two in a doubleheader against the Villanova Wildcats on Friday.
After the home stretch, U of L will close out the season with 12 of
their last 14 games against Big East opponents.
One of the biggest keys for success this season has been the Cardinals’
overpowering offense. Louisville is batting a healthy .321 with a solid
run production of 5.4 runs per game.
However, much of the team feels they are relying too much on their offense to win games, and that defensive consistency will be essential for the team to reach its
potential.
“Our bats are going really strong and we hope that continues,” Kassie
Stanfill, senior first baseman, said. “But as far as our defense, we
need to not make as many errors and tighten up.”
Junior Kristen Wadwell handles most of the Cardinals’ pitching, and has
a stunning 1.16 earned run average this season.
With solid pitching and
an overpowering offense, the players feel a defensive tune-up will
 be the most important factor for success entering the final third of the
regular season.
“We have a really solid defense, but in the past few games we’ve made a
few simple errors here and there,” Cunningham said. “We’re making the
hard plays, but we need to focus more on those easy ones.”
Louisville couldn’t make those improvements soon enough, with in-state
rival Kentucky awaiting the Cardinals tomorrow night for one of the most
anticipated matchups of the year.