#9 UConn v. Butler Bulldogs @Elliot Ballpark (Friday 5/12/23 @6:05p, Saturday 5/13/23 @2:05p & Sunday 5/14/23 @Noon). All games on UConn+/Mixlr

[Hookknows]

I am going to take the Adirondack C Chairs today! Lets go Huskies!

 

[huskymedic]

Coach Mac has to be sticking pencils in his eyes…

 

[ATLDYKA]

And here we go again with Cooke. In fairness, why does it seem like umps in College Baseball are squeezing the strike zone. Back in the day anything close was a strike.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Cooke walks the first two batters of the first inning, then retires the next two batters on line drive outs. An RBI single gives Butler an early 1-0 lead. A wild pitch makes it 2-0 Butler after a walk. Freeberger makes a nice play to end the inning.

Cooke at 26 pitches. Kirby was warming up at the end.

 

[uconnbaseball]

And here we go again with Cooke. In fairness, why does it seem like umps in College Baseball are squeezing the strike zone. Back in the day anything close was a strike.

Thought both 50/50 pitches were correctly called, but yea, not getting those hurt. If Butler's pitcher is similarly squeezed I expect many runs today.

 

[dbmill]

Cooke walks the first two batters of the first inning, then retires the next two batters on line drive outs. An RBI single gives Butler an early 1-0 lead. A wild pitch makes it 2-0 Butler after a walk. Freeberger makes a nice play to end the inning.

Cooke at 26 pitches. Kirby was warming up at the end.

Yeah, they started running to the bullpen to get Kirby warmed up after the second walk.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Cade Thune, the Butler starter, has a gruesome 8.31 ERA and a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio. It would be nice to pounce on him early. Butler's bullpen is exhausted too.

Daniels works a leadoff walk. Freeberger singles him over to third. A wild pitch scores Daniels to make the score 2-1, still no one out.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Cade Thune, the Butler starter, has a gruesome 8.31 ERA and a 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio. It would be nice to pounce on him early. Butler's bullpen is exhausted too.

Daniels works a leadoff walk. Freeberger singles him over to third. A wild pitch scores Daniels to make the score 2-1, still no one out.

RBI single by Huber on a bloop single ties the game at 2 apiece. Huber advances to 2nd on the ill advised throw. Still no one out. Studley crushes one, but right at the 3rd baseman for out #1. Huber steals third, and Broadhurst gets hit with a pitch. After a Simmons walk, Butler makes a pitching change after Thune records only 1 out.

 

[uconnbaseball]

New Butler pitcher has 33 walks and 20 strikeouts.

Double play ends the inning. Simmons swung on what would have been ball 4. Happens.

 

[ATLDYKA]

Padilla swings at ball 4 with bases loaded and grounds into DP.

 

[Zanzman]

Double play ends the inning. Simmons swung on what would have been ball 4. Happens.

Padilla

 

[ATLDYKA]

I'm sorry, but this home plate ump sucks!! Same ump who had some of the questionable fair/foul calls down the 3rd base line on Friday.

 

[CtBaseball]

Our starting pitching is in shambles…

 

[Bomber36]

This is painful.

 

[ATLDYKA]

The inability to bury this team in the first inning and multiple times this weekend is concerning. Cooke is beginning to remind me of Andrew Zapato who pitched years ago. Great freshmen year and then just dropped off and never really panned out. Hope he can turn it around but he is just lost right now.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Butler adds 2 in the top of the second, Kirby gets out of Cooke's jam. 4-2 Butler.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Bottom of the 2nd starts off with 2 walks to our 8 and 9 hitters. This game is really dragging. Now Daniels gets hits. Bases loaded, no outs for Freeberger.

Freeberger single drives in 1. 4-3 Butler. Huber hits a ball that hung up forever, but Butler's lack of team speed prevents them from getting there in time, tying the game (Daniels was thrown out amidst the chaos). 2nd and 3rd, 1 out, Studley up. No further damage for UConn as we go to the 3rd inning tied 4-4.

 

[CtBaseball]

It is pretty funny that we are considered the #9 team in the country given our current SP. While it is flattering and good for recruiting, it is not quite accurate… top 25, mayyybe. I’m sure some (or many) will disagree but I’d rather be honest about how it is now then get my hopes unreasonably high before we play non-Butler teams in the playoffs. (If we somehow repurpose a couple bullpen arms I think we could have a fighting chance but that will be tough for obvious reasons.)

 

[CL82]

Surprising base running error kept that from being a bigger inning. Tied up at 4

 

[ATLDYKA]

And again, what should have been a huge inning isn't. We are clearly not playing like a top 10 team.

 

[CL82]

Could Fogell be a starter for us? He just gave us a solid five innings.

 

[ATLDYKA]

It is pretty funny that we are considered the #9 team in the country given our current SP. While it is flattering and good for recruiting, it is not quite accurate… top 25, mayyybe. I’m sure some (or many) will disagree but I’d rather be honest about how it is now then get my hopes unreasonably high before we play non-Butler teams in the playoffs. (If we somehow repurpose a couple bullpen arms I think we could have a fighting chance but that will be tough for obvious reasons.)

Can't disagree with you. Which is why we really need to host. As long as we win I guess it doesn't matter how ugly it is, but I think those of us who are watching know we have challenges that may be tough to overcome, but we can hope.

 

[jrazz12]

And again, what should have been a huge inning isn't. We are clearly not playing like a top 10 team.

They're pressing. Heard all the same chatter about "absolutely must not lose a game to Butler"

 

[uconnbaseball]

Kirby pitches a scoreless top of the 3rd, aided by good defense by Ryan Daniels.

 

[uconnbaseball]

And again, what should have been a huge inning isn't. We are clearly not playing like a top 10 team.

True, but I think some of it is boredom. It's hard to get up for an 11-40 team that treats every game vs. you like it's game 7 of the world series. BC had similar issues with Villanova yesterday.

SP remains an issue (apart from Quigley) that we need to address.