University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
38-24
University of Nebraska
32-24
Huskies Force Winner-Take-All Regional Final
6/3/2019 12:58:00 AM | Baseball
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OKLAHOMA CITY – The UConn baseball had a doubleheader to remember on Sunday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark with a 16-1 elimination game victory against Nebraska during the afternoon and followed it up with a 5-2 win against No. 9 Oklahoma State.
The Huskies (39-24) have forced a winner-take-all game at 7:06 p.m. ET on Monday night. The winner advances to the Super Regionals in Lubbock, Texas against No. 8 Texas Tech.
Game 1 Recap
UConn received a career-best performance from right-hander Colby Dunlop, who tossed a career-high 8.0 innings of work to earn his team-leading seventh win of the season. The sophomore went through a stretch of retiring 11 Cornhuskers in a row.
The stretch began with a game-changing 6-4-3 double play that got Dunlop and the Huskies out of trouble. UConn was leading 3-1 in the fourth inning with runners at the corners and one out for Nebraska. Dunlop was able to get Roskam to ground into the twin-killer to get the momentum back into the UConn dugout.
The bats did the rest of the work for the Huskies, banging out a season-high 22 hits and plating 16 runs. UConn put the game away with a four-run eighth and plated seven runs in the ninth.
Mike Woodworth began the first player since Troy Stefanski, in the NCAA Conway Regional in 2018 against Washington, to record a five-hit effort. The Alameda, Calif. native scored three runs and drove in three for the Huskies.
Six Huskies recorded multi-hit efforts in the victory, including three-hit games for Christian Fedko and Anthony Prato.
Game 2 Recap
UConn had to rebound quickly after its 16-1 win against Nebraska and face off against No. 9 Oklahoma State. In front of 4296, the Huskies knocked off the Cowboys on the strength on seven shutout innings from the three-headed monster out of the UConn bullpen.
The Huskies quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first two innings on the strength of three sacrifice flies.
With the Cowboys making noise in the third inning, the Huskies called on their redshirt freshman Caleb Wurster. The left hander was able to limit the damage in the frame by keeping the Huskies ahead, 3-2.
Catcher Thad Phillips made a great heads up play to end the frame after a strikeout wild pitch. Phillips faked a throw to first and caught the lead runner coming around third to end the threat.
Wurster earned the victory with 3.0 innings of work, allowing just three hits and struck out four. It was the 35th appearance for Wurster this season, breaking the single-season record for appearances in a season at UConn. The lefty passed a former UConn lefthander, David Mahoney, who posted 34 appearances in 2013.
CJ Dandeneau took the baton from Wurster in the sixth after a leadoff single. The redshirt senior pitched 1.2 innings, allowing just one hit and struck out three.
With the tying run on second and two outs in the seventh, the Huskies called on their National Pitcher of the Year Finalist and All-American Jake Wallace to try and lock down a seven-out save.
The right-hander followed with an unbelievable performance that featured Wallace striking out all seven batters that he faced to secure his 16th save of the year. Wallace tied his former teammate, P.J. Poulin, for the UConn single-season record with the save on Sunday night.
Anthony Prato provided some much-needed insurance in the seventh, with a two-run dinger to left field to make it 5-2 'Skies. It was the third home run of the year for the Staten Island native and second in the NCAA Tournament in the junior's career.
Notes
- The Huskies move to 10-4 against Power Five Conference teams this season.
- UConn is 3-1 against Top-10 teams in 2019.
- UConn struck out a season-high 17 batters in the victory against Oklahoma State.
- The Huskies have reached their second-straight Regional Final and are seeking their second trip to the Super Regionals in program history.
- Jake Wallace recorded a career-high seven strikeouts in 2.1 innings of work.
- UConn is 3-0 in NCAA elimination games this weekend and 10-5 in those contests since 2010.
- The Huskies are 66-155 (.425) at the plate in the Oklahoma City Regional.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dunlop, Colby (7-4)
L: Eddins, R. (6-4)
Batting:
2B: Toppa, John 1 ; Prato, Anthony 1 ; Woodworth, Michael 1 ; Winkel, Pat 1
3B: Phillips, Thad 1
HR: Fedko, Kyler 1
RBI: Prato, Anthony 1 ; Woodworth, Michael 3 ; Winkel, Pat 2 ; Langer, David 1 ; Fedko, Christian 2 ; Nucerino, Anthony 1 ; Fedko, Kyler 1 ; Chiovitti, Michael 2 ; Winkel, Chris 1 ; Brodnansky, Cole 1
SH: Fedko, Christian 1
SF: Brodnansky, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Toppa, John 3 ; Prato, Anthony 2 ; Woodworth, Michael 3 ; Moriarty, Conor 1 ; Langer, David 1 ; Fedko, Christian 1 ; Maycock, Ben 1 ; Fedko, Kyler 1 ; Phillips, Thad 1 ; Winkel, Chris 2
SB: Toppa, John 1 ; Woodworth, Michael 1
CS: Woodworth, Michael 1
HBP: Maycock, Ben 1
Batting:
RBI: Altavilla, A 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Palensky, A. 1
