No Picnic For These Brown Bears

The softball team coasted to a 7-3 non-conference victory over Brown at the Connecticut Softball Stadium yesterday.

The Huskies struck for their first run in the bottom of the first inning as catcher Danielle Del Ponte doubled home Justyne Roy, who had also reached with a two-bagger.

The Bears (6-20) answered with a run off starter Tricia Sullivan in the top half of the second, but that was the closest they would get for the remainder of the contest.

The bats exploded for UConn in response to Brown's only real offensive flurry in the early going, beginning with the bottom of the third. Senior Allie Gendron ripped a two-run single up the middle to bring juniors Jill Ortega and Micah Truax around.

The hitting display continued into the fourth, with Roy adding an RBI single, Del Ponte connecting on another double down the right field line to score a run and Sarah Neuschwander adding to her team-lead in RBI's with a two-run single bringing her total to 27

When the middle innings came to a close, six runs had come across for the Huskies (20-16), which was all they would need to hold off their guests.

"We're on a roll with hitting," said head coach Karen Mullins. "It was a little bit of a slow start, we had a couple of opportunities, but in the third, we really started making good decisions and hitting the ball hard."

The win was UConn's fifth in its last six games and as the stretch run approaches, Mullins likes the current track her team is on.

"Momentum is a big part of the game," Mullins said. "I feel like we're on a little bit of a roll and hopefully we can keep it going into the weekend."

Del Ponte is a field general for the Huskies, removing her mask and dispensing orders after every out to position the infielders and prep them for every situation they might face.

"My coaches put a lot of pressure on me and expect me to keep everybody up, especially the pitchers, and its something I feel like I need to be doing," Del Ponte said.

The junior attributes the team's recent string of victories to the cohesiveness ever present in their dugout.

"We're a unit right now," Del Ponte said. "No one's selfish and we're just going out there and playing as a team. If one person makes a mistake, someone's right there to pick them back up."

Del Ponte finished 3-for-3 on the game, picking up her third double in the sixth. She's become a reliable offensive option this season in addition to her leadership duties behind the plate. She's now batting .356 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI's.

"I'm seeing the ball real well right now," said Del Ponte. "I haven't changed anything, I've been getting some good cuts in and things are starting to fall for me."

Senior Kristina Tolles earned the win for UConn, her second on the season, after Sullivan was removed prior to the fourth inning to rest up for the weekend. UConn plays a pair of doubleheaders against DePaul and Notre Dame. The two clubs are tied for third in the Big East with the Huskies.

Contact Chris Brodeur at

Chris.Brodeur@UConn.edu.