The University of Connecticut softball team defeated Butler 12-1 in the BIG EAST semifinal on May 8, advancing to the conference championship game for the second consecutive season. The game took place at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
The Huskies’ victory marks their fourth appearance in the BIG EAST Championship game in five years under head coach Laura Valentino. With this win, UConn has also reached at least 30 wins for five straight seasons.
Graduate Jessica Walter started for UConn before freshman Caprice Bohmer came on in relief and pitched four scoreless innings with six strikeouts, earning her team-leading thirteenth win of the season. After three scoreless innings, UConn scored five runs in the fourth inning and continued to add runs throughout the game. Emma Willers hit two home runs—including a grand slam—going four-for-four with a career-high six runs batted in and tying a tournament single-game record by scoring three times.
Other key contributors included Ava Calciano, who had back-to-back multi-RBI games at the tournament; Kaitlyn Kibling, who extended her on-base streak to 23 games and broke a program record for walks; and Caylee De Meo, who recorded her fourth multi-RBI game this season. Amber Bretton closed out the win as relief pitcher.
UConn will play Creighton for the BIG EAST Championship on Saturday, May 9 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at Parkway Bank Sports Complex. The championship will be streamed live on ESPN+.
