By Matt Gatewood
Calderon homer starts cards’ run
By Matt Gatewood
Staff Writer
The University of Louisville softball team began their first home game with a bang, literally. Junior Keola Calderon smashed a home run to left center that propelled the Cardinals to a 6-1 victory over Northwestern University in the Cardinal Spring Tournament.
“My first at bat felt really good,” said Calderon. “It is funny. I thought before the game that I couldn’t hit it over [the wall]. Then I did it.”
The Cardinals did not stop there, though. The score stood 4-1 at the end of the third inning after junior Melissa Jacobo’s grounder allowed Sara Bausher and Shannon Nord to score. After Louisville scored two more runs, the score remained 6-1 until the end of the game, improving pitcher Jessica Rak’s record to 5-4. The Cardinals scored six runs on six hits with two errors.
“[We were a] little more aggressive than last weekend,” said Louisville head coach Sandy Pearsall. “In Arizona, we did well against strong teams. We are still making mistakes that we cannot afford. We need to stay aggressive and cut out our errors.”
Louisville’s victory over Northwestern marks the beginning of the Cardinal Spring Tournament at Ulmer Field this weekend. “I was really excited to be on our home field,” said Calderon. “We are on our home turf, and we won’t let anyone push us around.” The Cardinals hope to win the tournament this weekend and add to their 5-8 record.
The softball team is young, with only one senior, but Coach Pearsall is confident in her team, especially when they play aggressively. “We must be consistent,” said Pearsall. “We have a tendency to get passive.”
In other softball action: The Cardinal Softball Classic was ended early because of inclement weather and Louisville closed out the weekend 1-1, losing to Northern Iowa 7-5. The Cards surrendered a 5-0 lead, falling victim to a grand slam and four fielding miscues. Louisville starter Jessica Rak had a no-hitter going until the top of the fifth. But in the midst of a downpour, UNI’s Erin Strellner was walked, Lindsey Gielman was hit by a pitch, and Claudia Sandovai singled to load the bases. Lindsey Wood then tagged a grand slam homer to close the gap to 5-4. UNI capitalized on four U of L errors to take a 7-5 lead in the top of the sixth for the final score.
