Hoeschel Triples; Moates And Fuller Record RBI

STORRS, Conn. – Griffin Dey went 2-for-2 at the dish and threw a scoreless inning in relief, while Nate Adams extended his hitting streak to three games, but the Yale baseball team could not overcome UConn's lead in an 8-2 loss on Tuesday afternoon.

The first week of March never looked as beautiful as it did at J.O. Christian Field around first pitch at 2 p.m., with nothing but sunny skies to be seen. It felt like baseball season and the Bulldogs (0-4) took another step toward success while playing the Huskies.

Dey was one of four relief pitchers to throw scoreless frames against the Huskies, including freshman lefty Sam Boies (Naples, Fla.) who hurled two innings in relief of starter Mason Kukowski (Katy, Texas).

After pinch-hitting for junior Harrison White (Laguna Niguel, Calif.), Dey smacked two singles through the left side of UConn's infield. Adams was 2-for-4 on the day with a pair of bunt singles, his second straight multi-hit game.

Held scoreless throughout the first eight innings, the Bulldogs broke through in the ninth inning with two runs and four hits off UConn pitcher Randy Polonia. Senior Chris Moates (Smithville, Ga.) contributed an RBI groundout, while freshman Tom Fuller (Santa Monica, Calif.) added an RBI sacrifice fly.

Kukowski (0-2) picked up the loss after allowing four runs on four hits in two innings of work. Just one run was earned, however, after a throwing error by Tom O'Neill (Baltimore, Md.) in the first led to RBI hits from UConn's Tyler Gnesda and Bryan Daniello.

"We're going to be a good team, but sometimes this game humbles you," said head coach John Stuper. "We just have to remain confident going forward."

The Bulldogs have played one of the best teams in the country in No. 4 Texas A&M, and played one of the better squads in the northeast in UConn. Like in the A&M series, the Elis lost because of an inning or two that got away.

The Huskies plated three runs in the first and four in the seventh, taking a lead that proved to be insurmountable. UConn starter Andrew Zapata threw six scoreless innings, striking out four batters and allowing just two hits.

"We can't make certain mistakes. Good teams like we have played so far will make those count," said Stuper.

Freshman Benny Wanger (Waban, Mass.), junior Alec Hoeschel (Hockessin, Del.) and junior Richard Slenker (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) added one hit apiece for the Bulldogs. Hoeschel's ninth-inning hit came by way of a ripped line-drive down the right field line, resulting in a triple.

Freshmen Tim DeGraw (Rye, N.Y.) and Simon Whiteman (Trumbull, Conn.), Yale's two leadoff hitters, combined to go 0-for-8 on Tuesday. Two of the fastest players on the team, Stuper believes it's only a matter of time before they break-out.

"I bet those guys have never gone 0-for-4 in a game in their entire baseball careers," said Stuper. "But the competition at this level is unlike anything they have played against. I have a ton of faith in them, as long as they keep believing in themselves."

Yale had a chance in the fifth inning with runners on first and third, before a pop-out by O'Neill ended the threat. In the eighth inning, it had runners on first and second with one out, but failed to punch any runs across. The Bulldogs stranded seven base runners in the game.

Connecticut native Willy Yahn led the Huskies, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Gnesda went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

The Elis return to the diamond this weekend as part of their spring trip, where they will play six games in five days. First, they play doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday against Navy down in Annapolis, Md. Saturday's games begin at 11 a.m. and Sunday's start at 12 p.m.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity