Wasserman Slugs Huskies To 6-3 Victory Over New Orleans

Boxscore [.pdf]
Boxscore [html]

BEAUMONT, Texas (March 3, 2006) - Senior co-captain Tim Norton (Pasquog, R.I.) picked up his first win of the season as the Huskies defeated New Orleans 6-3 on Friday afternoon.  Norton went seven innings with two hits and nine strikeouts to lead the Huskies to their third consecutive victory this season in the first day of the Lamar Classic.  With the win, Connecticut improves to 3-1 while the Privateers dropped to 6-7.

Senior Austin Wasserman (Nashua, N.H.) led the team offensively.  The left fielder went 2-for-2 with two walks.  He slugged his second homerun of the season, batted in two runners and scored a run.  Wasserman tallied UConn’s first run off a solo home run to start off the fourth inning.  UConn scored three runs off of five hits in the inning.

In the sixth, sophomore Matt Karl (Wallingford, Conn.) started the inning off with a walk.  Sophomore Pat Mahoney (Des Moines, Iowa) followed on a fielder’s choice bunt on which Karl advanced on a throwing error.  Junior Matt Untiet (Berlin, Conn.) forwarded Karl and Mahoney on a sacrifice bunt to put the runners in scoring position.  Dale Brannon (St. Petersberg, Fla.) grounded to shortstop, but reached on an error, scoring Karl and advancing Mahoney to third.  Senior Bryan Maler (Ansonia, Conn.) doubled to right field to score Mahoney and Wasserman hit a single to short to tally his second RBI of the day and the Huskies’ final run of the game to bring UConn’s run total to six.

New Orleans attempted a comeback in the eighth with three runs scored on senior Joe Smeraglino (Shelton, Conn.) who came in to relieve Norton.  Smeraglino gave up four hits and three runs in a third of an inning.  Senior Joshua MacDonald (Milford, Conn.) came in to close the game, facing six batters and striking out one. 

The Huskies will be in action again on Saturday, March 4 against Lamar in the second day of the Lamar Classic.  The game is slated for 6:00 p.m.