UConn baseball loses to Northeastern

UConn baseball (40-9, 14-1 Big East) dropped its first game in the month of May, falling 9-4 to Northeastern on Tuesday night.

Despite hopping out to an early 4-0 lead through the first three innings, a six-run fourth inning stunned the Huskies and left them unable to recover.

“We got punched in the mouth we didn’t respond. They put up six in that fourth and it was like a different game after that,” head coach Jim Penders said. “You need to put something up after that.”

Manufacturing runs was an easy task for UConn in the first few innings. Zach Bushling got the first run on the board in the opening frame via a sacrifice fly and first baseman Ben Huber followed it up with an RBI single to put up a crooked number.

T.C. Simmons followed it up with a sacrifice fly in the second inning to score shortstop Bryan Padilla who doubled to reach base, then Padilla in turn lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Huber.

Cole Chudoba was handed the start and mowed down Northeastern batters to begin the game. The big right-hander went three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk but ran up against his pitch count. Ian Cooke was scheduled to replace him and had trouble locating the strike zone. Two walks and a single loaded up the bases for Northeastern’s nine-hitter Justin Bosland, who hit a grand slam to put a cap on the six-run inning.

UConn’s offense dried up after that, managing just two hits in the final six innings. Northeastern tacked on three insurance runs in the eighth inning.

The Huskies will reset ahead of arguably their biggest weekend series of the year, closing out the home slate against Xavier. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. on Friday at Elliot Ballpark, and the game will be broadcast on FS1.