QU Baseball Comes From Behind But Falls Short At UConn

Monday, April 17

J.O. Christian Field//Storrs, CT

3 PM

Quinnipiac University

11-22

University of Connecticut

20-14

Quinnipiac

UConn

QU Baseball Comes From Behind But Falls Short At UConn

4/17/2017 5:58:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

STORRS, Connecticut – The Quinnipiac University baseball team scored twice in the seventh inning to tie the game before UConn pushed a run across in their final at-bat to win, 4-3, in a non-conference match-up in Storrs, Conn. Quinnipiac drops sto 11-22 overall while UConn improves to 20-14 for the year.

Matthew Batten (Shelton, Connecticut) and Mike Palladino (Rockville Centre, New York) was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base while Ben Gibson (Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts) was 1-for-3 with a two-run double. Brian Moskey (Higganum, Connecticut) was 1-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Batten continued to swing the hot bat for the Bobcats, collected two hits to move ahead of Vincent Guglietti '15 on the all-time hits chart. Batten entered the day tied with Guglietti with 228, but after a two-hit outing against the Huskies he became the fourth player in Quinnipiac history to reach 230 career hits. He trails all-time leader Tim Binkoski '07 (244), and Ryan Rizzo '07 and Ben Farina '11 (238).

In addition, senior Matthew Osieja (Wyckoff, New Jersey) made his Quinnipiac record 64^th appearance on the mound for the Bobcats. Osieja passes Matthew Lorenzetti '15 and Mike Spahr '05 for the most appearances on by a Bobcat pitcher in program history. Osieja has now appeared in 14 games this season and has allowed just three runs in his last five appearances.

Quinnipiac got on the board in their first at-bats when Palladino stung a one-out single to the left side of the infield. After Joseph Burns (Shelton, Connecticut) was retired, Batten followed with a two-out single through the right side of the infield to move Palladino to third. The Bobcats then pulled off the rare double steal as Batten stole second and Palladino snuck home to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.

In the second, UConn's Isaac Feldstein connected for a two-run homer for his third long ball of the season. Brandon Shileikis (North Dighton, Massachusetts) came on in relief of Quinnipiac starter Wyatt Hamilton (Falmouth, Massachusetts) whose day ended after allowing two runs on three hits over two innings of work. Shileikis issued a lead-off walk to UConn Anthony Prato, who moved to third after he stole second and then advanced another base on a passed ball. Prato scored an unearned run on Troy Stefanski's ground ball to second.

Shileikis retired the next six batters he faced before giving up a lead-off single in the fifth. He managed to retire the next two batters before Stefanski singled to right field, seemingly driving in Alex LeFevre from second. Liam Scafariello (Southington, Connecticut) fielded Stefanski's hit and came up throwing, connecting with Gibson whose relay home to Evan Vulagmore (Bow, New Hampshire) was in time for the put-out at the plate to save a run.

In the sixth, Batten reached on a fielder's choice that retired Burns, who led-off the inning with a single. Brian Moskey (Higganum, Connecticut) then moved Batten into scoring position at third with a single to right field. After Moskey stole second, Gibson lined a single to left center to score Batten and Moskey and tie the game at 3-3.

Osieja entered the game with one out in the seventh inning in relief of Shileikis who spun another impressive relief performance. Shileikis entered the game in the third and held UConn to a single, unearned run in 4 1/3 while scattering three hits and walking one. Shileikis has now allowed one unearned run over his last nine innings in relief. Osieja retired a batter before two reached in the seventh. Andrew Workman (Pound Ridge, New York), making his team-leading 15^th appearance of the season, retired the last batter of the inning, and three in the bottom of the eighth to keep the Huskies off the board. UConn scored the deciding run in their final at-bat.

Quinnipiac will host Bryant on Tuesday, April 18 at 3 p.m. At then QU Baseball Field.