VILLANOVA, P.a. – The No. 2 seed UConn softball team won their opening round game in the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament on Thursday afternoon, defeating the Providence Friars, 5-4 at the Villanova Softball Complex. Senior outfielder Lexi Hastings delivered a go-ahead ribbie single with two out in the bottom of the sixth, propelling the Huskies past the Friars.
Payton Kinney got the nod in the circle in UConn's opening round game, making her 24th start of the season for the Huskies. After a rocky first inning, Kinney settled in, retiring eleven straight Friar batters. The Florida native went the distance in the circle, giving up three earned runs on five hits, adding three strikeouts, picking up her 13th win of the season.
Providence jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Kaitlyn Breslin got the Huskies offense going in the bottom of the second inning with a leadoff triple, setting the stage for a three-run inning. Kaiea Higa gave the Huskies the lead with a two-run home run, her third of the year, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead.
Later in the inning, Lexi Hastings extended the UConn lead with a sac fly to left field, scoring Haley Coupal from third base, making it 3-1.
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Cat Petteys added to the Huskies lead in the third inning with a solo home run to left center field, the 13th in her rookie campaign, giving UConn a 4-1 lead.
Providence battled their way back into the game, scoring two runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth to tie the game up at 4-4.
Hastings came through in the bottom of the sixth inning, down 1-2 in the count, the Huskies senior captain delivered a go-ahead two-out RBI double to center field, scoring the game-winning run in Coupal, making it 5-4.
Kinney locked down the final three outs in the circle, marking her fifth complete game this season.
News and Notes
- Lexi Hastings had two clutch RBIs, notching her 9th multi-RBI game this season.
- Payton Kinney retired 11 straight Friars hitters from the first inning to the fifth inning.
- Grace Jenkins extended her on-base streak to 28 straight games with a pair of walks.
- Haley Coupal recorded her 9th multi-hit game this season, scoring two of UConn's five runs.
- Kaiea Higa recorded her third home run of the season in the second inning, giving the junior 9 multi-RBI games this season.
- Cat Petteys recorded her 13th home run of the season in the third inning, extending her hitting streak to five straight games.
- The Huskies totaled five extra base hits.
Up Next
UConn moves on to the BIG EAST semifinal on Friday, May 9, where they will matchup with the Creighton Bluejays. First pitch is set for 12:00pm and will be streamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
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