Morris Leads UMass Baseball Past UConn, 9-5

The junior drove in five runs and scored two to help the Minutemen snap the Huskies six-game win streak.
 AMHERST, Mass. - A monster day at the plate by junior Dylan Morris helped lead the University of Massachusetts baseball team to a 9-5 victory over Connecticut on Tuesday afternoon at Earl Lorden Field. With the win, the Minutemen improve to 8-17 on the season, while the Huskies snap a six-game winning streak and fall to 19-16.

Morris went 3-for-5 at the plate for UMass in the contest and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle while driving in five runs and scoring two on the afternoon. Senior John Jennings also had three RBI for the Minutemen, who pounded out 10 hits against UConn.

Jennings plated the first run of the game with single in the bottom of the first to give UMass a 1-0
lead, but the Huskies responded with RBI single from John Toppa in the top of the second to even things up at 1-1.

Joe Deroche-Duffin dropped a two-out single into left that scored Bobby Melly and gave UConn a 2-1 lead in the third. However, the Minutemen countered in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single from Morris that leveled the score at 2-2.

UMass then erupted for four runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth to climb on top, 6-2. A single, sandwiched between two walks, loaded the bases for Morris who roped a three-run double into the left field corner. Jennings followed with an RBI single to bring in Morris.

UConn made it a one-run game, scoring three on four hits in the fifth, but the Minutemen worked out of the jam with a double play ball. The Huskies threatened with runners aboard in the sixth, seventh and eighth, but each time UMass’ pitching denied UConn a comeback.

The Minutemen then sealed the win with a three-run bottom of the eighth, highlighted by an RBI triple from Morris to start the scoring.

Senior Brandon Walsh picked up the victory (1-0) for UMass on the mound, letting up five runs on eight hits over six innings in his start with four walks and two strikeouts. Classmate Evan Macintosh recorded the final four outs to collect his fifth save of the season and struck out three. Reliever Dan Rajkowski took the loss (0-1) for the Huskies.