UMass Toppled By UConn, 13-6 - MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

April 8, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. - Despite an attempted comeback in the eighth inning, UMass (8-12, 3-6 A-10) fell to UConn (16-15) with a final score of 13-6 on Tuesday afternoon. Jared Freni (0-2) gave up ten hits over 4 1/3 innings to give the Huskies a 4-0 lead, which they never gave up. UConn's Matt McDonald (2-2) lasted an impressive six innings allowing only two runs on four hits to earn the win. The Huskies were led by second baseman Pierre LePage who went 4-for-5 on the day against the Minutemen.

After scoring one run in the first, UConn took a 4-0 lead in the second after scoring three unanswered runs. Gordon Stevens sac fly to center field scored Mike Nemeth to take a 2-0 lead. UConn scored two more runs in the inning. Dale Brannon reached home plate on an error and Elliot Glynn singled to left to send Pierre LePage home.

The Huskies struck again in the fifth when they scored three more runs against the Minutemen. Mike Olt hit a three run home run for a 7-0 lead. With one out in the inning, Charlie Benson came to the mound for UMass. Benson faced two batters who both flied out to left field to end the inning.

With UConn leading 9-0, UMass finally got on the board with a double by junior Adam Tempesta (Brockton, Mass.) to score freshman Kyle Multner (Peabody, Mass.). Tempesta scored from third after junior Jim Macdonald (Cheshire, Conn.) singled to left center to make the score 9-2.

In the top of the seventh, UConn looked to add more runs on the scoreboard. With two outs and runners on first and second, Stevens hit a bomb out into center field, but was robbed of a homerun by sophomore Brian Baudinet (Watertown, Conn.). In the bottom of the inning, UMass added on two more runs. With two outs, Baudinet singled down the left field line to score freshman Andrew Black (Baltimore, Md.) from second. With the bases loaded, Tempesta grounded out to the third baseman, but the ball was bobbled allowing Tempesta to reach first and Multner to score from third.

In the eighth, freshman Garrett Butt (Marlboro, Mass.) came to the mound for UMass. Butt gave up three runs on three hits for UConn to increase their lead 12-4. The Minutemen looked to stage a comeback in the bottom of the eighth after the bases were loaded with no outs. Black singled to second base to score sophomore Mike Donato (East Hartford, Conn.) from third. Multner came to the plate with no outs, but grounded out into a double play followed by Baudinet grounding out to third to end the inning.

Black was 2-for-4 on the day with one RBI, while Macdonald was 2-for-5 with one RBI. UMass gave up a season high 19 hits against UConn.

The Minutemen will return to the field on Wednesday when they travel to Lynn, Massachusetts to take on the Harvard Crimson in round one of the Beanpot. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. at Fraser Field. The winner will go on to play in the Beanpot Championships Wednesday, April 16 at Fenway Park.