The UConn softball team finished their 2026 home slate with an electric series against the Creighton Blue Jays. The teams scored a combined 41 runs in three games, with both teams vying for positioning in the Big East standings.
Friday’s game was a thriller that saw a run scored in every inning, and there was only one half-inning where no runs were scored.
Creighton got one run in the top half of the inning before UConn exploded for four runs in the bottom half. The Huskies got RBI knocks from Cat Petteys, Kaitlyn Breslin and Emma Willers as the top of the lineup continued to produce.
The Blue Jays got one more in the second before Petteys had an RBI double, and Willers had an RBI groundout to make it 6-2. Creighton cut the lead in half with a two-run double from Keegan Mayhue.
Savannah Ring got in on the action with an RBI single to score Bella Cruz and make it a 7-4 game. Petteys added her fourth RBI of the game in just the third inning for the eighth UConn run of the afternoon.
Creighton continued to chip away. Zoey Greenwood ripped a two-run double to right to make it 8-6 Huskies. The Blue Jays prevented UConn from scoring in the bottom of the fourth and then tied it up in the fifth on an Ella Dalton double.
Connecticut was the beneficiary of a Creighton error, and Haley Coupal took full advantage. The senior laced a three-run double to right field, clearing the bases and making it 11-8 Huskies.
The Blue Jays got two more in the sixth to make it a one-run ballgame before the bottom of the order stepped up for Connecticut. With runners on first and second, Cruz singled up the middle to score Caylee De Meo.
Amber Bretton was on the mound for UConn to start the seventh when Creighton loaded the bases with zero outs. She got a sacrifice fly from Avery Barnard which made it a 12-11 game with runners on the corners. Bretton was removed for Jessica Walter in a tough situation. Greenwood stole second base to put the winning run in scoring position.
Lily West hit a ground ball to first and Ashten Pierson scampered home to try and score the game tying run. Coupal fielded the groundball and fired it home where Heidi Barber applied the tag on Pierson to preserve the one-run lead.
Walter got Kaelan Schultz to ground out to third, sealing a monumental 12-11 win for the Huskies. It was Walter’s ninth save of the season the day before her Senior Day for the Huskies.
Senior Day Saturday did not start out as planned for Connecticut as Creighton tagged the UConn pitching staff for seven runs in the second inning. A few UConn errors did not help starting pitcher Sydnee Koosh’s case as she was removed after 1.1 innings.
The Huskies got one run back in the second on a Willers solo home run off the scoreboard in centerfield to make it 7-1. Breslin smacked a three-run homer in the third to cut it to 7-4. The junior hit another home run in her next at bat to make it a two-run game.
Walter was brilliant after taking over in the fourth. She allowed just one hit and struck out five batters while keeping the Huskies in it on Senior Day.
Unfortunately for the Huskies, Audrey Gilman was unphased by the three homers she gave up and went the distance for the Blue Jays. She struck out seven over the same number of innings for the 7-5 Creighton victory, evening the weekend series before the rubber match on Sunday.
In a lower scoring series finale, UConn broke through first in the second inning when De Meo doubled in Coupal.
After three scoreless innings, Creighton got on the board with a West solo home run. The Blue Jays scored 18 runs in the first two games, but West’s homer was their first of the weekend.
Connecticut got the run right back with an Ava Calciano RBI single. That run was quickly answered by Creighton when Chiqui Vazquez drew a bases loaded walk to chase in Tara Vandewater and tie the game at two.
UConn got runners on second and third with just one out in the sixth before Creighton got Calciano to ground out to second and keep the runners at bay. De Meo drew a walk and Barber stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. The nine hitter broke the tie with a two-run single to give the Huskies a 4-2 lead.
Walter shut the door in the seventh and pitched seven straight scoreless innings in the final two games of the weekend.
With the series win, UConn moves back to .500 for the first time this season. They ended the home season at Burrill Family Field with a record of 14-3. Connecticut has also tied Creighton for second in the Big East.
Their final series of the season will be at Georgetown next weekend before the Big East tournament starts on May 7.