UConn baseball drops Game One at UNC Wilmington, 2-1
· Yahoo Sports
UConn lost a low-scoring, extra-innings contest to UNC Wilmington on Saturday, 2-1.
Cayden Suchy pitched another gem, posting a career-high 12 strikeouts across seven innings of scoreless work as he lowered his ERA to 1.83. Opposing starter Cooper Allen was almost as dominant on the mound for the Seahawks.
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Allen has been nearly immaculate this season, coming into the contest with 11 scoreless innings across two starts and a pair of wins. The junior allowed one run over a career-high eight innings and punched out ten batters for the second straight game. The righty reached 100 pitches for the first time in his career.
The dueling pitchers kept zeroes on the board until the top of the fifth, when the Huskies finally got something going offensively.
Right fielder Chris Polemeni started the inning by working a seven-pitch full count walk. He proceeded to swipe second and advanced on a ground-out by DH Gabriel Tirado.
The stolen base was one of three on the day from Polemeni, who also nabbed one in the first game of the series and now leads the team with five on the season. Polemeni reached base four times.
With two away, catcher Chris Cancel sent a 1-0 pitch into left field on a line for a single to score Polemeni from second and take a one-run lead.
It was a game of many firsts for Cancel, as the Binghamton University transfer made his first appearance with the Huskies and appeared in just the second collegiate game of his career. The knock was both his first hit and RBI for UConn.
That was it for a few more innings, as Suchy continued to dominate before retiring for the night and being replaced with graduate student pitcher Paxton Meyers.
Meyers gave UConn four solid innings in relief, but the Seahawks were able to tie the game almost immediately upon his entrance and take a potential win out of Suchy’s hands.
Pinch hitter Mason Hughes led the inning off with a single before advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. Third baseman Trevor Lucas sent a gliding drive into the gap in left center for a one-out double. Left fielder Chase Taylor cut the ball off before it could reach the wall, but not before Hughes scored from second base to make it a brand new ball game heading into the ninth.
The teams were scoreless again in the final inning to put UConn in extras for the second time this season.
The score held for an additional two innings before the Seahawks resorted to small ball to find a spark. Following a double by shortstop Kevin James and left fielder Will Tyrrell being hit by a pitch, first baseman Brady Thompson stepped up to the plate and laid a soft sacrifice bunt down the third base line in an attempt to move the two runners into scoring position.
Third baseman Maddix Dalena fielded the tapper in front of the pitcher’s mound. Instead of immediately throwing to first, he looked back at third to see Jones sliding in with ease. Turning his attention back to first and now in a rush, Dalena threw a rocket towards the glove of first baseman Jackson Marshall that sailed well over his head and into foul territory.
Jones trotted towards home with his arms stuck out in a flying motion as his teammates swarmed Thompson on the infield grass. The walkoff error tied the series at one game each.
The rubber match between the two teams will take place Sunday, with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. EST. The game will stream live on FloCollege.