UConn baseball is back in full swing as they opened their season at the Puerto Rico Challenge in Caguas, PR this weekend. However, the invitational did not end up in their favor as they lost all three games of the opening weekend. The Huskies got their season start up on Friday where they faced Stetson and ultimately lost 10-6 at Estadio Sola Morales.
Stetson got the game started after plating the first five runs of the game against UConn left-handed starting pitcher Gabe Van Emon. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Oliver Pudvar entered the game for his UConn debut and settled down the Hatters’ offense. The Manhattan transfer threw for 3.1 shutout innings and did not allow one hit.
As they entered the fifth inning, UConn trailed Stetson 5-0. The Huskies came upon an opportunity after a pair of walks and a hit by pitch to load up the bases with just one out. Graduate student Caleb Shpur walked with the bases loaded to get UConn on the scoreboard 5-1.
Stetson had a pitching change and-to-back wild pitches to graduate student Sam Biller score two more runs for the Huskies to bring the score 5-3. Junior Grant MacArthur then came up to bat and as a part of his three-hit debut, hit an RBI single to make it a one-run game for the Huskies.
Also in the fifth inning, UConn captain Bryan Padilla tied the game with a two-out RBI single and junior Ryan Daniels finished off the inning with an RBI single to give the Huskies their first lead. In scoring six runs in one inning, UConn sent 11 batters to the plate and gained the 6-5 lead over Stetson.
The Huskies stayed on defense to protect their lead as Shpur made a leaping grab against the center field fence in the fifth inning. If not for Shpur, the play would have resulted in extra bases for Stetson and the tying run scoring from first base.
In the seventh inning, Stetson regained the lead after three walks and a hit by pitch by freshman pitcher Cayden Suchy and a two-run single allowed by junior pitcher Greg Shaw II that gave the
Hatters the 8-6 advantage. In the eighth inning, Stetson added another pair of runs to cap the scoring 10-6 and seal the win over UConn.
UConn got back on the diamond for their second game of the opening weekend on Saturday night against Missouri but suffered another loss 11-7 in Puerto Rico.
In the third inning, the Huskies earned their only lead of the game after a bases loaded hit by pitch to MacArthur and junior Maddix Dalena hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-1 UConn.
Missouri took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning, but Daniels kept UConn’s offense going as he launched his first home run of the season, a solo shot to cut UConn’s deficit to just one.
The sixth inning was when Missouri took control and never looked back as they scored six runs in the frame. However, the Huskies kept battling and scored four runs in the seventh inning to bring the score to 10-7. Shpur and Biller hit back-to-back RBI doubles and Padilla hit a two-run double to cap the scoring.
Redshirt Rispoli had quite the night at the plate, earning his first career hit as a part of a three-hit game. The Staten Island native also stole a pair of bases and scored two runs in the game.
Senior Ian Cooke got the start in the circle and struck out six batters in 4.1 innings. The Connecticut native notched his 200th career strikeout in the first inning against Missouri. He is the 14th Husky-time to strike out 200 batters in his UConn career. The sophomore left-handed pitcher was lights-out on the mound after throwing 2.0 shutout innings with no hits allowed and tied his career-high with four strikeouts. Two Huskies had multi-hit nights with Biller having three and Shpur with two. Evan Hamberger, Sam Hutchinson and Connor Lane all made their UConn debuts in the Huskies 11-7 loss to Missouri on Saturday night.
For one last matchup in Caguas, Puerto Rico, UConn faced off against Penn State on Sunday night but came up just short after rallying for three runs in the ninth inning.
After just two innings, Penn State jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Freshman left-handed pitcher came in for relief and settled down the Nittany Lions offense. The Virginia native pitched for a career-high four innings and allowed one run while punching four strikeouts.
Right hand pitcher Jude Abbadessa helped to get the Huskies out of a pickle in the seventh inning by stranding runners at second and third. He struck out a Penn State batter and allowed just a groundout back to the mound. This was Abbadessa’s first appearance in the circle since May 24, 2023.
The Huskies entered the ninth inning trailing the Nittany Lions 7-3. Rispoli led off the frame with a single and Shpur continued his offensive efforts by following with a double. After Biller walked, MacArthur stepped up to the batter’s box with intentions to bring in the tying run. The Huskies designated hitter earned his third hit of the night, a long drive down the left field line which skimmed off the glove of Penn State’s right fielder. Two runs scored for the Huskies but after some confusion on the bases, MacArthur was ruled out at second.
To make it a one-run ballgame, Dalena followed up with an RBI double down the right field line and put the tying run at second base. After a strikeout, Daniels put up a fight at the plate fouling off two strike pitches and blasted a ball into center field, however the Penn State center fielder Paxton Kling made a sliding catch to end the game 7-6.
Despite the loss, Daniels stayed strong on offense through the night with three hits including a pair of two-strike, two out RBI singles. The junior finished the weekend with five hits, four RBIs and one homerun, which is one of the team’s best on offense in Puerto Rico.
UConn finished the weekend with a 0-3 record but will be back in action next weekend down in Boca Raton, Florida at FAU for a three-game series. The Huskies will open up at FAU on Friday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in Boca Raton. All games will be available to stream on MIXLR.