After falling behind 7–0, Yale’s baseball team (16–12, 4–4 Ivy) came storming back in the last two innings of play to defeat UConn 10–7.
The Huskies walked and hit multiple batters in those two innings, and Yale took full advantage with 10 unanswered runs for the victory. The game, which was shortened because of inclement weather, was the first time the Bulldogs beat the Huskies since 2006.
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“We got off to a pretty slow start and fell behind, but the team never gave up,” pitcher Vinny Lally ’11 said. “It’s a great win to get going into this weekend. We’re going into Dartmouth with some momentum.”
For the first six innings of play, the Elis were struggling at the plate and the UConn pitching staff did well to control a strong Bulldog offense that has scored more than four runs in more than half its games this season. Yale was unable to get a hit in the first three innings and was only able to scavenge two hits through the first six innings.
The Huskies, on the other hand, scored one or more runs in each of the first five innings.
But the momentum of the game changed when outfielder Andrew Kolmar ’11, who has recovered from a broken hand he suffered earlier in the season, came into the game to pinch-hit and sparked an unpredictable Yale comeback in the seventh inning with a three-run home run to get the team back to its scoring ways.
“For him to come back from his unjiry this quickly and to play as well as he has been is remarkable.” captain and third baseman Andy Megee ’11 said.
After that play, with a man on base, Megee hit an RBI double and the inning ended with Yale trailing 7–5.
In the eighth inning, the rain picked up, but that did not deter UConn from pushing for more runs. The Huskies had one runner in scoring position and another on base, but a pop-up ended the inning.
The Bulldogs continued their strong hitting at the bottom on the eighth. Kolmar again made his presence felt in the final inning of play when his RBI cut the UConn lead to just one run, the smallest deficit the team faced since the first inning of play.
A Husky error brought in the tying run and consecutive hit batters guaranteed the win for the Elis. Megee was then walked to bring in the 10th run of the game. That would be the final score of the game as competition was stopped because of rain.
“The bats came alive in the seventh and [UConn’s] pitching helped us in the eighth,” Lally said.
Although Yale came out with the victory, the Elis did not come out unscathed. Josh Scharff ’12 was injured when he was trying to slide home. Gant Elmore ’11 was hit in the face by a fastball that broke multiple facial bones.
Megee said that Elmore may be able to compete against Dartmouth for two pivotal Ivy League games. The Bulldogs are currently two games behind the Big Green, who stand in first in the Red Rolfe Division.
Freshmen, once again, played a key role in the Bulldogs’ success. Jacob Hunter ’14 and Cale Hanson ’14 combined for three hits and two runs. Pitcher Kevin Fortunato ’14 also got his second win of the season.
“Kevin [Fortunato] has been pitching so well,” Megee said. “Cale and Jake have been amazing all year. Coleman and Cerf kept us in the game.”
The Elis will play against Red Rolfe division leader Dartmouth this Saturday and Sunday in back-to-back doubleheaders.