The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Louisville
Softball Loses Rubber Game Against Third-Place Louisville, 5-0
3/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 28, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball team was defeated in the rubber match of its three-game series against Conference USA foe Louisville on Sunday as the Cardinals' Aja Sherman pitched a no-hitter in the 5-0 victory here at George Ward Park.
"Their pitcher (Sherman) did an outstanding job against us and we faced her in 14 innings this weekend and only got one hit off of her," said UAB head coach Marla Townsend. "That is my biggest concern right now, because we need to be able to take care of business at the plate. We need to do a better job of putting the ball in play and scoring some more runs."
UAB (16-20, 3-6 C-USA) dropped the final two contests of this weekend's three-game set versus Louisville (24-10, 7-2 C-USA) and has not won a series against the Cardinals in its five-year existence. Louisville owns a 14-3 advantage in the all-time series and has been victorious in all five of the regular-season series'.
Sherman, the Cardinals' junior from Las Vegas, Nev., tossed the second no-hitter of her career on Sunday. Last season, Louisville's starting pitcher who also sees playing time at first base, hurled a no-hitter against Ohio in a lopsided 8-0 win.
UAB won the first game of the series, 2-1, on Saturday, but Sherman pitched the Cardinals to a 4-3 comeback victory in the second game of the doubleheader. In two contests over the weekend, Sherman pitched 14 shutout innings, only allowed one Blazer hit and struck out 13 batters.
Louisville opened the scoring with a run in the second inning and then extended its lead to 5-0 by adding a pair of runs in both the fourth and sixth frames. The Cardinals came into this weekend as the third-place team in the conference.
"We have to get ready for Southern Miss this weekend and we have to get our pitchers back to 100 percent," Townsend said. "We're shorthanded in the circle right now and we know that we are going to give up a run or two, but that just gives us more reason to score some runs. We just have to work hard this week, because Southern Miss is playing some good softball right now.
The UAB softball team will continue its 2004 C-USA schedule on Saturday, April 3, as the Blazers begin a three-game series against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at 1 p.m., in Hattiesburg, Miss. The conference foes will play a doubleheader on Saturday and then close out the set with a final game at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Louisville (24-10, 7-2) def. UAB (16-20, 3-6), 5-0
UL 010 202 0 - 5 9 0
UAB 000 000 0 - 0 0 3
Top Hitters: UL, Sara Bausher 3-3, 3 R, RBI, Kristi Rozelle 2-2, 2 RBI, R, Shannon Nord 2-4, Lisa Estes 1-3 R.
WP: Aja Sherman (6-2), LP: Tara Higashino (8-11).
