Softball

UCF,UConn, Houston and Memphis pick up wins on Saturday


 
UConn 1, Memphis 0 Box Score Recap
Memphis 8, UConn 2 Box Score Recap
Houston 3, USF 1 Box Score Reacp
UCF 2, 25/24 Tulsa 0 Box Score Recap


 After dropping Friday's series opener, UCF used stellar defense behind a confident pitching staff to post a 2-0 victory at No. 24 Tulsa on Saturday. Sophomore Cassady Brewer's two-run double in the third inning was the difference in the contest at Collins Softball Complex.

No play defensively was more important than the stop that senior shortstop Brittany Solis made to keep Tulsa off the board in the second inning. The West Hills, Calif., native dove to the left and made a strong throw from her knees to get the runner at first by a half-step, stranding a pair in scoring position.

The rubber match between UCF and Tulsa is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at  Collins Softball Complex.

Freshman pitcher Katie Koshes highlighted Saturday’s doubleheader split for the UConn softball team against Memphis, allowing just two runs in 12 innings of work at the Burrill Family Field.
 
The Huskies (17-29, 3-13 American) got a pair of strong starts from the Connecticut native, who racked up nine strikeouts on the day against the Tigers – resulting in a 1-0 win in the first game and an 8-2 defeat in the second.

Memphis scored a season-high six runs in the top of the seventh inning capped by a grand slam by Regan Hadley en route to the victory in game two.
 
Memphis moves to 27-26 on the year and 6-11 in American Athletic Conference play.

Houston defeated USF, 3-1, to even the series at 1-1 on Saturday afternoon at Cougar Softball Stadium.
 
With the win, the Cougars secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming 2017 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship being held May 11-13 at host East Carolina. The second-place finish under first-year Head Coach Kristin Vesely is the highest in program history as a member of The American.