Softball Headed For Louisville
4/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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April 28, 2005
HOUSTON - For the last time in the regular season, and perhaps the last time for a few years, the Cougars will make their way up to Louisville, Ky., for a Conference USA showdown against the Louisville Cardinals this weekend.
With Louisville leaving C-USA next season for the Big East, it could be a while until the two teams meet up again in the regular season.
This weekend's matchup is key for both teams' positioning for the upcoming C-USA Tournament in three weeks. Currently, the Cougars (26-23, 9-9) are holding strong to the fifth spot while the Cardinals (33-16, 14-4) are sitting in the league's No. 2 spot behind league-leading DePaul.
All-time against the Cardinals, Houston trails 4-7 after last season's three-game sweep by Louisville at home. The last time the Cougars won against their league rival was in Game 1 of the conference series in Louisville back in 2003 when Houston came away with a 2-0 victory.
Heading into this weekend's matchup, the Cougars are fresh off a 3-2 victory over visiting USF, made possible by a two-run shot by senior Michelle Keith in the third inning. It was Keith's second game-winning home run of the year.
Senior Kristen Glowacz and Kim Nesloney continue to be the backbone of the Cougar offense, carrying 77 runs, 105 hits, 23 home runs and 64 RBI between the two of them.
Glowacz leads the team with a .393 batting average with 59 hits that includes a league-leading 14 home runs. She also ranks 17th nationally with a slugging percentage of .780 and is 26th in home runs per game.
Nesloney, who hit her ninth bomb of the season against USF, leads the team in stolen bases with 12 and has walked 30 times, landing her at No. 14 nationally in walks per game.
In the circle, Houston's pitching crew carries an ERA of 2.19, and has allowed nearly 100 fewer hits than its opponents (242-341). On the year the team has stuck to a four-pitcher rotation that has seen freshman Angel Shamblin throw 100.1 innings and record four shutouts.
For Louisville, the Cardinals are riding high on a seven-game winning streak that includes a series sweep over Saint Louis last weekend.
At the plate, four players are hitting above .300, led by Courtney Moore's .415 average and Audrey Rendon's .383 average. Moore also leads the team with 11 homers and 40 RBI, while Rendon leads the team with 40 runs, 64 hits and 167 at-bats.
The Cougars will need to find a way to cool the Louisville bats as the team is batting a solid .312 combined average, and out hitting its opponents by nearly 2-to-1 (414-189), and out running them by nearly 3-to-1 (235-98).
Louisville's pitching has been handled exclusively by two hurlers, Catherine Bishop and Aja Sherman throughout the 2005 campaign as they have thrown 158, and 159 innings, respectively.
Bishop leads the conference in ERA with her 1.06, has allowed 24 runs on 87 hits and struck out 155, while Sherman carries a 1.99 ERA and has allowed 45 runs on 102 hits with 193 punchouts.
Action gets underway in Louisville beginning on Saturday, April 30, with a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. (EDT) start and finishing up with a single game on Sunday, May 1, also scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
