UConn baseball eliminated by No. 2 Stanford in deciding game of Stanford Super Regional

UConn baseball’s season ended with a bang on Monday night, one that unfortunately came from the dugout of No. 2 Stanford. The Huskies gave up 15 hits, including two home runs, to the potent Cardinal, losing in Game 3 of the Stanford Super Regional, 10-5, ending their season.

The Huskies started the game by chasing the Stanford starter, Joey Dixon, before he recorded a single out, scoring three runs on four hits in the top of the first, but after that, it was dominated by the hosts. Stanford outscored UConn 10-2 over the final eight-and-a-half innings en route to its second-straight College World Series appearance.

David Smith and Erik Stock started the game with back-to-back hits, Casey Dana reached base after getting hit by a pitch and Ben Huber cleared the bases with a double down the left field line in what was an ideal start for the Huskies. Padilla followed with a two-bagger of his own and T.C. Simmons walked to load the bases, but a double play got the Cardinal out of the jam.

The hosts fired back in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs on two hits, but the Stanford death star wasn’t fully operational until the middle of the game. The No. 2 seed scored six in the bottom of the fourth with four singles, a walk and a grand slam to make it 8-3, putting Stanford ahead for good.

UConn loaded up the bases in the third inning and got multiple runners on base in the fifth and eighth innings, but failed to capitalize with any clutch knocks. The Huskies couldn’t get much of anything going contact-wise against a stout Stanford bullpen, with just three hits from the second to the seventh.

When their offense did fire up, it was just a little too late to pose any real threat. UConn scored on a solo home run from Zach Bushling in the sixth inning and an RBI double in the ninth from Simmons, but Stanford kept them at arm’s length. They scored in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run and then again in the seventh with a sacrifice fly.

UConn ends the season with a 50-16 record, the program’s highest-ever win total. The Huskies also won their first-ever Super Regional contest with its Game 1 victory over the Cardinal.