UConn Baseball Wins Game 3 to Clinch Series Against Cincinnati

UConn Baseball got a big win on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bearcats, 3-2, at J.O. Christian field.

“It was a very frustrating ninth inning, but we found a way to win,” head coach Jim Penders said after the game.

Left fielder John Toppa was the only Husky with a multi-hit performance while third baseman Willy Yahn scored all three UConn runs.

“[Yahn’s] a catalyst out there,” Penders said.

On Friday, Wills Montgomerie sprained his ankle shagging fly balls and his start was pushed back to Sunday. He gave the Huskies six-plus scoreless innings, scattering just three hits. He walked three and struck out nine, notching his 200th career strikeout in the process.

UConn started off with a run in the first courtesy of right fielder Isaac Feldstein, who singled Yahn home with a hit through the right side.

After that, Cincinnati starting pitcher Andrew Zellner settled down and allowed just one more hit through the rest of his five-plus inning outing and only two more baserunners. The game was a pitchers’ duel until Yahn came across again in the sixth.

He was hit by a pitch to lead the inning off and then scored on a sacrifice fly from designated hitter Tyler Gnesda.

The Huskies grabbed what would prove to be an important insurance run in the eight as Yahn scored for the third time when Feldstein grounded into a double play.

“They always come alive in the end,” Montgomerie said. “They did a good job staying with me.”

PJ Poulin, who notched his first career save, made it interesting in the ninth.

Cincinnati got two runs across on a sacrifice fly and RBI single, with the tying run at second and two outs for RJ Thompson, who had been 5-for-7 with three walks in the first two games in the series.

Poulin got the strikeout to end the game and give the series win to the Huskies.

UConn (24-18, 9-6) has the week off for finals before they travel down to Houston for a series with the Cougars. First pitch on Friday is at 7:30 p.m.