The UConn softball team defeated McNeese State, 5-1, on May 16 to secure its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2001. The win allows the Huskies to advance in the loser’s bracket of the College Station Regional and sets up a matchup against Texas A&M later that evening.
This victory is significant for UConn as it marks a milestone not achieved in over two decades. The team has been working toward postseason success, and this result keeps their season alive with another opportunity ahead.
Graduate pitcher Jessica Walter started for UConn with the season at stake. Walter limited McNeese State to one hit, pitching her third complete game of the year and throwing a season-high 144 pitches. She left ten runners stranded on base and earned her ninth win of the season.
The game remained scoreless through three innings before UConn’s offense broke through in the fourth. Cat Petteys led off with her twentieth home run of the year, setting a new program record for career home runs at thirty-five. Bella Cruz followed later in the inning with a two-out double that scored two more runs for UConn. In total, Petteys hit two home runs during the game—her fourth multi-homer performance this season—and tied the single-season program record with twenty-one homers.
McNeese State managed to break up Walter’s no-hit bid in the sixth inning with a solo home run but could not close the gap further despite loading the bases in their final at-bat. Cruz recorded her third multi-RBI game of this campaign as part of an offensive effort that included five extra-base hits by UConn.
This win represents progress for UConn softball as they continue their postseason journey after years without an NCAA Tournament victory.
