Louisville entered its Saturday and Sunday games against Boston College softball having won seven games in a row, while the Eagles were on a four-game losing streak.
The team’s two matchups furthered these streaks, with Louisville (35–14, 15–4 Atlantic Coast) defeating Boston College (21–28, 3–18) by the run-ahead rule 8–0 on both occasions.
Sunday’s matchup saw BC ace Abby Dunning in the circle facing Louisville’s Alyssa Zabala.
Zabala left the game in the top of the second inning after 1.1 innings after issuing a walk and a leadoff infield hit in the top of the second. This was one of only two hits surrendered by the Louisville pitching staff on the day. Taylor Roby replaced Zabala and recorded the final two outs of the second inning while only throwing three pitches.
In the bottom of the second inning, Dunning walked three Louisville hitters to load the bases. Louisville got the scoring started thanks to left fielder Paige Geraghty’s infield RBI single, giving the Cardinals a 1–0 lead and keeping the bases loaded. Dunning then issued her fourth walk of the inning, extending the Cardinals’ lead to 2–0. Second baseman Easton Lotus singled to left field to score two more and give the Cardinals a 4–0 lead. Susannah Anderson relieved Dunning and recorded the final out of the second.
Neither team scored a run in the third inning, but Louisville picked up where it left off in the second inning when it tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Anderson walked the leadoff hitter before striking out two straight Louisville batters looking. Dunning then walked another hitter, and with runners on first and second with two outs, Louisville’s Taylor Roby blasted a three-run homer to left center field, bringing the Louisville lead to 7–0.
Another walk followed by an RBI double by Louisville shortstop Daisy Hess extended the Louisville lead to 8–0. Dunning then reentered the game to get the final out of the fourth inning in relief of Anderson.
The Eagles’ offense went down 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth, ending the game 8–0 due to the run-rule. Louisville’s pitching staff stifled the Eagles’ offense, which batted only .118 on Sunday while getting shut out for the second consecutive game.
Dunning and Anderson combined for eight walks over four innings, many of which led to Louisville’s scoring. Dunning recorded the loss and now holds a 10–11 and 3.98 ERA on the season.
Saturday’s game saw another 8–0 outcome. Amy Kvilhaug gave Anderson the ball as the Eagles’ starter, who entered the game with a 7–14 record on the season.
Similar to Sunday’s game, Louisville initiated the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when catcher Sarah Gordon smacked a home run to left center, giving Louisville a 1–0 lead. While Hess followed the home run with a single, BC catcher Maddy Carpe caught Hess stealing. Anderson managed to get out of the inning without any further damage.
Louisville continued to apply pressure onto the Eagles in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a single and an error from Nicole Giery, which allowed Gordon to reach first base, putting runners on first and second. Hess then singled to left field, allowing an unearned run to score and increasing Louisville’s lead to 2–0.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Louisville kept its foot on the pedal. Korbe Otis ripped a two-run single, and a defensive miscue by Zoe Hines brought Louisville’s lead to 4–0 with Otis advancing to third base. Three subsequent singles in a row then brought Louisville’s lead to 6–0, forcing reliever Sofia Earle to come into the game and replace Anderson. Earle earned the final two outs of the inning with two strikeouts.
Close to being run-ruled, the Eagles’ offense attempted to threaten the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Two walks followed by a Kali Case single loaded the bases, but Giery struck out swinging and Abigail Knight grounded out, ending any hopes for a rally.
Louisville finished off the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, as a two-run homer by Otis ended the contest due to the run-rule. Otis finished Saturday’s game 2 of 4 with a home run and four RBIs.
Just as it did on Sunday, the Eagles’ offense struggled to get anything going at the plate, batting just .167 without any extra-base hits.
