NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After posting 46 runs en route to taking three out of four games at the University of Hartford this past weekend, the Yale baseball team looks to stay hot at the plate against another Nutmeg State foe- the University of Connecticut. The Bulldogs (9-4-1) ride a three-game winning streak into Storrs on Wednesday, while the Huskies (11-5) will play at Holy Cross on Tuesday prior to hosting the Elis. First pitch of the nine-inning contest from J.O. Christian Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Once again, senior first baseman Trygg Larsson-Danforth is the leader of the Bulldogs' hitting corps. The 2009 All-Ivy first team honoree is hitting .444 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 14 games. As a team, Yale is hitting a scorching .350, with six players who have over 50 plate appearances batting better than .300. Behind Larsson-Danforth in batting average, and before him in the batting order as the Elis' three hitter, is junior Trey Rallis. Rallis is hitting at a .429 clip with three home runs and leads Yale with a .556 on-base percentage.

One of the breakout players in the Yale lineup is junior Andrew Moore. The outfielder/designated hitter is batting .404 and has already eclipsed his previous season highs with eight doubles and 16 runs batted in. In total, seven Bulldogs have driven in 11 or more runs to lead Yale to an average of 9.28 runs scored per contest.

Yale's pitching staff has also done its share to make sure that those nearly 10 runs per game are more than enough to lead the Bulldogs to victory. Thus far in 2010, the projected Ivy League rotation of Brook Hart, Pat Ludwig, Christopher O'Hare and Vinny Lally is 8-1 with a combined ERA of 4.28 through 67.1 innings of work. Against Hartford this past weekend, the starters went 3-0 with a 2.74 ERA against a Hawks' squad that had scored eight or more runs in four of its first five games entering the series.

As a staff, the Bulldogs own an ERA of 5.37 through 112.1 innings on the mound. Yale has struck out 86 hitters and walked 55, and opponents are batting .298 against them. Wednesday's contest is slated to be a “staff game” for the Bulldogs, with southpaw O'Hare as the scheduled starter and several other Elis ready to share the relief work.

The Connecticut Huskies are currently batting .298 as a team, with five players hitting .300 or better. They are averaging 7.75 runs scored per game with a team fielding percentage of .962. Connecticut's pitchers boast a collective ERA of 3.97 in 140.2 innings of work. The Huskies' hurlers have struck out 107 batters and issued 50 walks with opposing batters hitting .266 against them. Wednesday's game will be a staff game for Connecticut as well, though the starter for the Huskies will not be determined until after their contest at Holy Cross this afternoon.

The 16th game of the 2010 season will be the Bulldogs' first in front of their home fans, as the New York Institute of Technology visits New Haven on Saturday, March 27 for Opening Day at historic Yale Field. The Elis and NYIT will play a two seven-inning contests beginning at noon on Saturday and will then wrap-up the series with one nine-inning game in Old Westbury, N.Y. on Sunday.

report filed by Drew M. Kingsley, Yale Sports Publicity