Huskies Fall to Army, 6-5, in Bottom of the Ninth

Boxscore [.pdf]

WEST POINT, N.Y. (April 20, 2005) – The University of Connecticut baseball team fell to Army by a score of 6-5 on Wednesday afternoon in West Point, N.Y., as the Black Knights scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to break the tie and take the win. UConn is now 22-15 overall, while Army moves to 22-10.

The Black Knights notched an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run single by Jeremy Stache. The Huskies answered in the top of the second when sophomore Josh Farkes (Boston, Mass.) knocked a double through the third baseman’s legs and into left field to score senior Jeff Hourigan (Beacon Falls, Conn.) from second and move the score to 2-1.

UConn then took a 4-2 lead in the top of the third when Farkes racked up three more RBI on a bases-loaded double down the left field line. The hit scored Hourgian, freshman Vin DiFazio (Hampton, N.J.), and senior Tony Mallozzi (Westboro, Mass.). The Huskies then increased their lead to 5-2 when freshman David Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.) reached on a hit-by-pitch and then came around to score on single to right field by Mallozzi.

Connecticut held the lead until the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Black Knights scored three runs to came back and tie the game at 5-5. The inning included a two-run double by Schuyler Williamson.

Neither teams were able to get any offense going until the Army's Milan Dinga led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk. A double by Williamson followed to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Nate Stone then hit a single to left center that scored Dinga and gave the Black Knights the 6-5 victory.

Freshman Matt Karl (Wallingford, Conn.) started the game for UConn and pitched six innings with five runs on 10 hits, a walk and three strikeouts. Junior Joshua MacDonald (Milford, Conn.) made his second appearance in as many days, relieving Karl in the seventh inning. Sophomore Ted Garry (Rochester, Minn.) then entered the game in the ninth with the two runners in scoring position. MacDonald registered the loss for UConn to move to 1-2 this season; he threw two innings with a run, three hits, a walk and a strikeout. Dan Pluff (2-0) got the win for Army.

Mallozzi, Farkes and DiFazio each registered two hits in the game, with Farkes driving home four of UConn's five runs. Hourigan went 1-for-4 with two runs.

Connecticut looks to rebound when the Huskies travel to Hamden, Conn., to face Quinnipiac on Thursday, April 21. The game will begin at 3:00 p.m.