UMass Baseball Falls To UConn In The Ninth, 6-5

March 29, 2000

UMass 300 010 100 - 5 7 2

UConn 000 200 103 - 6 12 1

Hourigan, Skirkanich (7) and Morgan. Soteropoulos, Trubia (5), Barton (6) and Esposito. W - Barton (2-0). L - Skirkanich (1-3). 2B - Senez (8). HR - Gorneault (4). SB - Skeffington (9), Kulak (5), Goreneault (5), Senez (5), C. Hess (6), C. Caudill (4).

STORRS, Conn.. - Junior center fielder Nick Gorneault (Springfield, Mass.) hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season in the top of the seventh inning to give UMass a 5-2 lead, but the Huskies rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to down the Minutemen 6-5 this afternoon. The Minutemen drop to an even 8-8 on the season, while the Huskies improved to 11-7 with the win.

The Minutemen struck first with three runs in the top of the first. Senior captain Shaun Skeffington (Fall River, Mass.) led off the game with a line drive single to left field. After a Mike Kulak (Briston, Conn.) walk, senior Kevin O'Connell (Hartland, Vt.) hit a two-out single to left-center, knocking in Skeffington and Kulak. Sophomore Aaron Senez (Springfield, Mass.) followed with an RBI double down the right field line, putting the Minutemen up 3-0 after one.

After the Huskies scored two runs in the fourth, UMass responded with one run in the fifth. Gorneault led off the inning with a single and later scored from third on a double steal with two out in the inning.

Gorneault's solo homer in the seventh put UMass up 5-2 before the Huskies added a run on three straight singles to lead off the seventh inning.

The score remained 5-3 until the bottom of the ninth when the Huskies rallied for three runs. After a hit batsman and a single to center field, Mike Scott put down a sacrifice bunt and reached first safely on a throwing error by UMass reliever Nick Skirkanich (Chesire, Conn.), which scored Brian Esposito from second. After a single through the left side scored another Husky run, Kevin Wissner lifted a deep sacrifice fly to center field, scoring the game-winning run with two out.

Skirkanich took the loss in relief, dropping to 1-3 on the season. Robert Barton picked up the win, pitching four innings of two-hit relief for the Huskies, improving to 2-0 on the year.

UMass will open up Atlantic 10 Conference action on Saturday in Dayton, Ohio. The Minutemen will face the Flyers in a doubleheader on Saturday at Noon, and again on Sunday in a single game starting at Noon.

-UM-

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