Eagles Fall in Home Opener

Skogsbergh throws 3.2 shutout innings of relief

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Connecticut 9, Boston College 4
Records: Connecticut (12-11) at Boston College (13-9)
Location: Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

BC HIGHLIGHTS

• Redshirt sophomore right-hander Bobby Skogsbergh pitched a career-high 3.2 innings of relief without allowing a run, giving up three hits, one walk and striking out two. In 10 appearances, he has allowed the opponent to score just twice – giving up three runs over 15.2 innings.
• Sophomore Jake Palomaki recorded one hit on the day. He has tallied at least one hit in 15 of the Eagles' 22 games, including the last five, and reached base in 19 contests.
• Senior catcher Stephen Sauter made it a one-run game in the eighth with a bases-clearing double to score three. He also caught a career-high two baserunners stealing in the game.
• Junior Michael Strem and senior Logan Hoggarth led the way for the Eagles with 2-for-3 days at the plate.

KEY PLAYS

• The Huskies jumped out to a 4-0 lead after five innings but the Eagles made it a game in the eighth, scoring three on Sauter's bases-loaded double to close the gap to one.
• Errors plagued BC in the ninth, allowing five runs to come in to give UConn a 9-3 lead and the Eagles could only muster one run in the bottom of the inning to fall, 9-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Huskies were the first to strike, tallying a run in the third. Aaron Hill led off the inning with a bloop single to center and moved up to second on an error on a dropped line drive by second baseman Palomaki. He advanced to third on grounder to first and scored when Bobby Melley chopped one to short. Lane got out of the inning with another chopper to short.
• UConn added three in the fifth, forcing the Eagles to go to the bullpen. After retiring the first batter, freshman righty Thomas Lane walked one and classmate LHP Dan Metzdorf came on in relief. He loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and walk, forcing Skogsbergh into the game. Willy Yahn laced one to right center and sophomore right fielder Donovan Casey chased it down, making a dive for it, but it popped out of his glove, allowing two runs in. With runners on second and third, Joe DeRoche-Duffin hit a sac fly to left to plate the fourth run of the game.
• The Eagles made it a one-run game in the eighth with RHP Devin Over on the hill. With one out, Palomaki singled before  Over got the second out swinging. Strem followed with a base hit to right and moved up to second on the throw. The Huskies when to the pen for RHP Doug Domnarski, who walked Casey to load the bases. UConn brought in LHP Randy Polonia. Sauter launched a double to left center to clear the bases and make it a 4-3 game.
• The Huskies capitalized on BC miscues in the ninth to put the game out of reach. Senior RHP John Nicklas took the mound in the ninth and walked Keith Krueger. Hill laid down a sac bunt to move Krueger over, but Nicklas' throw to first was high, allowing the runners to advance to second and third. Jack Sundberg plated one with single through the right side before new pitch sophomore LHP Kevin Connor got the first out of the inning swinging. Connor gave up a base hit to Melley to score another run and two more hits, including a double by Joe DeRoche-Duffin plated Melley. With freshman RHP John Witkowski on the hill, Tyler Gnesda grounded one to third. The Eagles were able to get Yahn, who had singled earlier, trying to score for the second out. With runners at the corners, Zac Susi laced one back up the middle to bring in the final UConn run before Witkowski got a grounder to second for the third out.
• With RHP Patrick Ruotolo in for the Huskies, sophomore Mitch Bigras led off the bottom of the ninth with a bloop double to left. He moved to third on a wild pitch and freshman Connor Bacon plated him with a pinch-hit groundout to third. A pop fly ended the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Huskies have won the last two meetings between the two squads. With head coach Mike Gambino leading the way, the Eagles are 3-2 against UConn and 41-60 all-time.
• Bacon's RBI in the ninth was the first of his young career.
• Lane allowed just one hit in his 4.2-inning outing. He allowed two runs, walked three and struck out three. He was the second-longest outing of his career and the second-most strikeouts he tallied.
• For the third time in 2016, the Eagles made three errors in a game. They are 1-2 in the those contests with the only victory coming in the form of an 11-10, 12-inning win against Villanova on Feb. 28.

UP NEXT
The Eagles travel to Amherst to take on Massachusetts at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30.