PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers sophomore leadoff hitter Michael Lang (Dumont, N.J.) continued his hot hitting with a 3-for-5 day at the plate to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, but the Scarlet Knights (12-18, 2-8 BIG EAST) fell to Connecticut (16-14, 5-5 BIG EAST), 10-5, Thursday afternoon in the series opener at Bainton Field.
Lang’s three-hit day gave him at least one hit in 20 of the last 21 games and multiple hits in five of the last six contests. Juniors Jarred Jimenez (Monroe, N.J.) and Jayson Hernandez (Belmar, N.J.) each had a pair of hits on the afternoon to help lead the Scarlet Knights’ 12-hit attack.
Connecticut totaled 14 hits on the afternoon, however, with eight of the Huskies’ nine starters recording a base hit, and got a complete-game effort from starting pitcher John Folino. The Huskie posted eight strikeouts and did not record a walk while he gave up three earned runs (five total) in the nine-inning performance. Folino retired 13 of the last 15 batters of the game, including nine-straight at one point.
George Springer gave UConn the early lead with a three-run home run in the first inning and the Huskies built a 4-0 lead with a run in the second inning.
Rutgers starter Willie Beard (Spotswood, N.J.) settled down after the first two innings, posting three straight strikeouts at one point during scoreless third and fourth frames.
Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights put together a two-out rally in the third with a pair of singles from Dan Perrine (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and Lang to push across a run in the frame. RU then tied it up in the third thanks to three timely hits and two costly Huskie errors. Following a Jaren Matthews (Teaneck, N.J.) one-out single, Hernandez hit a ball down the left-field line that was misplayed at third base to put the pair of runners on base and Jimenez found a hole in left field for an RBI single to bring home the first run. A Luis Feliz (New Brunswick, N.J.) single to right field two pitches later loaded the bases and Vinnie Sangemino (Nutley, N.J.) lifted a ball to center field for a sacrifice fly to bring a run home. RU got the third run on UConn’s second infield miscue of the inning on the next play to tie it up at 4-4.
Two hits, including an RBI double from Springer, ended Beard’s day with one out in the fifth and the Huskies got two more runs on a single from Mike Nemeth off newly-inserted hurler Dennis Hill (Hillsdale, N.J.) in the inning.
An RBI single back up the middle off the bat of Jimenez scored Pat Biserta (Point Pleasant, N.J.) to give RU a run in the bottom half of the fifth and make it 7-5.
Connecticut plated three runs, highlighted by a Peter Fatse two-run double, in the seventh to build a 10-5 advantage en route to the victory.
Folino (4-2) earned the win in the 123-pitch complete-game effort while Beard (2-2) suffered the loss with seven runs on 10 hits and five strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Rutgers and Connecticut will continue the series with a doubleheader Friday beginning at 11:00 a.m. at Bainton Field. Junior righty Casey Gaynor (Toms River, N.J.) will face sophomore lefty Elliot Glynn in game one, while freshman righty Charlie Law (Mainland, N.J.) will face sophomore lefty Greg Nappo in game two.
