Guevarra, Cutler clutch in comeback game two win over Tigers

Saturday, April 6

Storrs, Conn.

1:00 PM

University of Connecticut

15-19, 4-4

University of Memphis

20-19, 2-6

Memphis

UConn

Photo by: Stephen Slade

Guevarra, Cutler clutch in comeback game two win over Tigers

4/6/2019 4:23:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Written by Steve Lewis

STORRS, Conn. – Junior infielder Carli Cutler capped-off a remarkable comeback for the UConn softball team on Saturday afternoon, connecting on a two-run homer to give the Huskies a 6-5 victory over Memphis in the second game of their American Athletic Conference series.

Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, Cutler launched a pitch off Tigers' reliever Mariah Nichols over the right-center field wall – putting UConn (15-19, 4-4 American) ahead for good after facing a 5-0 deficit early in the contest.

Saturday was full of clutch hits for the Huskies at Burrill Family Field, as sophomore outfielder Reese Guevarra, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and runs scored, blasted a homer in the fifth inning – cutting the Memphis lead to just one run and setting up Cutler in the sixth.

Sophomore pitcher Marybeth Olson was masterful in relief, hurling three scoreless frames while striking out eight batters with just one walk. She picked up the win in the circle, after taking over for junior pitcher Katie Koshes (4IP, 3ER, 6H, K).

"I thought Katie gave us a great start and our defense struggled a bit at the start, but Marybeth came in and closed the door for us," said head coach Jen McIntyre. "Our offense got going late in the game, scoring in each of the last three innings which was huge."

The Huskies faced an early hole after a four-run inning in the third by the Tigers, who gave starting pitcher Karli Perque a comfortable lead in the circle. However, UConn trimmed the lead in the fourth with a two-RBI double from redshirt sophomore Olivia Sappington to make it 5-2.

Junior catcher Devon Casazza walked in the fifth to reach base, setting the stage for Guevarra's homer to left field – which bounced off the top of the fence on its way out of the park. The Huskies cut the deficit to 5-4 heading to the sixth.

"Our biggest theme is pass the bat," said McIntyre. "We got some timely hits when we needed them, but also players reaching base. Devon and Ashlee (Dahman) drew key walks to set up our home runs later in the game."

Cutler's blast – her second of the season – came in the bottom of the sixth to complete the comeback for the Huskies. Olson handled the rest, striking out eight batters while facing only 11 in her relief outing. She surrendered just one hit in three frames.

"It's a huge step for us. We're looking to keep attacking," said McIntyre of the team winning its second-straight conference series. "We have 56 sprints to run this year and we'll come out and sprint hard again tomorrow."

The Huskies wrap-up their weekend series with Memphis on Sunday at Burrill Family Field beginning at noon. The game can be viewed on Husky Vision and followed @UConnSoftball on Twitter.