The UConn Softball team continued Big East Conference play this past weekend, with a three-game series against the Villanova Wildcats. The Huskies swept the series to bring their in-conference record to 9-3.
The Wildcats kept the first game of the doubleheader close with a late game comeback, but the Huskies kept their momentum to win 5-3. The Huskies quickly showed their prowess scoring three runs in the first inning. The dominant inning began when sophomore infielder, Cat Petteys brought senior outfielder, Kaitlyn Kibling home with a double to the left field. Senior Haley Coupal quickly followed with a hit of her own that brought in Petteys. The formidable inning was capped off with a homerun by junior outfielder, Kaitlyn Breslin, marking her sixth of the season.
The success for the Huskies continued into the third inning, when Petteys brought the lead to 5-0 with her 11th homerun of the season. It also marked a homerun in two consecutive games for Petteys. Just as it looked like the Huskies were pulling ahead with their lead, the Wildcats found their rhythm, scoring a run in the fourth inning and two in the fifth inning, to bring the Huskies to just a two-run lead.
At the mound, freshman pitcher, Caprice Bohmer made her 15th start of the season, keeping the Huskies composed defensively. Bohmer pitched for four innings, giving up three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Graduate student Jessica Walter replaced Bohmer at the mound in the 5th inning, making her 24th start of the season. Walter closed the game out retiring eight of the Villanova’s nine batters.
In the second game, the Wildcats came with some vengeance, opening the scoring in the 2nd inning. However, they weren’t able to hold onto the lead for long. The Huskies quickly took the lead in the 3rd inning with back-to-back homeruns. First, senior infielder Savannah Ring hit her second homer of the season to bring in two runs for the Huskies. Following, Petteys hit a homer in a third consecutive game.
In the bottom of the 5th inning, the Huskies pulled away scoring six runs. Coupal started the Huskies’ run momentum with a single to right field, scoring Ring. Freshman Emma Willers continued with a double to right center field, scoring both Coupal and Breslin. A throwing error by the Wildcats allowed two more Huskies to come home. Junior infielder Caylee De Meo capped the inning off for the Huskies with her third run of the season, bringing the score to 9-1 and ending the game.
The Huskies finished their dominant weekend and earned their second consecutive series sweep with a 2-0 shutout over the Wildcats. Bohmer started at the mound, giving up only one hit in four innings pitched, and putting up four strikeouts.
The Huskies came out right away in the first inning with Petteys scoring Kibling from third base. The Huskies quickly doubled their lead with a bunt squeeze play by sophomore catcher Heidi Barber, scoring freshman outfielder Isabella Lundquist at the bottom of the second inning.
The Wildcats looked like they were making a comeback at the top of the third inning with bases loaded, but Bohmer’s strong front in the circle stopped Villanova’s momentum. In the fifth inning, redshirt-junior Sydnee Koosh replaced Bohmer in the circle. Koosh continued Bohmer’s defensive dominance, tossing a 2.1 scoreless inning and giving up only one hit. She retired seven straight hitters, before being replaced by Graduate student Jessica Walter, who closed out the game in the circle. Walter retired both batters she faced to secure the win for the Huskies.
The Huskies carried the same momentum into their matchup against Boston College, securing a 6-5 win behind an efficient offense and steady pitching. The Huskies made the most of limited opportunities at the plate, with Ring and Breslin each delivering a key home run that accounted for five of UConn’s runs. Despite being outhit by the Eagles, the Huskies capitalized on walks and timely execution to build their leads. Boston College threatened the Huskies’ lead after scoring five runs on ten hits, including RBI efforts by freshman Emma Knight, junior Sammy Horn and sophomore Abby Ptak. However, the Huskies’ defense held strong, allowing them to secure the win. In the circle, Koosh pitched six innings before Walter came in to finish over the final innings to seal the win.
The Huskies will look to continue their Big East Conference series sweep streak, when they travel to Indiana to take on Butler University. The first game will take place on Friday, April 10 at 3 p.m. The second game will take place on Saturday, April 11 at 1 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday, April 12 at 12 p.m. Husky fans can tune into all three matchups on FloSports.