The Huskies broke out the brooms with a big-time offensive performance.
UConn baseball got back in the win column in a big way over the weekend, as the Huskies swept Villanova in dominant fashion, though they needed a ninth-inning comeback to complete the 3-0 weekend.
Friday: UConn 19, Villanova 7
Villanova opened the scoring in the bottom of the first and the teams traded single runs through most of the game, with the Wildcats headed into the seventh up 3-2. However, UConn’s offense opened up and scored 17 runs over the final three frames for a dominant victory to open the series. Sam Biller knocked three home runs as part of the impressive offensive performance.
Oliver Pudvar got through 5 2⁄3 innings in his start, with three runs, two of which were earned, on four hits. He walked one and struck out four.
The Huskies started slowly, unable to get more than five hitters to the plate in a frame through their first six at-bats. Biller provided the entirety of their offense, knocking a pair of solo home runs in the second and the fourth. Rob Rispoli led off the game with a single, which was the team’s only other hit until the seventh.
Bryan Padilla walked with one out in the second to knock out Luke McCullough, who had stymied UConn through 6 1⁄3 innings. Beau Root hit the third of six Husky home runs to put his team ahead for good before the onslaught of the eighth and ninth innings.
The first nine hitters in the ninth reached base safely, with Ryan Daniels and Biller going yard with two-run blasts. Root walked with the bases loaded and Rispoli had another base hit to bring home a run to make it 10-3 before Villanova finally got the first out, though Caleb Shpur was able to get a sacrifice fly. By the end of the frame, UConn was up 14-3, but added five more in the ninth.
Daniels got another RBI on a single with the bases loaded, then Tyler Minick un-loaded them with a grand slam to complete UConn’s scoring. Villanova scored five in the ninth, but weren’t a serious threat to come back.
Saturday: UConn 29, Villanova 10
Saturday was a historic afternoon for the Huskies, who put on an offensive display that will go down in the record books.
UConn’s 29 runs set a program record for the most runs in a Big East game and is the most since scoring 32 runs in a 1997 contest against Rhode Island. Caleb Shpur recorded the first seven-hit day in UConn history since 1979, driving in six runs as well. The Huskies homered seven times in the game, the most in a game during head coach Jim Penders’ tenure. The team also scored 13 runs in the fourth inning, the most in a single frame this season.
With starter Thomas Ellisen on the mound, UConn jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead after two innings. Ryan Daniels hit his first of two home runs on the day in the second, scoring Shpur, who reached on one of six singles he recorded Saturday.
Villanova kept it close, scoring five runs in the third to cut UConn’s lead to 10-5. Ellisen allowed three singles to lead off the inning before walking in his first run. The next hitter, Jason Neff, blasted a grand slam. Ellisen settled in following the rocky inning, allowing just one run over his final three innings. All seven runs he allowed were earned, and though he did strike out six hitters through six innings of work.
In UConn’s volcanic fourth inning, the Huskies sent 17 hitters to the plate, nearly batting around twice over. Thirteen runs came home on 11 hits and three walks, including a three-run blast from Grant MacArthur. CJ Furey faced 15 of those hitters before he was pulled after 2⁄3 of an inning. He was charged with all 13 earned runs.
The Huskies added one five more runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth but went scoreless over the last three innings of the game, unable to break 30 runs on the day. Gabe Van Emon relieved Ellisen in the seventh but failed to record any outs, getting tagged for three earned runs. Hector Alejandro pitched the final three innings without surrendering a run, earning the save and striking out two.
Sunday: UConn 7, Villanova 5
The Huskies collected their 17th win in their last 18 games, as well as the series sweep, Sunday with a come-from-behind win, scoring three in the ninth to earn the victory.
There was some fatigue in the Husky offense after raining down 29 runs on 27 hits Saturday, as UConn scored one run in the top of the first but failed to score again until the fifth. With a 1-0 lead, Shpur doubled to begin the inning. He and Ryan Daniels traded places on another double, and Daniels scored on a Sam Biller single. Biller stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw, later scoring on a wild pitch.
Charlie West pitched four scoreless innings to begin his start, striking out six. In the fifth, he allowed a two-run homer to Michael Whooley, and a single two hitters later ended West’s day, bringing Ian Cooke out of the bullpen. Cooke recorded a strikeout looking to end the inning, but allowed two runs of his own in the sixth. He allowed a single and an RBI double to start the frame, with the runner later scoring on a squeeze play.
With one out in the seventh, Brady Afthim came on to halt any further damage. He allowed one run in the bottom of the eighth, putting the Huskies down 7-5 with three outs to play. Rob Rispoli doubled to lead off, advancing to third on a Caleb Shpur single, his 11th hit of the weekend. Shpur stole second, and on a wild pitch, moved to third while Rispoli scored. A Daniels sac fly scored Shpur, and UConn got the go-ahead run on base with a Tyler Minick walk. Biller doubled to score Minick and put UConn in front, recording his 13th RBI of the series. UConn’s seven runs on the day brought the team total to 55 in three games.
Afthim secured the win in the bottom of the ninth, working around some trouble after allowing the tying runs to base with two outs. With the winning run at the plate, he coaxed a pop fly out to end the game. In 2 2⁄3 shaky innings, Afthim allowed one earned on two hits, two walks and two hit batters, striking out two.
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UConn (30-18, 14-4 Big East) is off this week for final exams and will return to action on Friday against Butler for a weekend set. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. on FloSports.