University of Connecticut Athletics
Softball Takes Two Games From Louisville
4/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
UConn 6, Louisville 4
UConn 4, Louisville 1
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 27, 2007) - Sophomore Micah Truax (South Glens Falls, N.Y.) was 6-for-8 at the plate as the University of Connecticut softball team took two games from Louisville on Friday evening in Louisville, Ky.
UConn won game one 6-4 before earning the come-from-behind victory in game two, 4-1. The Huskies have now won seven of their last eight games and are winners of their last six straight BIG EAST match-ups.
UConn improves to 22-18 and 10-7 in the conference while Louisville drops to 28-21 and 9-5 in the BIG EAST.
With the two victories, UConn has 10 conference wins for the first time since the 2003 season when the Huskies posted a 12-8 record in the BIG EAST.
The Huskies didn't waste any time in the top of the first as Truax led-off with a single up the middle. Senior Holly Calcagno (Cedar Grove, N.J.) stepped to the plate for a single down the left field line to move Truax to second. A fielding error by the Cardinals put sophomore Jillian Ortega (Aberdeen, N.J.) on first with Truax crossing the plate for the early 1-0 lead.
Junior Allie Gendron (Amherst, Mass.) singled to the pitcher to move Ortega to second. The hits kept coming when freshman Lauren Cecchi (Simsbury, Conn.) knocked out three-run home run. Louisville wouldn't allow any more hits for the rest of the inning, but the damage was already done with the Huskies owning an early 4-0 advantage.
The Cardinals countered with a triple from Audrey Rendon to begin the bottom of the first. Rendon came in to score on the ensuing play to put Louisville on the board 4-1.
Things quieted down offensively until the top of the fifth. Once again, Truax began the inning with a single to left field. Ortega then put up UConn's second home run of the afternoon, a two-run blast, to increase the lead to 6-1.
Melissa Roth doubled to right center in the bottom of the fifth for Louisville. She scored when Kristi Cunningham hit a double of her own to tack on another run, but still down 6-2.
The Cardinals scored again in the bottom of the sixth off two hits to close in, 6-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Louisville scored when Rebecca Saksefski was walked with the bases loaded for a 6-4 score, the final margin of victory for the Huskies.
Truax led the way at the plate in game one going 3-for-4. Senior Krista Michalczyk (Salem, N.H.) earned the win with 6.2 innings of work and two strikeouts.
Ortega's home run in the fifth was her sixth of the season which ties her for seventh for most in a single-season and pushes her career total to 10 for seventh-best in UConn history.
UConn continues to demolish the record for most home runs in a single season. The Huskies have posted 37 so far in 2007 while the previous record stood at 30, set back in 1993.
In game two, both clubs couldn't convert on the offensive side until the fifth inning. The Cardinals were the first to cross the plate when Roth delivered an RBI single to take the 1-0 lead.
But the UConn saved the best for last in the top of the seventh. Senior Jessica Quan (Stockton, Calif.) doubled to left center to lead off. Sophomore Danielle Del Ponte (Tewksbury, Mass.) stepped in to pinch hit and singled to center to drive home Quan at 1-1. Senior Kristina Tolles (Southington, Conn.) came in to pinch hit and reached first on a fielder's choice.
Sophomore Meghan Tierney (Salem, Conn.) pinch ran for Tolles before Truax hit a double to left field and advanced to third on the throw which sent Tierney home for the score. Calcagno continued the offensive power with a single up the middle to drive home Truax with the score 3-1. Ortega added a single of her own to advance Calcagno to second. Gendron then singled to left, advancing to second on the throw to allow Calcagno to cross the plate.
UConn scored four runs off six hits in the top of the seventh and held their ground to earn the come-from-behind victory, 4-1.
Truax went 3-for-4 from the plate again in game two, pushing her totals for the day to 6-for-8. Freshman Tricia Sullivan (New Bedford, Mass.) pitched a complete game allowing only one run off five hits.
The Huskies close out the regular season with a doubleheader at USF on Sunday morning with the first game set to begin at 11 a.m.
