University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
ECU
No. 22 Huskies Split DH, Win Series vs. No 9 ECU
5/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
STORRS, Conn. - The No. 22 UConn baseball team split a doubleheader vs. No. 9 ECU to win the series at J.O. Christian Field on Friday. The Huskies lost game one, 6-3, and bounced back with a rubber game win, 4-2, in the series finale. UConn finishes the regular season at 32-18-1 and 14-10 in the American Conference.
Game 1
The Huskies fell behind early in game two of the series with the Pirates scoring the first five runs of the ballgame to make it 5-0 in the fifth.
UConn responded with back-to-back doubles from Conor Moriarty and John Toppa to lead off the inning. Zac Susi tacked on a run on an RBI ground out to get the Huskies back to within three, 5-2.
The Huskies could not hold down Bryant Packard who went 3-4 with a pair of home runs in the game.
Moriarty had a great game at the plate with three hits and drove in a run. It was the first three-hit effort for the UConn third baseman this season.
The bullpen was solid for the Huskies with senior Trevor Holmes tossing a scoreless inning and CJ Dandeneau firing two scoreless frames.
Coach Penders wraps up the Huskies series win against No. 9 ECU! #RollSkieshttps://t.co/o4qrDiv3q2
-- UConn Baseball (@UConnBSB) May 18, 2018
Game 2
Chase Gardner set the tone for the Huskies on the hill with five solid innings of work, earning his fourth win of the season. Gardner retired the first nine batters he faced and recorded six strikeouts his first time through the order. The left-hander struck out the side in the third.
The Huskies carried the momentum into the bottom half of the third with a two-out rally against Jake Agnos. After John Toppa singled and Woodworth worked a walk the Huskies capitalized with three-straight RBI singles. Zac Susi, Isaac Feldstein and Troy Stefanski made it 3-0 Huskies.
With his single, Zac Susi extended his reach base streak to 40 games this season.
Gardner finished his day on the hill with just three hits allowed, gave up one earned and tied a career-high with seven strikeouts.
Mike Woodworth added to the UConn lead with his third home run of the year, a solo shot that was smoked into the hedges in left field.
Up 4-1 in the sixth left-hander Tim Cate made his return to the mound for the first time since March 29 due to injury. The Manchester, Conn. native filled up the strike zone and logged two scoreless innings out of the pen to bridge the gap to UConn closer P.J. Poulin.
Poulin came on for the second-straight day and notched his 15th save of the season to set a new UConn single-season record. Poulin passed former teammate John Russell, who set the record last season with 14 saves.
Up next, the Huskies head to Clearwater, Fla. for the American Conference Championship. The Huskies will start on Wednesday, May 23 as either the two or three-seed.
Notes
The Huskies have won three-straight series against the Pirates (7-2), which included a pair of series wins when the Pirates were in the national polls.
Tim Cate threw two scoreless innings in his first appearance since March 29th due to injury.
UConn is now 6-2 against teams in the Top 25 of the national polls. The Huskies are 11-7 against Top-50 RPI teams this season.
UConn finished the season by winning six of its eight American Conference series (14-10).
UConn is 7-3 in doubleheaders this season.
