The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Dan Gindraux Micah Truax needs one home run to make history for Huskies, but has been slumping at the plate as of late.

After splitting a doubleheader with Providence Saturday in its conference opener, the softball team returns home for a pair of rivalry games this week against Central Connecticut State and Boston College.

UConn (11-11, 1-1 Big East) had won five straight games before dropping the front end of their match-up with the Friars 6-0. The Huskies bounced back in game two, winning by the same score, as junior Rachael Crossin (4-6, 2.20 ERA) extended her scoreless innings streak to 19 with her third consecutive complete game shutout.

"It was a good split on the road under very cold conditions," said head coach Karen Mullins. "It took us awhile to get in a flow and get uncorked offensively but we played good 'D' in both games and Rachael pitched a real solid game for us. She's been consistent."

UConn's other key pitcher, Tricia Sullivan, took the loss in the early game in her first start since March 12. Sullivan, who is 6-5 with a 2.64 ERA, had missed the previous week-and-a-half of play with a concussion and is seeking to regain the form that made her the team's unquestioned ace earlier this season.

"They hit Tricia pretty well," said Mullins. "She hasn't been as sharp as we've seen her but she also hadn't practiced since Friday."

With a balanced line-up and an ever-growing list of contributors at the plate, Mullins relies on the pair of Sullivan and Crossin to provide a constant for the Huskies with their steady work on the mound. They've been a major factor in the team's recent turnaround, accounting for a combined five shutouts over their last eight outings.

"I always preach pitching and defense," Mullins said. "Hitting is a contagious thing. You never know, sometimes you hit everything and sometimes you can't buy a hit."

When UConn's been able to come down with some of that hitting, it's common for it to come off the bat of freshman sensation Melissa Lucas who leads the team with a .371 batting average and is tied for the most home runs (three) and RBI (12). She has shouldered the slugging duties with junior Micah Truax's average dipping below the .200-mark following a Big East Player of the Year campaign a year ago. Truax needs one homerun to stand alone atop the school's all-time list with 21, but has just 12 hits in 65 at-bats in 2008.

Today's meeting with Central Connecticut State (6-9, 1-3 NEC) is the first of two visits from the in-state rivals slated for '08, with the next one coming on April 22. A 6-29 Blu Devil club stunned UConn last April, and Mullins acknowledged the seriousness with which her team needs to approach the Blue Devils.

"We'll look to stay sharp against them," said Mullins. "It's been a strong rivalry through the years and we can't afford to look past them, they're a competitive team."

Wednesday brings former conference foe Boston College (19-17, 2-4 ACC) to the Connecticut Softball Stadium, a team Mullins sees as "maybe more of a rivalry now that they've left the Big East."

The Eagles have won nine of their last 11 and rely on the strong pitching of sophomore Taylor Peyton (11-6, 2.24) along with a balanced offensive attack similar to UConn's.



Contact Chris Brodeur at

Christopher.Brodeur@UConn.edu.

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