University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Rhode Island
Softball Picks Up 8-0 Shutout at URI on Thursday
4/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
FINAL: #UConn 8, URI 0. The Huskies pick up their first shutout of the year and have won two straight! #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/hd1dksQhux
- UConn Softball (@UConnSoftball) April 9, 2015
KINGSTON, R.I. -- After picking up its first conference win of the season on Saturday against USF, the University of Connecticut softball team continued its strong stretch of play with an 8-0 six-inning victory at Rhode Island on Thursday, April 9 at the URI Softball Stadium in Kingston, R.I. With the win, UConn improves to 12-22, while the Rams drop to 1-24.
Senior righty Lauren Duggan (7-9) picked up her team-leading seventh win with a stellar five-inning effort in which she allowed just one hit. Andrea Chiaradio was tagged with the loss for the Rams after surrendering six earned runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings of work.
The Huskies broke through in the top of the second after going in order in the first. Following Alyson Ambler's inning-opening double, sophomore Dominique Pinto stepped to the dish and blasted her team-leading fourth home run of the season to left field to give UConn an early 2-0 edge. Jacklyn Dubois followed up with a single and came around to score when Alyssa Gardea ripped an RBI single up to the middle.
Connecticut tacked on three more in the third inning courtesy of a two-run double off the bat of senior captain Emily O'Donnell. With two down, O'Donnell advanced to third on a wild pitch and scampered home to push the Husky lead to 6-0 when Pinto took a walk and the ball squirted back to the backstop.
The team nearly added to its total in the fifth when Heather Fyfe and Emma Stanley led the frame off with back-to-back singles but a nifty 6-4-3 double played quickly eliminated the Husky threat and kept the score at 6-0.
O'Donnell continued her strong afternoon with her second-straight RBI double, this time plating Taylor Townsend, who singled to open the inning. Back-to-back hits from Ambler and Pinto loaded them bases for Dubois, who reached on an error as O'Donnell darted home.
Ambler finished the game 3-for-3 at the dish, while O'Donnell went 3-for-4 in the win. In total, five Huskies notched multiple-hit games.
The squad has now won two-straight after picking up its first conference win of the season against USF on Saturday.
The Huskies continue conference play with a three-game set against Memphis on April 11-12. First pitch in Saturday's doubleheader is set for 12 p.m. at Burrill Family Field in Storrs.
