The Huskies have now lost four straight Big East Tournament games.
UConn baseball led 6-0 after two innings and 8-6 going into the ninth, but with Xavier down to its final out, it tied up the game and had another two-out rally in the 10th to send the Huskies to the losers’ bracket by an 11-8 final score.
Jake Lambdin led off the frame with a double and Connor Misch, who had three hits, broke the 8-8 tie with a two-out single. Clay Burdette then drilled a homer to put his team up three. The Huskies went down in order in the 10th and mustered just one hit after the fourth inning.
The Huskies had just seven hits, but also worked eight walks. Ryan Daniels had two hits while Tyler Minick had four RBI, while Caleb Shpur had three and reached base three times.
UConn started off hot, getting a pair of three-run home runs in the first and second, as Minick got it started, followed by Shpur. Minick’s was his 21st of the season, bringing him within two of the program record, set by Mike Olt in 2010.
Starting pitcher Oliver Pudvar was getting results, getting through the first two innings scoreless, but it wasn’t easy for him, as Xavier hitters were fouling off pitch after pitch and taking what the left-hander gave them. However, he faced the lineup for a second time starting in the third and the Musketeers got on the board in a big way, adding four runs and sending eight hitters to the plate.
Lambdin grabbed a solo home run to begin the frame, followed by a walk and single to put two on for Misch, who doubled into the left-center gap to score both and bring Xavier to within three. The Huskies nearly got out of the inning without further damage, but Aedan Anderson was able to beat out the back end of a potential double play, enabling Misch to cross the plate.
Pudvar threw a lot of high-stress pitches and gave his team four-plus innings before bowing out after allowing a leadoff single in the fifth, delivering to home plate 102 times. He surrendered four runs on eight hits, with two walks against seven strikeouts.
The Huskies didn’t score exclusively on the long ball. Sam Biller stood at second base with two outs in the third and Xavier chose to shift the right-handed Grant MacArthur. He took a pitch off the end of the bat that, if the Musketeers were playing straight-up, would have been an easy ground out to second. However, no one could get there until it rolled into the outfield and Biller dashed all the way around to score and make it 7-4.
Rispoli and Shpur walked with one out in the fourth and a trio of Xavier defenders lost Daniels’ fly ball to shallow right field, loading the bases with Minick coming to the plate with an opportunity to break the game open. However, UConn could only come away with one run on a sacrifice fly.
Misch singled to lead off the fifth, spelling the end of Pudvar’s day. Ian Cooke came in to replace him and allowed two singles, the second of which plated Misch, as well as a balk on a full count to load the bases and put the tying run on base. However, he was able to induce a ground ball to end the threat.
Cooke worked around two walks in the sixth, but had a clean seventh. However, he wasn’t so lucky in the eighth, as Luke Hammond went down and got a pitch near his ankles and was able to get it out of the yard to bring Xavier within two. UConn head coach Jim Penders had an atypically long conversation with his pitcher before signaling for closer Brady Afthim.
Cooke pitched three innings of relief, with just the one run, though he did allow a trio of hits and walks each. He struck out four Musketeers.
Meanwhile, a combination of Joseph Chavana and Luke Hoskins held Huskies without a hit between the fifth and eighth. UConn hitters were able to work a quintet of walks in that span, but nothing more.
Afthim struck out the side in order in the eighth, but wasn’t so lucky in the ninth. He hit Misch to lead off the frame and Burdette singled. They moved over on a swinging bunt and Hayden Christiansen, who pinch-hit with two outs, singled up the middle to plate them both.
The Huskies got the winning run to third in the ninth, but were unable to end the game in regulation.
UConn (36-20) will play No. 4 St. John’s for the right to stay alive in the Big East Tournament on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. FloSports will broadcast the contest.