MACON, Ga. – The UConn softball team defeated Alabama State, 8-0 in six innings on Saturday night at the Mercer Softball Invitational. UConn moves to 3-0 on the weekend and 7-4 overall this season.
Graduate student Payton Kinney (Bradenton, Fla.) made her fourth start of the season in the circle for the Huskies. Kinney tossed 3.0 scoreless innings, giving up only two hits, adding four strikeouts. Kinney yet to give up an earned run this season in her five apperances.
UConn's offense was firing on all cylinders, as the Huskies scored runs in five out of the six innings. Junior catcher Grace Jenkins (Folsom, Calif.) opened the scoring in the first inning with a sac fly to center field, scoring Lexi Hastings (Lynchburg, Va.) from third base.
In the second inning UConn scored three runs on two hits, extending the lead to 4-0. Junior outfielder Kaitlyn Kibling (LaFayette, N.Y.) drove in her first run of the season on a single to center field, scoring Caylee De Meo (Franklin Square, N.Y.) from second base. Hastings followed Kibling with a single to right field, scoring Haley Coupal (North Attleboro, Mass.) from third base, giving Hastings her fourth run batted in this season. Grace Jenkins capped off the inning with her second sacrifice of the game, a flyout to left field, scoring Kibling from third base. Jenkins now has a team high 15 runs batted in this season.
In the third inning Kibling delivered a clutch two-out single, scoring Kaitlyn Breslin (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Hope Jenkins (Folsom, Calif.), making it 6-0. Kibling sets a new career game high with three runs batted in.
Freshman Stella Kiemele (St. Anthony, Minn.) came on in relief for Kinney in the fourth inning, making her fourth appearance of the season. Kiemele earned her first scoreless outing of her career and also added three strikeouts, the most in an outing for her this season.
Junior Hope Jenkins (Folsom, Calif.) knocked in her ninth run of the season on a ground out, scoring Grace Jenkins, making 7-0 after four innings.
Junior Haley Coupal ended the game in the sixth inning with a single, scoring Cat Petteys (Vestal, N.Y.) to make it 8-0 invoking the run-rule after five innings. Coupal now has five runs batted in this season.
News and Notes
- Lexi Hastings recorded her 200th career hit, becoming just the tenth player in program history to reach the milestone.
- Payton Kinney and Stella Kiemele combine for UConn's second shutout of the season.
- Stella Kiemele picks up her first career win as a Husky.
- Kaitlyn Kibling records a career game high three runs batted in. She also records her first multi-hit and multi-RBI game this season.
- Cat Petteys extends her hitting streak to seven straight games.
- Rosie Garcia records her fifth multi-hit game this season.
- UConn worked a season high nine walks.
- The Huskies stole a game high five bases.
- UConn left a season high 12 runners on base.
Up Next
UConn will close out the MUSB Invitational on Sunday, February 23 with a doubleheader. UConn will first play Alabama State starting at 9:00am. In the second game, the Huskies will play the host school Mercer, scheduled to start at 11:30am.
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