Spring Break
No-Hitter Looms Over Rematch
Softball
Chris Brodeur
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Sports
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UConn has shown resiliency after prior struggles this season, overcoming an 0-5 start to climb near the top of the conference standings. It won't be easy to regroup Tuesday, as they travel to UMass to face the team that handed them the no-hit loss that began their losing streak last Wednesday.
All-American pitcher Brandice Balschmiter was on the hill that day and it's likely she'll get the call again tomorrow. Blaschmiter gave up no hits in UMass' 6-0 win over the Huskies on April 23. She's thrown three no-hitters on the season - with St. Louis serving as the latest club to be victimized by the deadly array of pitches at her disposal.
Head coach Karen Mullins praised Balschmiter's abilities but knows her team must stay ahead in the count to have any chance at success against her.
"She had us on the ropes and behind in the count," said Mullins. "When you're facing an All-American pitcher, you can't put yourself on the ropes and we did that."
The junior (23-6, 0.56 ERA) takes a scoreless-innings streak of 58 into this week and is fresh off being named the Atlantic-10 Pitcher of the Week last week. She went 3-0 while blanking her competition and serving up 16 strikeouts in 14 innings of work. It was the eighth time the title has befallen her this season.
Balschmiter wasn't the only member of the Minutewomen to be recognized for her play within the conference recently, as sophomore Jessica Serio earned Atlantic-10 Player of the Week honors following a stretch where she batted .700 and grabbed five RBI, including a 2-for-3 performance with a run scored against UConn. Freshman Lindsay Maroney was named Rookie of the Week for the conference, batting .500 with a pair of home runs, one of which was a grand slam. The team has already locked up the Atlantic 10's regular season championship with a perfect record of 18-0 and an overall mark of 33-11.
UConn dropped to 11-7 in the conference with the four recent losses to Notre Dame and DePaul, and bring a 25-21 overall record to Amherst, Mass. for Tuesday's contest. The weekend brought its share of close finishes, but the competition ultimately proved too steep as both the Blue Demons and the Irish leapfrogged the Huskies in the Big East standings.
Senior Allie Gendron, one of just two UConn players to reach base against Balschmiter the last time around, struck for her first home run of the season and the third of her career in the first match-up with Notre Dame on Sunday. It gave the Huskies a 5-1 advantage at the time, a lead they eventually relinquished in the 8-5 loss. It was the fourth time UConn was defeated by three runs or less on the weekend.
The Huskies close out the regular season schedule this weekend with home doubleheaders against Louisville and Big East-leading South Florida.
Contact Chris Brodeur at
Christopher.Brodeur@UConn.edu.
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