VILLANOVA, Pa. – The UConn softball team opened their BIG EAST slate with a series win over the preseason conference favorite Villanova Wildcats, 9-8 on Sunday afternoon at the Villanova Softball Complex. UConn came from behind, overcoming a four-run deficit to earn their first series win of the season.
Redshirt-sophomore Sydnee Koosh made her eighth start of the season in the series finale for the Huskies. Koosh went 3.2 innings giving up four runs on five hits.
UConn opened the scoring in the top of the second inning on a pair of singles all coming with two outs. Junior infielder Savannah Ring drove in her seventh RBI of the season with a single to left center, scoring Cat Petteys from second base. Later in the inning, junior catcher Grace Jenkins delivered a two-run single, scoring Ring and Lexi Hastings, giving UConn a 3-0 lead.
Villanova battled back in the bottom half of the second inning, scoring seven runs, four coming from a grand slam, giving the Wildcats a 7-3 lead.
Junior Hope Jenkins came on in relief for Koosh in the middle of the second inning. Jenkins went just 0.2 inning, giving up three runs on one hit with two strikeouts.
UConn began to chip away at the Villanova lead, scoring a run in the third inning again coming with two outs as sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn Breslin drove in her tenth RBI of the season, scoring Rosie Garcia from third base.
Koosh came back in the circle for Jenkins in the third inning and kept the Wildcats offense at bay, tossing two straight scoreless innings, keeping the Huskies within striking distance.
UConn continued to chip away the Villanova lead in the fifth inning as Breslin delivered another two out single, her second RBI of the game and eleventh on the season, scoring Garcia, making it 7-5.
Graduate student Payton Kinney came on in relief for Koosh in the fifth inning. Kinney closed out the game in the circle going 2.2 innings giving up just one run on four hits with three strikeouts.
The Huskies regained the lead in the sixth inning, scoring four runs on four hits, giving UConn their first lead since the second inning, 9-7. Grace Jenkins once again delivered a big hit for the Huskies as the junior tied the game with a two-run double, scoring Ring and Hastings. A few batters later, junior Hope Jenkins gave the Huskies the lead, scoring her twin sister Grace from second base with her fourth double of the season. Breslin capped off the Huskies big inning with her third hit of the game, a double to right center, scoring Jenkins from second base.
Villanova trimmed into the UConn lead in the sixth inning, scoring a run to make it 9-8. Kinney came up big for the Huskies, stranding the bases loaded in the sixth inning and then leaving the game tying run at second base in the bottom of the seventh, helping UConn to their first conference series win of the season.
News and Notes
- UConn had clutch hitting, scoring eight of their nine runs coming with two outs.
- The Huskies had a game high 15 hits, and 5 doubles.
- UConn had a leadoff hitter reach in five out of the seven innings.
- Grace Jenkins had a career high four hits. Her four RBI ties an individual team high this season (Haley Coupal vs. Ohio). Jenkins leads the Huskies this season with seven multi-RBI games.
- Kaitlyn Breslin recorded her first career three-hit game. She knocked in three RBI, tying her season high (Feb. 21 vs. Jacksonville). Breslin now has nine RBI in her last seven games for the Huskies.
- Savannah Ring recorded her first career three-hit game.
- Payton Kinney picks up her third win of the season, moving to 3-2.
- Rosie Garcia tallied her team leading eighth multi-hit game this season. She has now reached base safely in 12 straight games.
- Kaiea Higa had her 13 game on base streak snapped.
Up Next
UConn heads to Knoxville next weekend as the Huskies will play a three-game series against the 8th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The series is scheduled to start on Friday, March 14 at 6:00pm on SEC Network+.
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