Spring Break
Huskies overcome early threats to win
Mac Currullo
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Sports
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At the beginning of the game, Hartford (6-19) had the edge, getting on the board in the first inning after catcher Andy Drexel hit an RBI single to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Hartford threatened again in the top of the fourth after loading the bases with two outs.
Scott Oberg then came into the game in relief of starter Dave Fischer, and quickly ended the jam by striking out Drew Sgro, but not before a failed pick-off attempt resulted in another Hartford run, making the score 2-0.
Things went downhill quickly for the Hawks after this point, though. In the bottom of the fifth, the Huskies' bats came to life and the Hawks suddenly found themselves down 5-2. The rally began when the Huskies (18-15) loaded the bases with nobody out, and a wild pitch brought Mike Nemeth home for the Huskies' first run. Pierre LePage then walked to load the bases again, and another run would score when Harold Brantley was hit by a pitch, forcing in another run to tie the game at 2-2.
After a passed ball scored another run for UConn, Matt Burnett delivered the big hit of the inning with a clutch 2-RBI double, chasing Hartford starter Bob Rogers from the game and giving the Huskies a 5-2 lead.
After LePage's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth put the Huskies up 6-2, Burnett came through big, driving in two more runs with his second hit of the game. The Huskies tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh before turning the game over to the pitchers, who ended the game by striking out the final six Hartford batters.
Scott Oberg (2-0) was the game's winning pitcher, coming in during the fourth inning to get the Huskies out of a jam, and pitching 3.1 innings of shutout baseball.
"Oberg did a really good job coming in," said head coach Jim Penders of his freshman pitcher. "That was his longest outing of the year so far and he gave us exactly what we needed."
Matt Burnett had four RBI on the day, two coming from his big double in the fifth inning.
"I just saw runners in scoring position and tried to hit the ball hard," he said. "We needed a big hit there, so I just tried to get us on the board and get something going for us." Burnett was awarded with the game ball following the game for his efforts.
Tomorrow the Huskies will welcome Brown University to Storrs. The game is slated to begin at 3:15 p.m.
"They're going to be ready to play," Penders said of the matchup. "We cannot have a first four innings like we did today and expect to win. We have to be ready to go from pitch number one."
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