The UConn softball team hosted Butler for a three-game series. A doubleheader was played on Friday, with the final game played on Sunday. They finished the series with a 3-1 win.
The team came off an impressive performance against Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Redshirt sophomore Sydnee Koosh led the team, pitching a complete game shutout, allowing the game to end with a final score of 9-0. This was Koosh’s first career complete game shutout, during which she added a career high seven strikeouts. Senior Lexi Hasting also dominated, breaking the program record for career runs scored. They carried this momentum into the games against Butler.
The series started off with a close game on Friday, where the Huskies came away victorious in a 10-9 win. Butler began with a 1-0 lead, further extending this lead in the third inning to 2-0. The Huskies got their momentum in the third inning starting with Hastings fourth home run of the season, scoring two-runs and tying the game at 2-2.
The Huskies gained the lead later in the inning with a double hit by junior Kaiea Higa, scoring junior Grace Jenkins. Butler tied the game again 3-3 in the fourth inning. The Bulldogs obtained a lead in the sixth inning by scoring three runs on three hits, bringing the score to 6-4. The Huskies responded with junior Kaitlyn Kibling’s first home run of the season. At the top of the seventh inning, Butler extended their lead to 9-5.
The Huskies rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to pick up the win. Sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn Breslin got the rally started with her 12th home run of the season. Freshman Cat Petteys continued the momentum by hitting a solo homer to left field. With the bases loaded, Jenkins tied the game. Higa came up next to bat, scoring junior Haley Coupal to win the game.
In their second game on Friday, the Huskies came up short with a final 9-4 score. The Huskies started off strong, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning on three hits. Freshman Heidi Barber started the runs off with a hit, leading to Coupal scoring a run. Hasting then got a hit that led to a run by Barber. The Bulldogs then pulled ahead, scoring three runs on one hit. Jenkins then tied the game with her 10th home run of the season. Butler responded dominantly with six runs, giving them a six-point lead at the top of the sixth inning. Barber hit a fourth run scoring Petteys in the bottom of the sixth inning, making it 9-4. However, this was not enough to overcome the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were led by freshman Gwen Baker and junior Hailey Conger.
The team ended the series with a final win on Saturday with a score of 5-3. Pitcher Hope Jenkins was a key player in the game. Hastings, G. Jenkins, Coupal and Kibling were also key players, all scoring runs for the team.
The Huskies will look to continue this dominance on Tuesday against UMass.