University of Connecticut Athletics
West Virginia Takes A Pair From UConn In Baseball
4/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 28, 2001
Storrs, CT- A two run homer in the seventh by West Virginia's Tim McCabe in the first game and an sac bunt by Mike Frownfelter in game two would be all the Mountaineers would need in order to send the University of Connecticut baseball team sliding further down the BIG EAST standings as WVU came away with 6-4 and 2-1 victories Saturday afternoon at J.O. Christian Field in Storrs, CT. With the losses, Connecticut's overall and BIG EAST records both evened at 22-22 and 11-11, respectively, while West Virginia improved to 24-20 and 9-10 in the league.
Mike Mocerino (Fr., Northboro, MA) laid down a bunt in the second inning of the first game in order to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead when Joe Kagerer (Sr., Lebanon, CT) came across. West Virginia responded with three of its own in the top half of the third with a double down the left field line from Frownfelter, an RBI single from Eric Grimm and a sac fly from McCabe accounting for the runs.
After the Mountaineers tacked another on in the top of the fourth, UConn got back into the game when an error by shortstop Adrian Dorsey allowed Kagerer to score again before he lifted a sac fly to right to plate Mike Scott (Jr., Darien, CT) in the fifth to bring it to within one. One batter later, and Cy Hess (Jr., Oakdale, CT) tied it at four each when he singled to bring Jon Gorrie (Jr., Northboro, MA) around.
Both teams went scoreless in the next frame, before McCabe came to the plate with Frownfelter on first in the seventh.
For the Huskies, Patrick Sperone (Jr., Sicklerville, NJ) was issued the loss to go to 6-4 on the season and in doing so pitched his team-leading sixth complete game of the season, which ties him for the fifth most in a single season and has him along side Charles Nagy at eighth on the career list with 11. Sperone gave up eight hits and six runs (five earned), while walking one and striking out four. Shane Rhodes worked five for the Mountaineers, which checked in at 19th nationally this week in terms of team ERA with a 3.38. Rhodes allowed eight hits, four earned runs, while walking three and striking out one.
Game two was just as tight with West Virginia getting a run in the second on a fielders choice that brought in McCabe and UConn tying it in the sixth when Mike James (Fr., Roswell, GA) stole home. The seventh saw Frownfelter cap the scoring with Josh Cisneros representing the go-ahead run.
Connecticut's Chris DeBrisco (Sr., Stamford, CT) went all nine allowing just four hits and two runs (one earned),while striking out seven and walking no one. He fell to 3-4 on the year, while West Virginia's Vance McCracken went to 3-5. McCracken faced the minimum up until the sixth and finished allowing four hits, and one earned run, while walking and striking out one. Billy Biggs was credited with his sixth save of the season as he tossed the final three frames allowing only one hit and striking out five.
The two teams will meet tomorrow in the third game at noon.
West Virginia, 6 UConn, 4
West Virginia (23-20, 8-10) 003 100 2 - 6 9 1
Connecticut (22-21, 11-10) 010 120 0 - 4 8 3
Patrick Sperone and Mike Leonard. Shane Rhodes,
Billy Biggs (6) and Josh Cisneros. Win-Biggs (5-2).
Loss-Sperone (6-4).
E-Dorsey (WV), Kagerer (UC), Mocerino (UC). 2B-
Frownfelter (WV), Cisneros (WV), Kagerer (UC). HR-
McCabe (WV). SB-Kagerer (UC).
LOB - UConn-6, WVU-5
West Virginia, 2, UConn, 1
West Virginia (24-20, 9-10) 010 000 100 - 2 4 2
Connecticut (22-22, 11-11) 000 001 000- 1 5 2
Chris DeBrisco and Mike James. Vance
McCracken, Billy Biggs (7) and Josh Cisneros. Win-
McCracken (3-5), Loss-DeBrisco (3-5), Save-Biggs
(6). E-Clinton (WV), Cisneros (WV), Mocerino (UC),
Tisbert (UC). 2B-Trubia (UC). SB-James (UC).
LOB-UConn-4, WVU-7
DP-WV-3
