Cards Capitalize, Top Islanders 8-1

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Louisville center fielder Nicole Pufahl had a 3-for-4 day at the plate, producing five RBI as the Cardinal bats erupted for eight runs on 11 hits to best Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 8-1 Saturday afternoon in the Islander Invitational.

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Louisville (3-1) jumped ahead right out of the gate, plating a pair of runs on a two-out rally with Pufahl playing the starring role. After retiring the first two batters of the game, Islanders' (1-1) starter Stephanie Flores surrendered a walk and a single to put a pair aboard. Both runners advanced as the ball bounded away in center field putting two in scoring position for Pufahl. The redshirt sophomore roped a single into right, plating a pair and giving Louisville the 2-0 lead.

Pufahl would break the game open in the fifth as a pair of errors set the table for the Cardinals. With a 1-0 count, Pufhal launched a three-run blast to left, staking a 7-0 lead as Louisville cruised the remaining two innings to victory. 

For the Islanders, the game featured several scoring opportunities, but the Blue and Green struggled to find the breakthrough hit as Louisville's Maryssa Becker tossed a complete game, allowing just a single run while scattering five hits. The Islanders moved a runner into scoring position in each of the first five innings, but it would take A&M-Corpus Christi until the fifth frame to finally scratch across a run. 

"We're going to have to live and die by our freshman," said head coach Stephanie Hughes. "Yesterday they had a great day and today they struggled defensively, but it's a learning experience. Louisville is a regional team for a reason, they don't miss on pitches and we made some mistakes that they capitalized on."

EARLY CHANCES

After allowing a pair of runs in the top half of the first, the Islanders threatened to cut into the lead by placing two aboard with just one out. A fielder's choice and a comebacker helped Louisville escape the early jam.

The very next inning, the Blue and Green moved Dani Tefft, who singled to open the frame, into scoring position as Jessica Mendez laid down the sacrifice bunt. But the Islanders were stymied once again as Becker produced a strikeout and weak ground ball to end the inning.

The Islanders' best chance may have came in the third when Cosette Hernandez led off with an infield single to short and promptly swiped second. After a pop-up for the first out of the inning, freshman Candice Hadd drove a liner to first, but Louisville's Jordan Vorbrink snared it on a dive and doubled up Hernandez at second to snuff out the threat.

"Offensively, I liked how aggressive we were," said Hughes. "I thought we could have been a little bit smarter with seeing pitches and not being overly aggressive at times."

The aggression would finally manufacture a run as Hernandez managed to score on an infield single off the bat of Hadd. After reaching on a wild pitch, Hernandez swiped her second bag of the day before Hadd laced a ball back through the box. A diving effort by the Cardinal shortstop kept the ball on the infield and caught Hernandez off the bag at third, but Hernandez managed to race home safely after the Cardinals threw behind her.

HADD, TEFFT STAY HOT

• A true freshman, Hadd continued her hot start at the plate with a 2-for-3 day against the Cardinals.

• Meanwhile, Tefft, a senior, leads the Blue and Green with four hits and a .667 average.

• The two have combined for seven of the Islanders' 10 hits in the first two games.

BENTKE GETS FIRST ACTION

After Flores left the game prior to the third, freshman Colleen Bentke saw her first time as an Islander. The southpaw tossed the final five innings, allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits is her first career outing. Bentke fell victim to a pair of errors to start the fifth, leading to an eventual three run inning which broke the game open.

"That was a true freshman making her first appearance," said Hughes. "I know there were some butterflies and some nerves. She missed on a few pitches and she knows it. She's going to learn from it and move on. It was good for her to get out there and have some success but learn from the mistakes and she'll be a lot stronger for it." 

A NEW DAY

The Islanders return to the diamond Sunday as the Islander Invitational concludes at Chapman Field. A&M-Corpus Christi will play a doubleheader beginning with an 11:30 a.m. first pitch versus Iowa. The Islanders will then face Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State at 2 p.m. in a non-conference contest.