Sunday, June 3 Recap
UConn and Houston each survived their second NCAA Championship elimination games, but fell in regional finals, while ECU and USF took elimination game losses, as The American concluded its 2018 baseball slate on Sunday. The league’s four NCAA bids are the most since 2015, as the conference has had at least three teams competing in the national championship for the past four seasons. The conference’s six NCAA Championship wins this year are the third-most in the league’s five-year history.
USF Recap | Boxscore
WP: Heasley (5-6)
LP: Sullivan (1-1)
- Six batters in No. 2-seeded USF’s lineup had a hit, as the Bulls took an early 1-0 lead, but gave up the final six runs in a 6-1 elimination game loss to No. 3-seeded Oklahoma State in the DeLand Regional of the NCAA Championship. Kyle Phillips went 2-for-4 with one run scored. USF ends its season with 36 victories and their third NCAA appearance in the last four seasons.
UConn Recap | Boxscore
WP: Dandeneau (2-1)
LP: Causey (2-2)
UConn Recap | Boxscore
WP: Emanuels (8-2)
LP: Dunlop (2-3)
- No. 2-seeded UConn survived its second elimination game of the Conway Regional, knocking off top-seeded Coastal Carolina with a 6-5 win to advance to the regional final. The Huskies used three home runs, including Christian Fedko’s first-career solo shot in the eighth inning to capture the win. Tied at 2-2 in the seventh inning, Anthony Prato put UConn on top with a solo home run before Isaac Feldstein drove in his third and fourth runs of the game with a two-run homer. Five Huskies had a multi-hit game, as P.J. Poulin, who leads The American with 16 saves this year, made the start and tossed 6.0 innings fanning six batters.
UConn returned to the field at 6 p.m. ET for the regional final against No. 3-seeded Washington. The Huskies jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, but gave up the final eight runs to conclude their season with a 9-6 loss. Troy Stefanski went 5-for-5 to lead UConn’s offense.
Houston Recap | Boxscore
WP: Pulido (5-3)
LP: Learnard (2-2)
Houston Recap | Boxscore
WP: Bergner (7-2).
LP: Lockhart Jr. (1-2)
- No. 3-seeded Houston overcame a four-run deficit, pushing eight across through the final four innings, to survive an elimination game against Purdue, 8-4, and advance to the Chapel Hill Regional final. The final five batters in the Cougars’ lineup each posted two hits. Tied at 4-4 in the eighth inning, Joe Davis hit a solo home run to give his side the lead before Landon Etzel (single), Jared Triolo (triple)and Lael Lockhart Jr. (triple) each added RBIs to fuel a four-run surge.
Returning to the diamond an hour later for the regional final, Joe Davis hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to put No. 3-seeded Houston within three runs, but the Cougars’ late rally came up short, as their 2018 season came to an end against No. 1-seeded North Carolina. The Cougars’ first six batters each finished with a multi-hit game, as the pitching staff used seven arms. Houston has made an NCAA Championship appearance in four of the past five seasons in The American. The Cougars end the year with 38 wins.
ECU Recap | Boxscore
WP: Ryan (3-0)
LP: Ross (4-6)
- Top-seeded ECU held a 4-0 lead through the first four innings, but gave up nine runs in the fifth frame after a five-hour rain delay and took a 9-7 elimination game loss to UNC Wilmington to conclude their NCAA run in the Greenville Regional. Starter Jake Agnos fanned six batters through 3.2 innings, as Alex Burleson went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. ECU concludes is 2018 season with a league-high 44 wins. The Pirates’ 44 wins are the third-most in conference history and the most since the 2014 season.