UConn Baseball Weekend Recap: Puerto Rico Challege
A season that began with talk of lofty goals, namely getting to Omaha, got a harsh dose of reality in Caguas, PR, as the Huskies were swept in their opening series in the inaugural Puerto Rico Challenge. They will look to get going next weekend in Boca Raton, taking on Florida Atlantic in a three-game set.
Game One: Stetson (10-6)
The Hatters got off to a hot start, hitting Husky starter Gabe Van Emon for five runs in 2.2 innings in the season-opening victory. UConn took a 6-5 lead after plating six in the 5th inning, aided by back-to-back wild pitches with runners on 3rd and a Bryan Padilla RBI single, as well as JUCO transfer Grant MacArthur. Freshman lefty Cayden Suchy worked himself into trouble in the 7th, walking in the tying run. Then, the Hatters took the lead on a two-single hit by Salvador Alvarez off Greg Shaw, who came in on relief of Suchy, which they wouldn’t relinquish. Stetson, a 40-win team from last season, finished the regular season 97th in RPI and are the favorites to win the ASUN again this year.
Game Two: Missouri (11-7)
Missouri struck first on a Kayden Peer shot to left that Husky LF Aidan Dougherty couldn’t haul in, driving in a run in the 2nd. The Huskies would get two on the board in the 3rd, as Tigers starter Daniel Wissler walked in a run, followed by a Maddix Dalena SAC fly to right. In the bottom of the 3rd, Missouri tied it back up on another Peer RBI, this time a single through the left side after falling behind in the count 0-2 with two outs. The Tigers would retake the lead in the bottom of the 5th with a two-run shot by Jackson Lovich. UConn would get one back in the next frame, with Ryan Daniels hitting the first Husky HR of the year to right.
Memphis transfer Cameron Benson started off the bottom of the 6th, reaching 3rd on an error on the catch by UConn RF Sam Biller. Then, freshman Trey Lawrence reached on a walk and stolen base, giving Missouri runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Peyton Blaser singled in Benson. The nightmare inning continued with another RBI single, followed by a balk by reliever Evan Hamberger. A Mateo Serna 3-run HR gave Missouri a 10-3 lead with still no outs, and the wheels looked to be off. Charlie West came on in relief and finally got three outs.
UConn clawed back some runs in the 7th, with back-to-back doubles by Biller and Caleb Shpur getting two runs across. Then, a two-run double by Bryan Padilla cut the lead to 10-7. A pitching change squashed the rest of the rally, and the Huskies headed to the 7th inning stretch down three. UConn went down 1-2-3 in the 8th, and Missouri tacked on one more in the 8th on a SAC fly. The Huskies were unable to plate any runs in the 9th, and the Tigers won 11-7. Missouri finished 102nd in RPI, with a 23-32 record.
Game Three: Penn State (7-6)
For the third day in a row, the Huskies fell into a hole they just couldn’t dig out of, allowing the first five runs of the game to the Nittany Lions. Penn State took the lead on the second batter of the game, a solo shot to center by Ryan Weingartner, and then they extended a 2-0 lead later on a three-run homer by Joe Jaconski, all unearned, which gave Penn State a 5-0 lead. UConn would get one back in the 4th, an unearned run allowing Biller to score, but the Nittany Lions would get it back in the next frame on an RBI double by Jack Porter.
Penn State starter Ryan DeSanto, a big lefty junior, threw four no-hit innings, striking out six and walking two. UConn would grab three hits off the reliever Skip Shenosky, including a run in the 6th. Penn State would load the bases in the 8th, and a fielder’s choice brought in a run. That would be the only run Penn State would get across, as a HBP seemed to bring in another, but Jim Penders pled his case, and it was determined that the batter had leaned into the pitch, wiping that run off the board. It was 7-2 heading into the bottom of the 8th. Daniels drove in a run with two outs, cutting the lead to 7-3, which would end up being the final score.
Things got interesting in the 9th, however. Rob Rispoli led off with a single, followed by a Shpur double. Biller walked, loading the bases with no outs. MacArthur singled to right, driving in two runs but was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double. With Biller on 3rd, Dalena finally broke through with a double down the RF line, cutting the deficit to one, with the tying run in scoring position. Padilla struck out, then Daniels came to bat—exactly who the Huskies would want in this position—but he flew out to CF, ending the comeback.
Husky starter Thomas Ellisen allowed five runs, just one earned, through two innings of work. Only Ian Cooke on Saturday made it out of the third inning, going 4.1 innings—a rough weekend, indeed.
Penn State finished last season 99th in RPI, with a 29-24 record.
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