2008 Woodie Awards
Three Out Of Four Ain't Bad
Softball: Huskies Sweep St. John's, Split With Seton Hall
Chris Brodeur
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: Sports
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UConn (18-16, 7-3 Big East) swept St. John's (15-26, 2-10) on Saturday, winning the first game 6-5 on a walk-off single by Micah Truax, followed by a 5-1 win in game two on the strength of a dominant pitching performance from Rachael Crossin. The Huskies rallied to beat Seton Hall 3-2 on Sunday with Tricia Sullivan turning in a strong effort on the hill, but they were unable to complete the four-game sweep when the Pirates (17-22, 4-10) drew a split with a 10-3 win in the second contest.
"Overall it was a very solid weekend," said head coach Karen Mullins. "I really liked what I saw, we competed hard, we're hitting the ball well right now, and we're getting some solid pitching and defense. We're in the flow and we really want to stay in it."
A long list of players contributed offensively for a balanced output for UConn, but it was a pair of outfielders who set themselves apart with their bats. Rightfielder Sarah Neuschwander went 5-for-11 with a home run and four RBI over the four games and Truax added seven hits in 12 trips to the plate with a homer and 3 RBI of her own to raise her batting average in Big East play to an astonishing .516.
"Both of them are having good at-bats and taking some quality swings for us," Mullins said. "This is the time of year where we're into the meat of our conference schedule, and it's good to see kids getting hot at this time."
Neuschwander repeatedly delivered in the clutch for the Huskies. In the opening game with St. John's, with her team trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the third, she pounced on the first offering from a new pitcher and crushed it for a two-run homer to close the deficit to one. In the bottom of the fifth inning of game one against Seton Hall, she singled home Jill Ortega with what turned out to be the game-winning run.
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