The UConn softball team continued Big East Conference play this past weekend, with a three-game series against the Providence Friars at the Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex. The Huskies fell 2-1 in the series. The team regrouped on Wednesday with a final out of conference matchup, hosted by the Huskies, against Hofstra University.
In the first game of the series, the Huskies kept the game close but ultimately fell 7-6 to the Friars, snapping their 11-game winning streak. In the circle, the Huskies struggled early on; freshman Caprice Bohmer made her 19th start of the season, and in 5.1 innings, she gave up six runs on nine hits and added three strikeouts. In the sixth inning, Amber Bretton came in for relief, making her 14th appearance, going 1.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits with a pair of strikeouts.
The Friars took control of the game early on with a pair of home runs. The first homer brought two players home and the second homer brought three players home, bringing the Friars to an early 5-0 lead. The Huskies defense, led by Bohmer, quickly took control, holding the Friars scoreless for the next three innings.
The Huskies offense also began to quickly find their rhythm. Senior outfielder Kaitlyn Kibling walked with loaded bases, giving the Huskies a run, and bringing the score to 5-1 at the bottom of the second inning. In the bottom of the fifth, freshman Emma Willers hit a single to center field, scoring sophomore infielder Cat Petteys, and bringing the Huskies a run closer to closing the gap. The Friars saw the Huskies closing in and quickly responded with a run of their own in the sixth inning.
The Huskies quickly closed the gap to only one run when Petteys hit a home run, bringing in three players, and bringing the score to 6-5. The Friars saw the Huskies quickly gain momentum and decided to stop their momentum at the top of the 7th inning, bringing the score to 7-5. The Huskies did not go down without a fight, bringing it back to a one run game, when Kibling scored freshman Ava Calciano; however, they were not able to get a final run to tie the game.
The Huskies split the next two games against the Friars, falling 4-3 in extra innings in the first game before responding with a 12-4 run-rule win.
In game one, UConn’s offense struck early with RBI doubles from Petteys and senior Haley Coupal and a sacrifice fly from senior infielder Savannah Ring to build an early 3-1 lead. In the circle, the Huskies dominated with Sydnee Koosh holding the Friars to just one run over 4.1 innings. This dominant defense led to a key double play. The Friars quickly came with their own dominance, tying the game in the seventh inning and scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. The Huskies could not respond to this go-ahead run, giving the Friars the win.
The Huskies flipped the script in the series finale with an explosive offensive performance. Kibling led the offense with perfect success at the plate, including a triple and a homerun. Sophomore catcher Heidi Barber and Willers each contributed offensively, adding home runs. The Huskies closed off the game, going 9-for-15 with two outs and scoring five runs in the sixth. Defensively, UConn pitching remained composed led by Koosh and Bretton, allowing just one walk in game two.
The Huskies bounced back from a tough weekend with an 11-3 win over Hofstra. The Huskies set the tone early with a first inning run and then went on a six-run stretch across the third and fourth innings. The dominance continued into the fifth inning with four runs, topped by one run in the seventh inning. Offensively, the Huskies were consistent throughout, scoring in five separate innings and finishing with 11 runs on seven hits. In the circle, Bohmer was powerful, holding Hofstra to three runs, refusing to give them a chance to gain momentum.
The Huskies will look to bounce back in Big East play with a weekend series against Creighton University at the Burrill Family Field. The first game will take place on Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. The second game will take place on Saturday, April 25 at 4 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday at 12 p.m. Husky fans can tune into all three matchups on FloSports.