The Daily Campus

Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ashely Popisil Kevin Vance pitches during Sunday's 13-4 loss to St. John's. He pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up a run.

With an 8-7 loss to St. John's on Saturday, the UConn baseball team accomplished something it has not done in over a month - and it wasn't something to be happy about.

The loss, the Huskies' second to the Red Storm on the weekend, assured them of losing the three-game series. Not since a sweep at the hands of West Virginia has UConn lost a series. After three straight series wins over South Florida, Seton Hall and Georgetown - that streak has come to an end.

Another streak came to an end on Friday. Freshman Nick Ahmed, filling in for the injured Mike Olt, had been on a team-long 16-game hitting streak. It came to an end after a 0-5 performance including a strikeout and an inning ending double-play with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning. UConn head coach Jim Penders could have started the runners but chose not to.

"We were threatening there," Penders said. "I could've started the runners but I was looking at George Springer in the on deck circle."

Ahmed rebounded and started up a new streak on Saturday, however, with a 2-3 performance.



Double trouble

The Huskies only grounded into two double plays - Ahmed's inning ending one in the second and Matt Burnetts in the eighth. It could have been much worse. Back-to-back errors by Red Storm shortstop Joe Panik in the second gave the Huskies a break they were unable to capatilize on.

Panick committed his third error of the game on a tailor-made double-play ball in the sixth inning from Matt Burnett - however a fielder's choice and a fly-out extinguished that rally.



Fatse goes Yahtzee

Peter Fatse provided a lone bright spot for an otherwise dismal weekend. Despite finishing the weekend with an 0-5 day in a 13-4 loss on Sunday, the junior left fielder gave the Husky offense a spark on Friday and Saturday with a home run each day. The two home runs give Fatse seven on the season, putting him second on the team behind George Springer.

"He's a little guy with some pop," Penders said of Fatse. "He can run, he can do some things on the bases."



Back on the road



After playing 10 of its last 11 games at the friendly confines of J.O. Christian field, UConn heads on the road for the next week to play its next six games on the road, including a trip to South Bend, Ind. to play Notre Dame.

The Huskies head to Boston on Monday to play the Colonial Athletic Association's (CCA) Northeastern Huskies.

The Huskies (21-15) are lead on offense by senior third baseman and Connecticut native Mike Tamsin. Tamsin is batting a robust .381 to go with a team best 29 RBI. The CAA is among the best conferences in the country.

27th ranked George Mason, who UConn beat in its second game of the year, has an impressive 33-8 record to lead the conference.

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