The UConn softball team began Big East Conference play on the road with a three-game series against the St. John’s Red Storm on Sunday, March 8 and Monday, March 9, marking the start of conference competition for the Huskies.
After splitting the doubleheader on Sunday, the Huskies responded with a 4-1 victory on Monday to claim the series’ victory and begin conference play with a record of 2-1.
UConn opened the series with a 5-3 win in game one of Sunday’s doubleheaders. Freshman pitcher Caprice Bohmer had her ninth start of the season, earning her second win and allowing three runs on four hits while striking out in three for three innings. Both teams showed their strength early, loading the bases in their first at-bats, but neither could capitalize on this opportunity. At the top of the third inning, the Huskies quickly gained momentum, scoring three runs on four hits. Junior outfielder Kaitlyn Breslin drove in the first run with a single to center field and then sophomore catcher Heidi Barber added two more runs with a single to the left to give UConn a 3-0 lead.
The Huskies extended their lead in the fourth inning when sophomore infielder Cat Petteys hit a solo home run, her fourth of the season. St. John’s began to find their strength in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the Huskies lead by scoring three runs to cut bringing the score to 4-3. Graduate student pitcher Jessica Walter entered in relief to shut down the Red Storms growing momentum, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. The Huskies ensured their victory with a late run when seniors outfielder Kaitlyn Kibling scored junior infielder Caylee De Meo.
The second game of the doubleheader was an all-out offensive battle, with St. John’s ultimately earning the 11-10 victory to even the series. UConn opened scoring in the second inning when Barber brought home De Meo. The Huskies then went on a run in the third inning, scoring six runs and sending all nine batters to the plate. Senior Haley Coupal started the run with an RBI single followed by De Meo’s three-run home run. Barber extended the dominance of the inning with a two-run homer to give the Huskies a 7-1 advantage.
Despite the Huskies dominant lead, the Red Storm were not faltered, responding with five runs in the bottom of the third inning, closing the Huskies lead to just one run. The Huskies then responded with a two-run home run by Petteys in the sixth inning that extended the Huskies lead 10-6.
The Red Storm quickly rallied with a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning, tying the game 10-10. St. John’s ultimately completed the comeback with a walk-off single in the seventh inning to split the doubleheader.
UConn responded in Monday’s series finale, defeating St. John’s 4-1 to secure the series victory. The Huskies took the lead early on thanks to aggressive offense by Breslin and Petteys. In the fourth inning, UConn added three more runs with sophomore infielder Bella Cruz and Kibling opening the frame with back-to-back singles. Senior infielder Savannah Ring later drove in Cruz after a St. John’s throwing error before Coupal had a base-loaded walk to extend the lead further. Breslin finished the inning with a run that brought home Ring to bring the lead to 4-0.
Walter started the game pitching before Bohmer delivered four scoreless innings of relief, allowing four hits and striking out four. Sophomore pitcher Amber Bretton and Walter combined to close out the game, limiting the Red Storm to just one run.
Petteys led the Huskies offensively throughout the series, recording multiple hits in consecutive games and hitting two home runs during Sunday’s doubleheader. Ring also dominated extending her hitting streak to seven games.
The Huskies returned to Storrs on Tuesday, hosting the Stonehill Skywalks at Burrill Family Field. First pitch was scheduled for 4 p.m. The two programs last met on Oct. 1, 2022, when the Huskies secured a narrow 3-2 victory at Stonehill. The Skyhawks enter the matchups still searching for their first win of the season with a record of 0-9.
With the series win, UConn begins conference play with momentum as their program looks ahead to the remainder of the Big East schedule. The Huskies will continue Big East play with a weekend series against Seton Hall. Husky fans can tune into these matchups on FloSports.