The UConn baseball (4-8) team saw its three-game winning streak snapped after falling to the Miami Hurricanes (12-5) in Coral Gables, Fla. this weekend. They won the first two games of the three-game series but could not complete the sweep.
The third inning of the series opener set the tone for the series, with the Huskies scoring six runs with two outs.
Sophomore Tyler Minick brought in the first run with a base hit to center field, and junior Ryan Daniels followed with a missile RBI double to right field to give the Huskies a two-run cushion. Minick, a Reading, Pa. native, has 14 runs batted in this season, 12 of which came with two outs.
Graduate student Sam Biller hit a grand slam off the parking deck in right-center field to make it 6-0 after Miami gave up walks to junior Grant MacArthur and graduate student Bryan Padilla. It was the team’s second grand slam of the season, the other coming from Minick.
Left-handed pitcher Oliver Pudvar had run support and earned his first win of the year. The redshirt sophomore from Shelburne, Vt. recorded a career-high 5.0 innings pitched. He allowed just one run while retiring five batters on strikes.
“We’re trying to build him up slowly, and he’s coming off Tommy John [surgery],” UConn head coach Jim Penders said, in a postgame interview on X. “But I love watching him work.”
Insurance came in the seventh inning as freshman catcher Connor Lane drove in junior utility man Aidan Dougherty, who stole second base with two outs and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Left-handed pitcher JT Caruso, who used to play for the Hurricanes, pitched a scoreless eighth inning in his homecoming. Closer Brady Afthim closed a 7-2 victory for Connecticut.
On Saturday night, the Huskies clinched their first series victory of the season.
Junior second baseman Ryan Daniels set the tone for the series-clincher. The Meriden, Conn. native hit a double to right field that scored two runs. Later in the inning, Daniels stole third and scored on a throwing error that ended with the ball in left field.
A three-run lead became a two-run lead with Miami scoring on an RBI single in the first inning, but senior right-handed pitcher Ian Cooke stayed calm with a 1-2-3 frame an inning later.
Miami would jump out in front in the third inning with a monster three-run shot to center field and would double its lead to two runs in the fourth inning with a solo shot to left center field.
UConn responded three outs later, with a rally that began with a Daniels single to right field. Minick had advanced to third base, but both runners took off after a fielding error in right field that allowed Minick to cross home plate.
“Tyler Minick gave us great at-bats today,” Penders said following Saturday night’s win on X.
With Daniels on, MacArthur came through with a double to left center field to tie the game at five runs. The inning ended with Padilla’s single to center field that drove MacArthur in to score, giving UConn a 6-5 lead.
One inning later, redshirt freshman Rob Rispoli grounded out to third base, but that allowed Dougherty to score and give UConn a two-run lead.
Connecticut broke out in the eighth inning with a rally that began with Minick’s RBI infield single with the bases loaded and two outs.
The rally continued with Daniels walking to score senior catcher Matt Garbowski. MacArthur singled to center field and drove Minick and Rispoli to give the Huskies an 11-5 advantage.
The inning ended with a fielder’s choice in which MacArthur was thrown out at first base of a pick-off attempt, but to the Hurricanes’ dismay, Daniels crossed home plate.
While Miami scored the game’s last two runs, it was not enough as the Huskies won 12-8.
The series finale was inarguably the highest-scoring game of the series, with Miami winning 15-11.
Like the night before, UConn found themselves on the board first, with MacArthur hitting a two-run home run to left field with two outs left in the inning.
That would be the last time the Huskies scored until the top of the fifth inning, as the Hurricanes scored the next eight runs without an answer from UConn.
In the top of the fifth inning, Minick stayed hot with a two-run shot to left field that cut into the Huskies’ deficit. Later in the inning, Biller hit a sacrifice fly to left field that allowed Dougherty to score to cut into the deficit too.
Miami answered with a crucial fifth inning where they scored three runs to inflate their cushion.
Minick continued to produce, this time with a two-RBI double in the sixth inning that would be answered by a two-run Miami home run.
UConn had one last push with a four-run eighth inning. Dougherty hit a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed graduate student Caleb Shpur to score. Rispoli scored from third base on a wild pitch and Minick crossed home plate thanks to a two-run shot by MacArthur.
However, Connecticut gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and a 1-2-3 ninth inning ended the Huskies’ hopes of a sweep.
UConn will return home and open the home schedule at Elliot Ballpark with Long Island University on Tuesday afternoon.