Huskies Split a Pair With St. John's

Game 1 Boxscores

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Boxscore(.pdf)

Game 2 Boxscores

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Boxscore(.pdf)

STORRS, Conn. (April 8) -- The University of Connecticut baseball team split its double-header with BIG EAST foe St. John's, dropping the first game 7-6 and winning the second game 6-2 Thursday afternoon at J.O. Christian Field in Storrs, Conn. 

With the split, the Huskies record moves to 14-12, 3-5 in conference play, while St. John's moves to 17-9, 6-5.  

Trailing 6-3 in the seventh, the Red Storm would score four in the top of the seventh to seize a 7-6 lead it would not relinquish. 

St. John’s plated one run in each of the first three innings in game one, but the Huskies would answer with one run in the first and two in the second frame. Russ D’Argento Marlboro, MA) led off the bottom of the first inning with double to left center, and advanced to third on Tony Mallozzi’s (Westboro, MA) bunt single. Marc Peluso (Pawcatuck, CT) hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring D’Argento.

Dave Tokarz (Seymour, CT) led off the second with a home run over the right field fence, and Dennis Donovan would score from third when D’Argento hit into a double play, giving the Huskies a 3-2 edge.

The Huskies would gain a little breathing room with a three spot in the home half of the fifth. Mallozzi and Peluso hit a pair of singles to lead off the fifth, and Mike Leonard (Vernon, CT) drew a walk to load the bases. Bryan Maler hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Peluso, and a Matt Untiet (Berlin, CT) single scored Leonard to give the Huskies a 6-3 lead.

Josh MacDonald (Milford, CT) hurled six innings for the Huskies, scattering six hits and giving up only two earned runs while fanning two. Joe Smeraglino (Shelton, CT) had a rare poor outing, and took the loss after giving up three runs and two hits without recording an out. Freshman Ted Garry (Rochester, MN) kept the Huskies in the game with one scoreless inning in relief of Smeraglino.

Mallozzi went 2-for-4 with one run scored, and Tokarz went 2-for-3 with one run scored and drove in one run.

Connecticut stormed out of the gate in game two, scoring three runs in the opening frame and the Huskies would never look back.  Peluso would serve a single into left field, scoring D'Argento and Mallozzi crossed the plate on Leonard's sacrifice fly.  Jeff Hourigan (Beacon Falls, CT) ripped a two out single into left, and was credited with one of his two RBI on the day after Peluso plated the Huskies' third run of the inning. 

St. John's managed one run in the third, but the Huskies answered immediately with a run of their own in the bottom half.  Hourigan got his second hit of the day and advanced to second on a passed ball.  Untiet then lined a single into left, scoring Hourigan. 

UConn plated one more in the seventh on a Peluso sacrifice fly, and then Hourigan ripped a home run over the left field fence to lead off the seventh, giving the Huskies some insurance. 

Mike James (Roswell, GA) was phenomenal for the Huskies, giving up only two runs on nine hits and striking out four while earning his second complete game of the season.  James is now 4-2 on the campaign.   

Hourigan's homer was his seventh of the season, and he now has a team-leading 23 RBI on the season.  Freshman Dennis Donovan went 3-for-4 on the afternoon, boosting his batting average to a robust .344.