Norton Fans 10 in Complete Game Win as Huskies Split Twinbill with Georgetown

Boxscore - Game One [.pdf]
Boxscore - Game Two [.pdf]

STORRS, Conn. (April 30, 2005) - Junior pitcher Tim Norton (Pascoag, R.I.) struck out 10 Hoyas as he threw a complete game in UConn's 3-2 win over Georgetown in game two as the University of Connecticut split a BIG EAST doubleheader with Georgetown on Saturday afternoon at J.O. Christian Field. The Hoyas topped the Huskies in the first game by a score of 5-3 as sophomore Rich Sirois (Ipswich, Mass.) also hurled a complete game for the UConn. Connecticut is now 27-18 ovarall, with a 7-9 mark in conference games. Georgetown moves to 22-24, 6-12 vs. league opponents.

Norton pitched the Huskies to a win in a game that had over an hour rain delay between the second and third innings and heavy fog after the rain subsided. He faced the minimum of three batters in six of nine innings, with a total of 10 strikeouts, three walks and six hits, all of which were singles. The two runs scored by Georgetown were unearned as Norton collected his first-career complete game to move to 2-0 this season.

The UConn bats gave him an early lead to work with, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, senior Russ D'Argento (Marlboro, Mass.) hit a triple to right center. Classmate Tony Mallozzi (Westboro, Mass.) then brought him home on a single up the middle. After a single by freshman Vin DiFazio (Hampton, N.J.), Mallozzi put the Huskies up 2-0 when he scored on a single down the right line by sophomore Josh Farkes (Boston, Mass.)

Mallozzi scored again in the seventh to push UConn's lead to 3-0. After drawing a walk to get on base, he moved to second on a wild pitch. Mallozzi then scored on a single to right field by DiFazio.

Georgetown cut the lead to one when the Hoyas scored two in the eighth inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, Mallozzi made a fielding error on a fly ball hit by Billy Quinn that allowed both runners to score and move the score to 3-2. In the next at-bat, Norton got Andrew Cleary to fly out to right to end the inning and maintain the Husky lead.

In the second game, eight of nine batters had a hit as UConn out-hit the Hoyas 11-6. DiFazio, Farkes and sophomore Dennis Donovan (Center Moriches, N.Y.) each went 2-for-4. The Huskies stranded 10 runners in the game.

The first game had two solid complete game performances as Sirois battled with Georgetown's Eddie Pena for seven innings. Sirois struck out four without issuing a walk, but allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits as he picked up the loss to move to 5-4 this season. Pena improved to 3-5 with three runs, two earned, on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

The Huskies had an early 1-0 lead after the first, as D'Argento doubled to left-center and then came around to score on two wild pitches. The Hoyas then scored in the fourth inning to move ahead, 3-1. Timmy Jones drove in two of the three run on a bases-loaded single to center field.

Georgetown added two more runs in the fifth when Quinn hit a two-run homerun over the left-center wall to increase the score to 5-1.

UConn tallied two more runs in the bottom of the inning, cutting the score to 5-3. Farkes led off with a single down the right line, then stole second and moved to third when Donovan singled to right center. Farkes scored on a throwing error to second base by the catcher as Donovan was attempting to steal a base. Sophomore Matt Untiet (Berlin, Conn.) followed with a single to right center to then score Donovan. That would be the final Husky run of the game though as Georgetown snapped UConn's four-game win streak with the defeat.

Connecticut looks to take the rubber game when the Huskies and Hoyas conclude their series at J.O. Christian Field with a 12:00 p.m. game on Sunday, May 1.