University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
10-18
UConn
24-13
Furious Rally Effort Falls Short to UConn, 10-7
April 16, 2019 | Baseball
Minutemen post five-spot in ninth but unable to overcome early deficit
UMass, which scored five times in the ninth, batted around and quickly loaded the bases as junior Nolan Kessinger led off with a single, senior Matt Hosman was hit by a pitch and freshman Luke Gutos worked a walk. A wild pitch plated Kessinger, then cutting the deficit to 10-3, before freshman Michael Rounds grounded into a fielder's choice that pushed Hosman across.
A second wild pitch scored Gutos and senior Ryan Lever popped an RBI base hit to right field that drove in redshirt junior Thomas Pipolo. After junior Eddy Hart grounded into a fielder's choice that saw Rounds score and bring the tying run to the plate, UConn was prompted to call on Caleb Wurster for what had suddenly become a one-out save situation.
Kessinger then battled back in the count from 1-2 to work a walk and load the bases once more. Redshirt sophomore Connor Smith pinch hit for Hosman and sent a 1-1 offering deep to right field, sending Huskies right fielder Kyler Fedko all the way to the warning track before Fedko made the catch to end the ballgame.
Lever was 3-for-5 on the day with an RBI and was joined in the multi-hit category by Kessinger (2-for-4) as well as redshirt freshman Kane Medina (2-for-5).
Freshman Daniel Livnat worked five innings out of the bullpen, posting a career-high six strikeouts while holding UConn to two runs on four hits. He walked three batters.
UConn jumped out initially to an 8-1 lead by the third inning after a single tally in the first, a five-spot in the second and two more in the third inning. Massachusetts got on the board in its half of the second with a knock by Medina to bring in sophomore Luke Oliphant. In the seventh, redshirt sophomore Anthony Videtto came 90 feet home on an RBI groundout by freshman Dylan Judd.
The win on the mound went to UConn's Joe Simeone (1-1) and UMass' Zach Clevenger (1-2) took the loss.
UMass now travels to Fenway Park on Wed., April 17 for the Beanpot Championship Game vs. Harvard. The game will begin approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the Consolation Game, with the Consolation scheduled for 2 p.m.
Tickets for the Beanpot game are $10 and can be purchased online by visiting redsox.com/beanpot, by calling the Boston Red Sox Ticket Office at (877) REDSOX-9 or in person at Fenway Park gates A and D. Net ticket proceeds at the Beanpot will benefit the Pete Frates #3 Fund, named after the former Boston College outfielder and captain who was later diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
For the latest news and updates around UMass baseball, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @UMassBaseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Simeone, Joe (1-1)
L: Clevenger, Zach (1-2)
S: Wurster, Caleb (1)
Batting:
2B: Fedko, Christian 1 ; Fedko, Kyler 1
RBI: Woodworth, Michael 1 ; Toppa, John 1 ; Fedko, Christian 4 ; Winkel, Pat 1 ; Winkel, Chris 1 ; Fedko, Kyler 1 ; Moriarty, Conor 1
SF: Fedko, Christian 1 ; Winkel, Pat 1 ; Winkel, Chris 1 ; Fedko, Kyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Woodworth, Michael 2 ; Prato, Anthony 1 ; Toppa, John 2 ; Fedko, Christian 1 ; Gozzo, Paul 1 ; Winkel, Chris 1 ; Fedko, Kyler 1 ; Moriarty, Conor 1
SB: Woodworth, Michael 1 ; Toppa, John 1
CS: Prato, Anthony 1 ; Toppa, John 1
HBP: Winkel, Pat 1 ; Gozzo, Paul 1 ; Fedko, Kyler 1 ; Moriarty, Conor 1
Batting:
2B: Videtto, Anthony 1
RBI: Lever, Ryan 1 ; Hart, Eddy 1 ; Judd, Dylan 1 ; Rounds, Michael 1 ; Medina, Kane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kessinger, Nolan 1 ; Videtto, Anthony 1 ; Hosman, Matt 1 ; Oliphant, Luke 1 ; Gutos, Luke 1 ; Pipolo, Thomas 1 ; Rounds, Michael 1
HBP: Kessinger, Nolan 1 ; Hosman, Matt 1
