The term “home-field advantage” is often thrown around in sports to illustrate a team’s dominance on its own turf. For the Massachusetts softball team, Sortino Field has proven to be a fortress this season, a trend which continued on Tuesday as the Minutewomen defeated Connecticut 11-0 to win their fifth game in a row and push their record to 8-14.

This time around, it was a seven-run first inning that propelled UMass to a dominant victory over the Huskies in just five innings. Minutewoman coach Kristi Stefanoni said it makes her extremely proud seeing her team perform so well, especially at Sortino Field.

“It makes me happy and helps me sleep at night,” she said. “I think it’s great for these guys. They’ve been working their tails off and are still healing from the past year, so it’s nice to see they come alive and have fun.”

Over the past week, the Minutewomen have certainly been having fun, as they outscored their opponents 34-8 during their five-game winning streak, which included doubleheader sweeps over Yale and Dayton. Senior outfielder Lindsey Webster, who has boosted her batting average to .333 for the season, is looking to continue this winning streak and carry it into conference play.

“It feels amazing,” Webster said after recording two hits and three RBIs in the win over the Huskies.

“We’re looking for 10 in a row, 15 in a row, and really carrying this momentum into (the Atlantic 10 Tournament),” she said.

Being away from Amherst has not been pleasant for UMass. It’s compiled an 0-4 record on the road and a 3-10 record at neutral sites. Stefanoni acknowledged the importance of taking care of business at home these past five games, especially with the team set to play its next eight games on the road.

“If anything, this past week has built momentum and given this team confidence moving forward,” she said. “They know that we’re gonna be on the road for two weeks and every place that we play at it’s gonna be tough. Coming off five wins, especially at home, is only gonna help boost our confidence.”

Like Stefanoni, Webster believes that this five-game stretch at home was a major confidence builder, and knows how important it is to make their home field one in which opponents fear playing at.

“It’s so nice to be at home on our field in front of our crowds,” she said. “It’s such a comfort being on Sortino Field, and we are blessed every single time we are here. Hopefully this stretch is just the beginning as we look to keep going and increase our winning streak.”
Besides exploding for 34 runs during the streak, the pitching duo of senior Caroline Raymond and freshman Tara Klee has stepped up. Raymond has won her past three outings, most recently pitching three flawless innings versus UConn while striking out five of the nine batters she faced. On the other hand, Klee won her first two games of the season, recording victories over Yale and Dayton.

With this five-game home stretch in the books, the Minutewomen will look to continue their streak, starting with a road contest versus Boston College on Wednesday.

            Jason Kates can be reached at [email protected].