JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The UConn softball team defeated Middle Tennessee, 6-5, and North Florida, 5-4 on Friday at the JU/UNF Invitational. With the two wins, UConn moves to 3-3 this season.
Game One
Junior Hope Jenkins earned her third start of the season in the circle for the Huskies. She went 5.0 innings giving up three earned runs on five hits, adding five strikeouts.
Middle Tennessee opened the scoring in the top of the first inning off an error on the Huskies, giving the Blue Raiders an early 1-0 lead.
UConn quickly answered in the bottom of the first inning, scoring three runs all coming off doubles. Grace Jenkins (Folsom, Calif.) got it started with her team leading third double of the season, scoring Lexi Hastings (Lynchburg, Va.) all the way from first base. Rosie Garcia (San Fernando, Calif.) later knocked in Jenkins from second base, her sixth RBI of the season. Hope Jenkins followed with a double to right center field, scoring Garcia from second base, giving the Huskies a 3-1 lead.
Middle Tennessee responded with two runs in the second inning, tying the game at three.
The Blue Raiders would regain the lead in the fifth inning, making it 4-3.
UConn once again found a quick answer in the bottom half of the fifth inning, scoring two runs on three hits, giving the Huskies the lead back, 5-4. Kaiea Higa (Maple Valley, Wash.) delivered a single to center field, scoring Hastings from second base. Cat Petteys (Vestal, N.Y.) hustled out an infield single with two outs later in the inning, scoring Grace Jenkins from third base.
Redshirt-sophomore Sydnee Koosh (Canton, Ohio) came on in relief for Hope Jenkins in the sixth inning. Koosh finished closed out the game in the circle, going 2.0 innings giving up one run on three hits.
Middle Tennessee would tie the game up once again in the top of the seventh inning, making it 5-5.
But once again, the UConn offense responded, as freshman infielder Cat Petteys hit in the go ahead run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Huskies their second win of the season. Petteysyet again used her speed as the freshman hustled down the first base line, causing a rushed throw from the Blue Raider shortstop, allowing pinch runner, Savannah Ring (Wyckoff, N.J.) to score from third base.
Game Two
Graduate senior Payton Kinney (Bradenton, Fla.) earned her first start of the season for the Huskies in game two. She tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in the circle for the Huskies, giving up two hits with a strikeout.
Sydnee Koosh came on in relief for Kinney in the third inning. She finished out the game in the circle for the Huskies, going 5.0 innings giving up two earned runs on seven hits, adding three strikeouts.
UConn opened the scoring in the sixth inning as Cat Petteys once again delivered a big hit for the Huskies. On the first pitch of the at bat, Petteys hit her first career home run, a two-run shot, breaking the deadlock to make it 2-0.
North Florida responded in the bottom half of the sixth inning, as the Blue Raiders scored three runs to snatch the lead away from the Huskies.
Grace Jenkins delivered the clutch hit of the night in the top of the seventh inning, as the junior catcher hit a no doubt three run home run to right center field, giving the Huskies the lead for good. Jenkins now has a team high three homers this season.
North Florida continued to fight, scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Koosh was able to close the door on the Ospreys, stranding the tying run on second base. Koosh now has a staff high three wins this season.
News and Notes
- Lexi Hastings recorded five hits on the day, continuing her on base streak to 26 straight games.
- Kaiea Higa had her second multi-RBI game of the season vs. Middle Tennessee.
- Cat Petteys delivered two clutch hits for the Huskies, the first walk-off of her career vs. Middle Tennessee, and her first career homer vs. North Florida, all in the same day.
- Grace Jenkins hit her team leading third home run of the season, giving her nine RBI (team high).
- UConn opened the scoring vs. North Florida, just the second time this season the Huskies have been the first to score.
Up Next
UConn will continue their slate at the JU/UNF Invitational on Saturday, February 15 with a pair of matchups. The first coming at 9:00am in a rematch against Middle Tennessee with the second scheduled for 11:30am against Jacksonville.
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