Spring Break
Huskies travel to UMass to avenge last weeks dramatic loss
Mac Cerullo
Issue date: 4/30/09 Section: Sports
Today the softball team will travel up the road to nearby UMass Amherst for its last out-of-conference match-up of the season. UMass is currently ranked No. 19 in the nation and have won 20 of its last 21 games, including an 18-game winning streak that only ended this past Sunday against Charlotte. Overall the Minutewomen are 31-7 on the season.
The Huskies nearly ended that winning streak back on April 23, however, when the Huskies hosted the Minutewomen in Storrs. In that contest, the Huskies came back from a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth, taking a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning. But with the bases loaded, two outs, and a 2-2 count, UMass, center fielder Carly Normandin blasted Rachel Crossins pitch out of the yard for a grand slam, and all of a sudden the Minutewomen held a 6-3 lead.
The Huskies had life though. In the bottom of the seventh, Jillian Ortega pushed the fourth Huskies run across the plate after a walk, single and a fielders choice. The Huskies then had the bases loaded and only one out, but they could not sustain the rally and the game ended by a score of 6-4 in favor of the Minutewomen.
That gut wrenching loss will no doubt be on the softball team's mind when it takes the field this afternoon. Although the outcome of the game will not have any effect on the Huskies Big East Tournament resume, the Huskies know that they will need momentum going into this weekend. What better way to build some than by stealing a victory on the road from a team that stole one in Storrs just last week.
The Huskies nearly ended that winning streak back on April 23, however, when the Huskies hosted the Minutewomen in Storrs. In that contest, the Huskies came back from a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth, taking a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning. But with the bases loaded, two outs, and a 2-2 count, UMass, center fielder Carly Normandin blasted Rachel Crossins pitch out of the yard for a grand slam, and all of a sudden the Minutewomen held a 6-3 lead.
The Huskies had life though. In the bottom of the seventh, Jillian Ortega pushed the fourth Huskies run across the plate after a walk, single and a fielders choice. The Huskies then had the bases loaded and only one out, but they could not sustain the rally and the game ended by a score of 6-4 in favor of the Minutewomen.
That gut wrenching loss will no doubt be on the softball team's mind when it takes the field this afternoon. Although the outcome of the game will not have any effect on the Huskies Big East Tournament resume, the Huskies know that they will need momentum going into this weekend. What better way to build some than by stealing a victory on the road from a team that stole one in Storrs just last week.
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