UConn Baseball Defeats Central Connecticut

In its first game in the Northeast, UConn Baseball got the 7-5 win over Central Connecticut on Tuesday at CCSU Baseball Field.

The Huskies took an early lead, but they were unable to add to it before the eighth, allowing the Blue Devils to stay in the game and tie it late.

“We had to [score late runs],” head coach Jim Penders said “And that’s the problem. The last couple weeks we just haven’t played good baseball. Eventually, it’s going to catch up.”

As is typical for mid-week games, it was a staff day on the mound for the Huskies. Eight pitchers combined to allow five runs on 11 hits, striking out nine and walking seven.

Isaac Feldstein played hero for the Huskies, hitting 2-for-5 with the two RBI that decided the game.

The Huskies were held quiet early, but they broke out for three runs on four hits in the third inning with a two-RBI double from shortstop Anthony Prato opening the scoring.

Third baseman Willy Yahn took a walk and combined with Prato for a double steal to put runners on second and third with nobody out for catcher Zac Susi.

Susi hit a rope down the first base line, but Ron Jackson laid out and made a spectacular play at first. He doubled off Yahn at second and Prato was almost tripled off, but Nick Garland couldn’t hold on to the throw at the plate and the score was 3-0.

Central Connecticut did a good job of getting on base but left 10 runners on through the first five innings before striking for a pair of runs in the sixth.

“We have to start making plays and making it easier on ourselves,” Penders said.

Jake Wallace allowed a single before two walks loaded the bases. He was lifted in favor of Doug Domnarski and a two-run single by Dean Lockery cut the Blue Devils’ deficit to one run.

The Huskies got two insurance runs in the seventh to bring their lead back to three.

Yahn hit a deep fly ball to center field with runners on the corners to plate second baseman Jack Lambrecht and Susi hit an RBI double down the right-field line for a 5-2 advantage.

Central Connecticut tied the game up in the eighth on a three-run home run by Ryan Costello, but the Huskies regained the lead in the following half inning.

Isaac Feldstein came to the plate with the bases full of UConn runners. He blooped a single to center between three converging Blue Devils and after Lambrecht and Yahn came across, UConn had a 7-5 lead.

“Because they walked Susi, I knew they were going to attack me,” Feldstein said. “I put a swing on it. I didn’t get great contact on it but it was enough to get into center field for the hit.”

John Russell held the Blue Devils scoreless in the bottom of the ninth for his sixth save of the season.

UConn (10-8) will play a three-game set this weekend against Seton Hall. The games were scheduled for J.O. Christian Field but were moved to Seton Hall due to the snow. Friday’s game will have a 3 p.m. first pitch.