UConn baseball falls 19-14 to Columbia

UConn baseball suffered perhaps its most baffling loss of the year so far on Tuesday afternoon, falling 19-14 to Columbia in the last midweek game before Big East play begins.

The Huskies seemed to have the game well in hand by the bottom of the fourth inning, but, down 14-5, the Lions sent 14 players to the plate, scoring 10 runs to push them past their opponents and earn the win.

UConn got out to a quick start, scoring twice in the opening frame, and followed it up with one of its signature monster innings in the second. The Huskies sent 13 batters to the plate, plating 10 runs on five hits, and it looked like they would roll to their third midweek win of the season, but Columbia had other ideas.

The offense was as potent as ever, and eight of the nine starters notched a hit in the contest, but the pitching was a different story. Stephen Quigley started the game and allowed five earned runs on seven hits, getting chased from the game in the third inning.

The pitching performances would only travel downhill from there. Thomas Ellisen, Garrett Coe and Devin Kirby combined to limp through the Lions’ giant fourth inning, surrendering a collective 12 hits and 13 earned runs over 3 ²⁄₃ innings. Zach Fogell put together the best pitching performance of the night against his former Ivy League rivals, throwing handling the eighth inning without giving up a baserunner.

UConn will play its first Big East series of the year this weekend, a three-game set against St. John’s starting on Thursday.