STORRS, Conn. – The UConn softball team split their doubleheader against Butler on Friday at Burrill Family Field. The Huskies opened the series in thrilling fashion with a comeback win in game one, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, making UConn a 10-9 victor. Butler took game two in the night cap, 9-4.

Game One

Redshirt-sophomore Sydnee Koosh made her 13^th start of the season in the circle for the Huskies. Koosh went 6.2 innings, giving up six earned runs on ten hits with a strikeout. 

Butler opened the scoring in the first inning, scoring a run on a sac fly, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead.

Butler extended their lead in the third inning, scoring a run on a single, making it 2-0. 

UConn's offense got on the board in the third inning, scoring three runs on four hits. Senior outfielder Lexi Hastings opened the scoring for the Huskies with her fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right center, tying the game at 2-2. Later in the inning, Junior infielder Kaiea Higa gave the Huskies the lead with a double to right center, scoring Grace Jenkins from second base, putting UConn in front, 3-2. 

Butler tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth inning on a sac fly. 

UConn regained the lead in the bottom half of the fourth inning as junior catcher Grace Jenkins reached on a fielding error, scoring Haley Coupal from third base, making it 4-3. 

Butler recaptured the lead in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on three hits, giving the Bulldogs a 6-4 lead. 

UConn trimmed into the Butler lead in the bottom half of the sixth inning off the bat of junior outfielder Kaitlyn Kibling, as she hit her first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, making it 6-5. 

Butler extended their lead in the top of the seventh inning, tacking on three more runs, putting UConn at a 9-5 deficit. 

Freshman Stella Kiemele came on in relief for Koosh in the middle of the seventh inning, making her 10^thappearance of the season. Kiemele went 0.1 of an inning as she faced just two batters. The rookie from Minnesota picks up her third win of the season.

The Huskies offense rallied in the bottom of the seventh, scoring five runs on six hits, snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat. Sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn Breslin got the rally started with her team leading 12^th home run of the season, a two-run shot to center field, giving the Huskies life. A batter later, freshman infielder Cat Petteys hit a solo homer to left field, her sixth of the season, making it a one run ballgame. The Huskies loaded the bases for Grace Jenkins who tied the game with a rocket single back at the Butler pitcher, scoring the tying run in Savannah Ring. Higa followed Jenkins with another single, this one to right center, scoring the game winning run in Haley Coupal, giving UConn an improbable comeback win. 

News and Notes

• Kaitlyn Breslin homered for the fifth time in her last six games. She now has 12 on the season, just one shy of the program single season record (13, Amy Vaughan, 2012). She recorded her 8^th multi-RBI game this season. 
• Cat Petteys recorded her third three-hit game this season. Petteys tallied an RBI in her seventh straight game. 
• Kaiea Higa extends her hitting streak to nine straight games, as she recorded her team leading 12^thmulti-hit game this season and her 7^th in her last nine games. Higa also recorded her 7^th multi-RBI game this season. 
• Kaitlyn Kibling hit her first home run of the season.
• Grace Jenkins recorded her 9^th multi-hit game this season. 
• Lexi Hastings recorded her 4^th multi-RBI game this season. 
• Haley Coupal recorded her 4^th multi-hit game this season. Coupal now has hits in six of her last seven games. 
• UConn had 15 hits, the fourth time this season they have had 15 or more hits in a single game. 
• UConn left nine runners on base. 

Game Two

Graduate pitcher Payton Kinney made her 14^th start of the season in the circle for the Huskies. Kinney went 4.1 innings giving up three runs on three hits, adding four strikeouts. 

UConn opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning with two runs on three hits. Freshman catcher Heidi Barber drove in her second RBI of the season with a double to center field, scoring Haley Coupal all the way from first base. A batter later, senior outfielder Lexi Hastings knocked in Barber with a two-out double, giving UConn a 2-0 lead. 

Butler took the lead in the fifth inning, scoring three runs on just one hit, making it 3-2 in favor of the Bulldogs. 

Sydnee Koosh came on in relief for Kinney in the middle in the fifth inning. Koosh went 1.0 inning giving up four earned runs on five hits with a strikeout. 

Grace Jenkins tied the game up a 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning, hitting her 10^th home run of the season, a solo shot to right center field. 

Butler responded in the top of the sixth inning with six runs, putting the Bulldogs in the driver's seat with a 9-3 lead. 

Stella Kiemele came on in relief for Koosh in the middle of the sixth inning. Kiemele finished out the game in the circle for the Huskies tossing 1.2 scoreless innings, adding a strikeout. 

Heidi Barber plated the Huskies fourth run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a sac fly to right field, scoring Cat Petteys from third base, making it 9-4. This is the first career multi-RBI game for Barber. 

News and Notes

• Heidi Barber recorded her first career multi-RBI game, driving in two of UConn's four runs. 
• Kaiea Higa extended her hitting streak to ten straight games. 
• Grace Jenkins hit her tenth home run of the season. 

Up Next

UConn will close out the three-game series with Butler on Sunday, April 6. First pitch is set for 12:30pm. Tickets are available at UConnTickets.com.

Follow our social media pages for updates.

X – UConnSoftball

Instagram – UConnSoftball

Facebook – UConn Softball