University of Connecticut Athletics
Softball Sweeps Key Doubleheader with Villanova
4/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Villanova Game 1 Box -
Villanova Game 2 Box -
VILLANOVA, Pa. (April 19, 2008) - The University of Connecticut softball team received two great pitching performances from sophomore Tricia Sullivan (New Bedford, Mass.) and junior Rachael Crossin (Fairless Hills, Pa.) to sweep an important BIG EAST doubleheader Saturday. The Huskies won game one 2-0 and earned a 5-1 victory in game two. UConn is now 22-16 overall and 9-3 in the BIG EAST. The Wildcats are 15-23-1 and 4-10.
Sullivan pitched all seven innings in game one, giving up zero runs on six hits, while striking out nine. The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth when Allie Gendron (Belchertown, Mass.) doubled home Danielle Del Ponte (Tewksbury, Mass.). The next batter, Julie Towers (Goodlettsville, Tenn.), singled which scored Micah Truax (South Glen Falls, N.Y.)
That turned out to be all the Huskies needed as Sullivan continued to cruise along. She finished the game off by striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
Truax was the team's top hitter in game one, going 3-for-3 with one run scored.
UConn got off to a quick start in game two when they scored all five of their runs in the top of the first inning. Jillian Ortega (Aberdeen, N.J.) led the inning off with a single. Melissa Lucas (Methuen, Mass.), who made her return Saturday after missing the previous two and a half weeks following an emergency appendectomy, tripled to score her. Two batters later, Del Ponte doubled to score Lucas and make it 2-0. Truax then reached on an error that scored Sarah Neuschwander (Chugiak, Alaska). Gendron made it 4-0 with a sacrafice fly that scored Del Ponte. Justyne Roy (North Dighton, Mass.) concluded the Huskies offensive attack when she reached on an error by the first baseman, which scored Truax.
While UConn did not score anymore runs after that, they did not need to thanks to the strong pitching of Crossin. She pitched all seven innings, giving up only one unearned run and four hits. She struck out 10.
Lucas had a great day at the plate in game two, going 4-for-4 with a one run scored and one RBI. She raised her team leading batting average to .411.
The Huskies return to action Sunday when they travel to Rutgers for a doubleheader. Game one is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m.
