The Huskies have some positive momentum before a road series at Creighton.
UConn baseball secured its eighth-straight win over Quinnipiac dating back to 2008, knocking in nine runs on 16 hits Tuesday to beat the Bobcats 9-3.
Six hitters in the lineup recorded at least two hits on the day. Ryan Daniels and Caleb Shpur each reached base five times in the win, recording three hits and two walks apiece. Daniels cashed in the most of any Husky hitter, knocking home three RBI.
Offensively, the Huskies were propelled by a quick start, scoring seven of its nine runs in the first three innings. In the opening frame, UConn’s first three hitters loaded the bases, with Rispoli singling to right field and Shpur and Daniels each picking up a walk. Grant MacArthur drove in Rispoli with a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing the two trailing runners to each move up one base. Beau Root picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly of his own and Sam Biller drove in UConn’s third run with a two-out single.
In the third, Biller got the action going again with a one-out single, stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error. Aidan Dougherty knocked him home with a double, moving up to third on a Matt Garbowski single. Garbowski stole second, and another throwing error from Quinnipiac catcher Cole Constable allowed Dougherty to score. The next hitter, Rispoli, drew his second walk of the game and moved up to second on a single from Shpur. With the bases loaded, Daniels singled to drive in Dougherty and Rispoli.
UConn has struggled with stranding runners all season long, and though it didn’t hurt the team today, the number still glares in the box score. The Huskies left 17 left on base throughout the game, missing out on an opportunity to put up a crooked number on the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac pitching surrendered nine walks to UConn hitters and struggled to keep runners out of scoring position. The Huskies ran wild on Constable, who allowed 10 stolen bases on the day, including three to Shpur alone. On the other end, Garbowski threw out two of three runners on stolen base attempts. In the top of the first, he threw out his younger brother — Kyle Garbowski — trying to swipe second to end the inning.
Right-hander Sean Finn pitched a scoreless start for the Huskies to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed one hit and two walks through three innings before handing the ball off to Sam Hutchinson in relief. Hutchinson worked around two walks but completed his lone inning of work without surrendering a run.
Head coach Jim Penders used four more pitchers to lock down the win, including Tommy Ellisen, who looked to get in a tune-up outing after struggling through 1 2⁄3 innings pitched in the second game of the Huskies’ doubleheader Saturday against Xavier. Ellisen surrendered one run against the Bobcats, as did the following two Husky pitchers JT Caruso and Charlie West. Greg Shaw III brought UConn to the finish line, pitching a scoreless eighth and nine inning, despite giving up four hits.
UConn (12-15) will play next against Creighton, which hosts the Huskies in a three-game set of Big East play starting Friday at 7 p.m.