University of Connecticut Athletics
Softball Completes Perfect Weekend with Doubleheader Sweep of Rutgers
4/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game 1 box -
Game 2 box -
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (April 20, 2008) - The University of Connecticut softball team recorded its second straight doubleheader sweep this weekend when it took two from Rutgers on Sunday. The Huskies won game one 7-4 in nine innings, after junior Micah Truax (South Glen Falls, N.Y.) hit a game tying two-run home run in the top of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. UConn then took game two 2-0 with freshman Melissa Lucas (Methuen, Mass.) providing the game winning home run.
With the win, the Huskies improve to 24-16 on the season. They have won six in a row and nine of their last 10 games. The team is now 11-3 in the BIG EAST and is in sole possession of second place, two games behind first place South Florida, which is 14-2.
UConn scored first in game one in the top of the third inning, when Danielle Del Ponte (Tewksbury, Mass.) singled to score Jillian Ortega (Aberdeen, N.J.). The Huskies made it 2-0 in the top of the fifth when Del Ponte doubled, again scoring Ortega.
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Tricia Sullivan (New Bedford, Mass.) was cruising along. She retired the first 10 batters she faced in order, and kept the Scarlet Knights off the board for the first five innings.
Rutgers broke through with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Scarlet Knights recorded six hits (all singles) and sent nine batters to the plate as they took a 4-2 lead.
After Ortega singled to start off the top of the seventh inning, the next two UConn batters were retired leaving it up to Truax. She sent a shot over the right field wall to tie the game at four and the game went to extra innings.
The game remained tied at four until the top of the ninth when Truax singled home Ortega to break the tie. After Truax stole second, Allie Gendron (Belchertown, Mass.) singled her home to make it 6-4. The next batter Julie Towers (Goodlettsville, Tenn.) singled to give the Huskies one more insurance run. Sullivan retired the Rutgers batters in order in the bottom of the ninth to secure the victory.
Ortega was 4-for-4 with four runs scored in game one. Truax was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Sullivan pitched all nine innings, giving up four runs on 11 hits with seven strikeouts.
The two teams engaged in a classic pitching duel in game two. The game remained scoreless through the first six innings. Connecticut starter Rachael Crossin (Fairless Hills, Pa.) pitched very well, giving up only three hits in that period and allowing only one batter to reach third base.
The Scarlet Knights starter Chrissy Yard also pitched well, keeping the Huskies off the board until the top of the seventh. With one out, Lucas homered to left center to put UConn on the board. Truax, the next batter, then hit her second home run of the game to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. Crossin struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh, then after getting a single, forced Nicole Lindley into a groundout that gave UConn the win.
Crossin pitched all seven innings, giving up four hits and striking out four. She earned her fifth shutout of the season. Lucas was 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Sarah Neuschwander (Chugiak, Alaska) was also 2-for-4.
The Huskies return to action this Tuesday when they host Central Connecticut at 3:30 p.m. That game was originally scheduled to be played in New Britain, but will now be played at the Connecticut Softball Field.
