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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The IUPUI softball team erupted for 21 runs in a tournament-opening win over Northern Kentucky, before falling to tournament host Louisville, 12-1, in its first two games of the Cardinal Classic Thursday at Ulmer Stadium.

The split kept IUPUI's record even at 5-5 for the season.

Alyssa Neff and Roni Patterson each registered a team-best four hits on the day, while Lindsey Richards led with a .750 batting average. Richards was also one of four players to drive in three runs on the day.

"We need to be consistent in all aspects of the game," head coach Amanda Rivera said. "We did some great things in both games, and once we can figure out how to gain that consistency, we will be tough to beat"

In the opener against the Norse, IUPUI put seven runs on the board in the first and never looked back. The Jags scored those seven runs on five hits, including a two-RBI double from Richards. Ali Mosier drove in another of those seven runs, while the other four runs scored were unearned thanks in part to a pair of NKU errors.

The Norse got back two runs in the bottom of the second, but the Jaguars kept their foot on the gas pedal scoring five more in the second. With one out, Patterson started the rally with a double, and Angela Bartucci drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Mosier then added a double of her own to score Patterson and move Bartucci to third. Following two more RBI base knocks, Taylor Chitwood delivered a two-RBI single to boost the Jags advantage to 12-2.

In the third, it appeared the Jags would fail to score for the first time in the game, but a two-out rally put four more runs on the board. Bartucci drew a two-out walk to put a runner on first, and Alyssa Matson then pinch ran for Bartucci and advanced to third on consecutive wild pitches. Mosier kept the inning alive with another walk, before moving into scoring position by stealing second base. Maggie Good then hit a three-run homer to up the lead to 15-2. Richards then drove in her third run of the game with a solo homer of her own to boost the cushion to 16-2.

The Jaguars added three more runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to make the lead 21-2, and despite three Norse runs in the bottom of the fifth, IUPUI closed out a 21-5 victory.

In Game 2 against the Cardinals, both teams went scoreless in the first, before the Jags put some pressure on in the second.
Bartucci doubled with one out in the second to put a runner in scoring position, but consecutive strikeouts left Bartucci stranded and kept the game scoreless heading to the bottom of the second.

Louisville took the lead in the bottom of the second on a lead-off solo homer, and after a scoreless IUPUI third, the Cardinals seized all the momentum with a 10-run third to open an 11-0 lead.

The UofL cushion grew to 12 runs with a run in the fourth, but the Jags avoided the shutout on a Patterson RBI-single in the fifth. Unfortunately, IUPUI couldn't get any more runs across home plate and the Cardinals finished off the 12-1 win.

The Jaguars conclude the Cardinal Classic on Sunday when they square off against Central Michigan and Eastern Kentucky.