Since 2010, Connecticut baseball has become a mainstay in the collegiate baseball world as one of the most consistent programs in the Northeast. In that time span, the Huskies have made the NCAA Tournament eight times, earned three conference titles, and won 30 games in all but one season.
No. 14 Boston College baseball visited its former Big East rival No. 20 UConn Tuesday afternoon on a windy day at Elliot Ballpark. And after holding UConn (16–6) to just two runs through seven innings, BC (18–5, 6–3 Atlantic Coast) topped the Huskies 6–3 in a matchup between the Northeast’s two highest-ranked programs.
After earning their best ranking in program history after their win over then-No. 24 NC State on Sunday, the Eagles are right back where they left off—in the win column.
“[UConn] is a program and a team and a coaching staff that we respect, but any time you’re matching up against Northeast teams, you want to get a [win],” BC head coach Mike Gambino said.
Both BC and UConn have considerable experience on their roster. The Huskies’ lineup features five graduate position players and a graduate starting pitcher. Even with junior Joe Vetrano and senior Vince Cimini not playing in Tuesday’s game, BC still had three juniors, a senior, and a graduate in their starting nine.
The Eagles scored first in the game, notching a run in the second inning. After UConn starter Stephen Quigley hit Patrick Roche with a pitch and Peter Burns singled, Nick Wang scored Roche from third with a ground ball. UConn avoided further damage by turning a 5-4-3 double play on Wang’s ground ball and getting Kyle Wolff to fly out right after.
In the third inning, Sam McNulty—who made his second start of the season after missing the season’s first month with a shoulder injury—lined a single into right to lead off. Cohl Mercado advanced McNulty to second base, and Barry Walsh moved McNulty to third with a groundout. With two outs and a runner on third, Travis Honeyman delivered, scoring McNulty with an RBI single to right field, making it 2–0.
“We feel really confident stepping into any ballgame against any team, regardless of where they are ranked,” Gambino said. “We feel like we have a pretty good chance to get an outcome we want.”
BC’s record start has not been propelled by historic numbers in offense or pitching, but by capitalizing on opportunities that present themselves, according to Gambino. BC’s two early runs in the contest set the tone for the remainder of the game.
“It’s not an offense that’s on fire,” Gambino said. “It’s playing good baseball, and when we play like that, even if we’re not swinging it great, or the other team is throwing it really well, we’re tough to beat because we don’t give the other team enough chances to score.”
A.J. Colarusso, BC’s starting left-handed pitcher, sat the Huskies down in order in the bottom of the third inning. He earned his first collegiate win with three scoreless innings on the day. H Colarusso recorded two strikeouts and gave up only two hits, showing promising signs for his outlook going forward with the midweek starting pitcher role remaining up for grabs.
BC added to its lead in the fourth inning with three more runs behind RBI singles from Burns, Mercado, and Walsh. Roche started the inning with a double down the left field line, and Burns scored him with an opposite-field RBI single. After Quigley hit two more batters, Mercado and Walsh singled to put BC up 5–0.
UConn responded with two of its own in the bottom of the frame, as Bryan Padilla and Paul Tammaro both singled to bring runners home.
Each team added one more run apiece, but BC’s pitching held the Huskies’ Dominic Freeberger and Ben Huber—who entered the game batting .376 and .354 on the season, respectively—hitless in nine at-bats. While UConn matched BC’s hit total of 10, BC turned three double plays in the game, ending potential UConn scoring runs before they began.
“I think you’re going to continue to see this team have success,” Gambino said. “Because the way we are winning baseball games is … [behind] good pitching, good defense, and things that are sustainable.”
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