University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Florida
UConn Falls In Extras At Florida, 1-0
3/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 7, 2014
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The UConn baseball team and the Florida Gators went 11 innings without a run before an 11th-inning walk-off single gave UF a 1-0 victory on Friday night at McKethan Stadium at Perry Field. The loss drops the Huskies to 4-6 on the year, while the Gators move to 8-6.
Jordan Tabakman (Pompton Plains, N.J.) got the start for UConn and didn't allow a run in 6.2 innings. Tabakman scattered five hits on the night, striking out three and walking three. Logan Shore made the start for Florida and was equally effective, tossing seven shutout innings and allowing two hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Vinny Siena (Woodbridge, Conn.) was the only Husky with multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-5 at the dish. The Huskies finished the day with six hits, while the Gators rapped out nine in a pitcher's duel.
Both teams threatened in their respective halves of the first inning, putting runners on the corners with two away, but Tabakman and Shore worked around each jam.
Both pitchers cruised through the game's middle innings, with neither allowing more than a hit in an inning through six. The Gators put a pair on in the top of the seventh, with David Mahoney (Colchester, Conn.) relieving Tabakman with two away. The lefty worked out of a bases loaded jam by inducing a flyout to keep the game scoreless.
Patrick Ruotolo (Peabody, Mass.) entered for Mahoney in the eighth, and worked around a leadoff double by picking up a groundout and a pair of strikeouts. The Huskies put two on in the top of the ninth with one away, but the Gators got a double play ball to escape. Ruotolo (1-1) returned the favor by inducing a double play in the bottom of the ninth, before sending it to extra innings with a strikeout.
UConn threatened in the 10th after Max McDowell (North Huntingdon, Pa.) doubled with one-out, but Florida got out of the jam by thwarting a double steal attempt at home plate. The Gators finally scratched across the game's lone run in the bottom of the 11th, with Casey Turgeon plating Josh Tobias via a walk-off single.
The Huskies and Gators continue their weekend series tomorrow afternoon with a 3 p.m. start in Gainesville. Anthony Marzi (Berlin, Conn.) will toe the rubber for UConn against Florida's A.J. Puk.
Game Notes
- Jordan Tabkman turned in his best start of the season, not allowing a run for the first time in four starts.
- Vinny Siena's eighth inning single extended his hitting streak to 15 games, dating back to last season. He has hit safely in all 10 games this year and has reached base in 21 consecutive contests.
- UConn has now played extra innings in four of its 10 games this season. Tonight was the first such game to go past 10 innings.
- Blake Davey was hit by a pitch three times in the contest.
