The University of Louisville softball team demonstrated their power at the plate on Sunday afternoon, hitting eight home runs across a doubleheader against Oakland. The Cardinals claimed victory in both games, winning 10-5 in the opener and closing the day with a 9-1 triumph in six innings.
Taylor Roby stood out with three home runs, hitting one in the first game and two in the second, bringing her season total to 17. This achievement ties the Louisville program record set by Courtney Moore in the 2005 season. Hannah File also contributed three homers, hitting two in the first game and one in the second, increasing her season tally to nine. Korbe Otis slammed a home run in each game while extending her school-record reached base streak to 35.
With a 28-14 record, Louisville will play a road game at Western Kentucky on Wednesday before traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia, for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series against Virginia.
In the first game against Oakland, the Cardinals relied on four home runs, with two by Hannah File and one each from Taylor Roby and Korbe Otis. Daisy Hess displayed her prowess with a 3-for-3 performance, a double, two runs scored, and two stolen bases. Alyssa Zabala allowed one earned run on three hits and recorded three strikeouts. Sam Booe contributed four strikeouts and gave up four earned runs on five hits in 3.1 innings of relief.
In the second game, Louisville tied a season high with 16 hits, nine of which were for extra bases. Taylor Roby’s two home runs tied the school’s single-season record and brought in three runs. Additionally, she recorded the win in the circle, improving her record to 8-5 after allowing one unearned run on two hits and striking out three in 3.2 innings.
Several players showcased their offensive skills, with Otis, File, Elana Ornelas, and Easton Lotus each having multi-hit games, extra-base hits, and runs scored. Louisville’s impressive performance was highlighted by early solo home runs from Otis, File, and Roby, and a strong showing from the entire lineup.
With her three home runs on Sunday, Roby extended her career home run total to a school-record 57. Otis has now reached safely in 35 consecutive games dating back to the Feb. 18 win over Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. With four runs scored on the day, Otis moves into a tie for fifth on Louisville’s single-season record list, needing just three more to move into a tie for fourth.
