The No. 2 seed UConn Huskies (32-26, 15-8 Big East) were shocked on Thursday, losing their first two games of the double-elimination Big East Championship to bring their season to an early end.
After dropping game one to No. 3 Seed Xavier (28-28, 16-6 Big East), UConn was eliminated in the first game of the losers’ bracket by No. 4 seed Creighton (30-25, 14-9 Big East) due to an anemic day at the plate.
Across 18 innings on the day, the Huskies allowed more runs (12) than they had hits (8).
Three of
those hits came from Big East Player of the Year Jackson Marshall, who went 3-for-7 across the two games and will carry an on-base streak of 47 games into the 2027 season. All three of his hits were doubles. The 6-foot-8 slugger also scored two runs. He was the only player to notch multiple hits on the day.
Game 1 vs. Xavier (L, 5-1)
In game one, Xavier took an early lead in the fourth on an RBI single through the right side of the infield past a diving Jemison from Jonathan Fitz. The Huskies struck out 11 times in the game overall.
The Huskies tied it up in the fifth on an RBI double off the bat of Gabriel Tirado, the catcher’s first extra-base hit since April 12 against Butler, but Xavier took the lead right back and for good in a big top of the sixth.
While usual Friday starter Charlie West looked solid through five innings, the wheels came off in the sixth. Facing the top of the Xavier lineup, the left-hander allowed a lead-off single to Jorge Valdes before Big East first-teamer Clay Burdette placed two runners in scoring position with a double.
The Musketeers went back ahead on a sac fly to right off the bat of Josh Stonehouse that likely would’ve scored a pair of runs had Nater Wachter not charged in to make a diving catch. However, that flyout only started a parade of runs, with Luke Hammond scoring Burdette from second with a long single into right.
Two wild pitches later, and two more runs had scored after Hammond and Fitz, who worked a five-pitch walk earlier in the inning, crossed home.
West pitched two more outs into the sixth, eating 6.2 innings but giving up five earned runs. He punched out five but also issued five free passes and threw three wild pitches.
In contrast, fellow All-Big East First Team starter Ryan Piech spun a gem for the Musketeers, giving up just the Tirado double as he kept the Huskies to one run over 7.2 innings, striking out nine.
Austin Trumpour pitched two scoreless innings in relief, and Evan Hamberger also picked up an out, but the Huskies’ lineup didn’t put up much fight after going back down, picking up just two more base runners over the final four innings with just one hit, Marshall’s second double. Five of their last 12 outs came via strikeout.
All-Big East First Team reliever Garrett Helsel threw 1.1 innings and faced the minimum four batters to close the door on UConn in game one.
Game 2 vs. Creighton (L 7-4)
Playing for their lives in game two, the Huskies never led and were behind from the second inning on after a pair of run-scoring extra base hits gave the Bluejays a three-run lead.
With Big East Pitcher of the Year Cayden Suchy on the mound, the lefty took just his third loss of the season in his shortest non-injury-shortened start of the year, going three innings.
After a pair of two-out singles, Rocco Gump tripled to force both runs in and Nate McHugh followed with a double to bring him home.
Suchy made it through the third relatively unscathed but was knocked out of the game in the fourth after a lead-off double from Cooper Fuchino. The sophomore faced 17 batters in three innings of work, tossing 69 pitches on relatively short rest while allowing six hits and striking out just a single batter.
The Huskies did get a pair back in the fourth thanks to team captains Maddix Dalena and Rob Rispoli. Dalena singled into left to score Cam Righi after the freshman walked earlier in the inning. Rispoli smacked a line drive sac fly into left to bring in Marshall after the first baseman was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Rispoli wasn’t done, also elevating a two-run homer towards the video board in left to make it a 6-4 ballgame in the bottom of the sixth after the Bluejays picked up a trio of runs in the top of the frame.
With relief ace Greg Shaw III in, the senior made a throwing error to allow one run to score unearned before a single from McHugh scored another pair, one unearned.
Though he walked five, Shaw pitched a fairly strong 4.2 innings out of the bullpen before being replaced with closer Paxton Meyers midway through the eighth as the Huskies looked to keep it close. This second move to the bullpen didn’t have the desired result for UConn, as Gump singled another run home in the ninth to extend the Creighton lead back to three.
Hamberger came in once again in relief for one batter before Garret Garbinski finished off the Bluejays’ side of the ninth on the mound. Though Rispoli worked a four-pitch walk to lead off the bottom of the ninth, the Huskies went down in order after that, with Chris Cancel striking out looking to officially end UConn’s season.
Rispoli got on base three times after also being hit by a pitch. Cancel also got on via a hit by pitch in the fifth. Chase Taylor picked up a single and walked.
While the Huskies secured at least a share of the Big East regular-season title for the sixth-straight season, their conference tournament championship drought extends to four years, having last won in 2022. They will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
UConn finished the year on a three-game losing streak.
With both of Friday’s games cancelled as weather continues to create chaos at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, the Big East Championship will continue on Saturday with a semifinal game against No. 1 seed St. John’s (31-24, 16-6 Big East) and Xavier before an elimination game between Creighton and the loser of the first game of the day.
