University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn holds on to down Sacred Heart 7-4
5/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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STORRS, CT (May 1) – Despite getting out-hit 13-11 for the game, the University of Connecticut baseball team held the advantage in the scoring column and downed Sacred Heart 7-4 Wednesday afternoon at J.O. Christian Field.
UConn improved to 25-17-0 overall and has won its last four games. Sacred Heart fell to 17-24-0 on the season.
The first inning produced five of the game’s 11 runs, with three going to Sacred Heart in the top half of the frame. The Pioneers’ Jamie Schilkowski doubled off UConn starter Erik Drown (Ipswich, MA) to bring home the first run. After an error by Drown let another run score, Schilkowski scored on a fielder’s choice to give Sacred Heart the 3-0 lead.
The Huskies answered right back with the top half of their order. Senior Jon Gorrie (Northboro, MA) singled to start the frame and then stole second, one of three steals for the leadoff man on the day. Classmate Cy Hess (Oakdale, CT) brought Gorrie around with a single through the right side and advanced to second on an error by the right fielder. A single down the left field line by junior Brett Burnham (South Windsor, CT) then plated Hess and pulled the Huskies to within a run.
Connecticut got out of a jam in the third after back-to-back singles gave Sacred Heart runners at first and second with no outs. Burnham took a ground ball and went to third for the first out, and a line drive by Rob Andrews to center was snapped up by Hess and gunned to second for an inning-ending double play. UConn then tied things up in the bottom half of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Hess that scored senior Mike Tripaldi (Groton, MA), who singled to start the inning.
The Huskies took a two-run lead in the fifth on RBI singles by Gorrie and Hess, though Drown ran into trouble again in the sixth. After getting the first batter to ground out, Drown allowed Matt Nemeth and Mike Delpape to reach on singles before being replaced by junior Bob Barton (Carlisle, MA). Barton got the next batter to ground to second, though UConn barely missed turning a double play to end the threat. With runners on the corners and two outs, Bill Eller pulled a ball down the third base line that looked as if it would get into left field. Junior Dan Trubia (Tolland, CT), however, dove to his right to make the backhanded stop and fired over to first for the out.
Sacred Heart would get another run in the seventh to make it 5-4, though RBI singles by Gorrie in the bottom half and junior Tyler Stefkovich (Westport, CT) in the eighth gave UConn a 7-4 lead heading into the ninth. Sophomore Mike James (Roswell, GA) came on to close out the game and struck out three batters in the ninth, though he did walk two to bring the potential tying run to the plate.
Drown picked up the win to improve to 5-2 on the season and allowed three runs on 10 hits while striking out four and walking three. Barton worked 2.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits while striking out three. Sacred Heart’s Adam Dinihanian took the loss and dropped to 0-1. He worked 6.1 innings and allowed six runs on nine hits while striking out a pair.
Connecticut will host Central Connecticut on Thursday, May 2, at J.O. Christian Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E SHU 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 13 2 UConn 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 X 7 11 1Win: Drown (5-2).
Loss: Dinihanian (0-1).
Save: James (8).
E: SH Buswell, Lewsey; UC Drown.
DP: UC 3.
LOB: SH 14; UC 4.
2B: SH Schilkowski.
HBP: SH Lemanczyk; UC Burnham, Stefkovich.
SH: UC Leonard, Tripaldi 2.
SF: UC Hess.
SB: UC Gorrie 3, Soteropoulos, Tripaldi.
CS: UC Hess, Leonard.
Batteries: SH Adam Dinihanian (6.1), Mike Buswell (1.2) and Matt Nemeth; UC Erik Drown (5.1), Bob Barton (2.2), Mike James (1) and Mike Leonard.
