By Jesse Welte
The University of Louisville softball team picked up two wins and two losses over the weekend playing two doubleheaders against Western Kentucky University and Eastern Michigan University.
Friday, Louisville traveled to Bowling Green to take on the Hilltoppers at WKU. They won the first game 5-1 and lost the second 4-2.
In the first game, the Cards took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second when senior infielder Audrey Rendon hit a triple to bring sophomore pitcher Kassie Stanfill and junior first baseman Sarah Totten around to score.
They increased the lead to 5-0 in the sixth. Sophomore infielder Kristi Cunningham came up with a two-run double which plated both Stanfill and Totten again. Then Cunningham came home on senior shortstop Courtney Moore’s single.
Western Kentucky’s only run came in the bottom of the seventh inning.
WKU’s senior outfielder Renikka Toliver’s groundout allowed teammate and senior outfielder Alana Towns to score after she reached base with a lead-off single and advanced to third following base hits by freshman infielder Shannon Smith and sophomore infielder Terri Ellingsworth.
Stanfill improved her record to 5-3 as she recorded the win with a complete game.
Louisville dropped the second game 4-2 leaving them with a 12-11 record on the season.
On Saturday, the Cards came back to Ulmer Stadium to host the Eastern Michigan Eagles. They split with the Eagles, falling 4-2 in the first game and winning 3-2 in the second.
After losing the first game, the Cards got out to an early 2-0 lead in the second game in their half of the first inning.
Freshman catcher Melissa Roth reached base on a walk and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Totten.
Roth then went to third on an illegal pitch against the Eagles. Roth came around to score on a single by freshman first baseman Brittany York and Moore scored on a single by Cunningham.
The Eagles tied it up with two runs in the third. With EMU’s junior outfielder Heather Giroux at third and junior outfielder Stephanie Sabo at second, a Louisville error allowed Giroux to score and Sabo to go to third. EMU’s junior infielder Ashley Strauss tied it at two, knocking in Sabo with a triple.
Louisville scored the go ahead and eventual winning run in the bottom of the third. Cunningham singled and went to second on Stanfill’s single.
Cunningham then scored on an infield single by Rendon, pushing the score to 3-2.
Stanfill (6-3) got her second win and second complete game in as many days as the Cardinals improved to 13-12 on the season.
The Cards will be back in action March 23-25 when they host the Women4Women Softball Invitational.
Louisville will face Liberty at 10:30 a.m. and No. 7/9 Northwestern at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 23.
