University of Connecticut Athletics
Baseball Splits Doubleheader with Rutgers
4/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (April 23, 2005) – The University of Connecticut baseball team split a doubleheader with Rutgers on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, N.J. The Huskies fell 3-2 in 10 innings in game one, but then snapped a five-game BIG EAST losing streak with a 7-6 win over the Scarlet Knights in the second game. UConn is now 23-17 overall with a 5-8 mark in conference games. Rutgers is 21-15 with an 8-6 BIG EAST record.
The Huskies stranded five runners through the first three innings of game one, but got a runner over in the top of the fourth when sophomore Josh Farkes (Boston, Mass.) scored while classmate Matt Untiet (Berlin, Conn.) was in a run down between first and second. Untiet was tagged for the third out of the inning, but Farkes scored the run before the out to put UConn up 1-0.
Rutgers responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run homerun by David Williams to quickly take a 2-1 lead.
The Huskies tied up the game in the top of the sixth inning as freshman Vin DiFazio (Hampton, N.J.) led off inning with single up the middle, followed by Farkes hitting a bloop single to shallow right. The two moved into scoring position on Dennis Donovan’s (Center Moriches, N.Y.) second sac bunt of the game. DiFazio then came home on a ground out by sophomore Larry Day (Amesbury, Mass.) to tie the score at 2-2.
The game remained tied at 2-2 at the end of seven to extend into extra innings. The Scarlet Knights threatened in the bottom of the eighth, stranding two runners in scoring position. With one out, Williams doubled to right-center field sending Cory Rodriguez peeling around the bases from first. Farkes fielded the ball at the wall, sending it in to the cut-off man Austin Wasserman (Nashua, N.H.) at second. He then turned and relayed it to Day who set in time to tag Rodriguez out at home. After walking the next batter, freshman David Erickson (Stratford, Conn.) stuck out pinch-hitter Steve Hook to hold Rutgers scoreless and continue the game.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Rutgers was able to manufacture a run to take the win. Colin Gaynor led off the inning for the Scarlet Knights with an infield single. After a sac bunt and wild pitch, he eventually came around to score the game-winning run on a sac fly by Rodriguez.
Sophomore starter Rich Sirois (Ipswich, Mass.) pitched well in the first game, throwing six innings with two runs on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts. He left the game after six without a decision, and Erickson came in to pitch the remaining innings of the game. The freshman registered the loss to move to 0-1 this season; he threw 3.2 innings with one run on five hits, one walk and two strikeouts.
In the second game, UConn got up to an early 4-1 lead scoring four runs in the top of the second inning. DiFazio and Farkes both singled to get one base. Then, with one out, junior Steven Malinowski (Kensington, Conn.) hit a double to left-center to empty the bases and put UConn on top, 2-1. The lead was then extended when Wasserman doubled down the right line to score Malinowski. D’Argento the brought home the Huskies last run of the inning with a single up the middle.
The UConn lead was brief though as the Scarlet Knights answered with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead at 5-4. Rutgers then added another run in the fourth to increase the score to 6-4.
The Huskies battled back to tie the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Hourigan knocked a ground-rule double to bring home D’Argento in the fifth. Malinowski then doubled to right-center in the sixth and proceeded to score on two wild pitches by Rutger’s hurler Sean Spicer to knot the game at 6-6.
In the seventh inning, UConn produced what would the winning run on two more two-baggers. With one out, Hourigan blasted a double to straight-away center to get in scoring position. Farkes then knocked a double that trickled down the left line to score Hourigan and give the Huskies a 7-6 lead.
Three UConn pitchers combined to hold Rutgers scoreless after the fourth inning. Junior Joshua MacDonald (Milford, Conn.) made an early relief appearance for classmate Tim Norton (Pascoag, R.I.) in the second inning. MacDonald pitched five innings with one run on three hits, two walks and a strikeout. Fellow junior Joe Smeraglino (Shelton, Conn.) entered with the game tied at 6-6 and hurled 2.1 shutout innings with two hits and a strikeout. Smeraglino moved to 3-0 this season with the win. Sophomore Ted Garry (Rochester, Minn.) got the final out of the game to register his fourth save of the season.
Both teams notched nine hits in the first game, but UConn out-hit Rutgers in the second contest 13-10 with eight doubles. On the day, Farkes went 5-for-9 with two runs and an RBI, while Hourigan was 4-for-10, scoring one run with an RBI. In the second game, Malinowski was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two batted in.
Connecticut will face Rutgers in the rubber game of the series on Sunday, April 24 at 12:00 p.m. in Piscataway, N.J.
