The UConn baseball team lost its series opener against East Tennessee State University (ETSU) by a score of 14-7 on May 1 at Elliot Ballpark.
The game saw the Huskies surrender a six-run fourth inning and a five-run eighth inning, which allowed the Buccaneers to secure the win in game one of the series.
After trailing 7-0 in the top of the fourth, UConn responded with an RBI single from Gabriel Tirado. In the fifth inning, Rob Rispoli contributed a two-run double as part of his three-hit performance. Tirado added another run with an RBI ground out, narrowing ETSU’s lead to 7-4.
Joe Talarico provided relief for UConn by pitching 1.2 shutout innings without allowing a hit and striking out two batters. The score remained unchanged until ETSU loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning. Frank Spirito IV managed to get a fielder’s choice out at home plate and recorded a strikeout but could not prevent further runs after a walk and an error extended ETSU’s advantage to 12-4.
Cam Righi hit his tenth home run of the season in the ninth inning, but it was not enough as UConn’s six-game winning streak came to an end with this loss. The teams are scheduled to continue their series on Saturday at 2:05 p.m.
