Championship Central
Box Score
Highlights
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Leftfielder Jon Testani went 3-for-4 with a home run to lead No. 7-seeded UConn to a 7-2 win against No. 3-seeded Houston Thursday in a pool-play game of the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship at Bright House Field.
UConn’s win puts both teams at 1-1 in Pool B play with one game remaining for each. Each of the eight teams plays the other three in its division, before the two division winners meet Sunday in the championship game.
UConn starting pitcher Jordan Tabakman earned the win for the Huskies (27-30), working around eight hits in five innings to improve to 4-4 on the year. Anthony Kay bailed UConn out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning and went on to work 3.2 shutout innings with four strikeouts to pick up his second save of the season.
Houston (42-15) touched UConn’s pitchers for 12 hits, but the Cougars were undone by two errors and left 13 men on base.
The Huskies held a 1-0 lead after one inning and made it 3-0 in the bottom of the second when a throwing error by the Cougar shortstop allowed two runs to score on a Nico Darras grounder.
Houston got on the board in the top of the third on Casey Grayson’s RBI single past third base, which brought Josh Vidales home from second. But Tabakman left two Houston runners stranded in the third and fourth innings to allow UConn to remain ahead.
Houston closed to within one run in the top of the fifth as Kyle Survance scored on the front end of an attempted double-steal, making it 3-2. The Cougars threatened to take the lead in the top of the sixth as they loaded the bases with one out off reliever Patrick Ruotolo. But Kay came in and registered back-to-back strikeouts work out of the jam.
Testani led off the seventh inning with a solo shot to left-center that gave UConn a 4-2 lead and the Huskies broke it open in the eighth on an RBI single by Max McDowell and a two-run double down the leftfield line by Vinny Siena.
Houston again loaded the bases in the top of the eighth inning, but Kay got Michael Pyeatt to fly out to center to bring the Huskies back in the dugout.
Shortstop Tom Verdi went 2-for-4 for the Huskies, who had nine hits on the day.
Houston was led at the plate by Connor Hollis and Frankie Ratcliff, who were both 3-for-5. Pitcher Jake Lemoine went 5.1 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) with two strikeouts to fall to 6-6.
UConn continues pool play in the tournament Saturday against No. 6-seeded Temple at 11 a.m. ET. Houston is back in action Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 2-seeded UCF.
2014 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
bright house field • clearwater, fla.
Tournament
Pool A Record
No. 4 Rutgers 1-0
No. 1 Louisville 0-0
No. 8 Memphis 0-0
No. 5 USF 0-1
Tournament
Pool B Record
No. 2 UCF 1-0
No. 7 UConn 1-1
No. 3 Houston 1-1
No. 6 Temple 0-1
Wednesday, May 21 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
UCF 7, UConn 1
Houston 3, Temple 0
Rutgers 10, USF 0 (7 innings)
Thursday, May 22 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
UConn 7, Houston 2
No. 8 Memphis (28-28) vs. No. 1 Louisville (43-13) 3 p.m.
No. 2 UCF (35-22) vs. No. 6 Temple (14-31) 7 p.m.
Friday, May 23 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 4 Rutgers (30-23) vs. No. 8 Memphis 11 a.m.
No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 5 USF (26-30) 3 p.m.
No. 3 Houston (42-15) vs. No. 2 UCF 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 7 UConn (27-30) vs. No. 6 Temple 11 a.m.
No. 4 Rutgers vs. No. 1 Louisville 3 p.m.
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 5 USF 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 – Final (ESPNU)
Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner Noon
all times Eastern