UConn @ St John for 3 (Fri. 3/16@3p, Sat. 3/17@1p & Sun. 3/18@1p)

[dbmill]

St. John's pitcher was on the same summer team as Cate, the national team. No doubt that is having an affect on UConn bats.

 

[dbmill]

Cate gets a scoreless 5th inning with the help of Susi throwing out a stolen base attempt. Cate is also up to 96 pitches, so I can't imagine he will last more than an inning more.

 

[kris1]

Cate walks one but he’s erased by Susi trying to steal (looked to be a missed hit-n-run sign by the batter after watching the replay). Cate faced the minimum, still 8-3.

 

[kris1]

Huskies strand runners on 2nd and 3rd, still 8-3 Samson Johnson. Dunlop on the hill.

 

[dbmill]

Bottom 6th, Tim Cate comes out and the freshman Colby Dunlop in to pitch.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[kris1]

Samson Johnson adds a run on a passed ball, 9-3 heading to the 7th

 

[kris1]

Huskies strand runners on 1st and 2nd, 9-3 at the stretch.

 

[dbmill]

Colby Dunlop stays in to pitch the bottom of the 7th.

 

[dbmill]

St. John's gets 4 more runs in the bottom of the 7th, and Colby Dunlop exits in favor of Joe Rivera with 2 out in the inning. Dunlop was not helped by his defense, with only 1 run off of him being earned.

 

[dbmill]

Rivera gets a fly out to end the inning.

 

[kris1]

Dunlop shows promise. I’m thinking the staff is trying to stretch him out a bit with the starters not going deep into games. They’re going to need someone that can give them a few innings in the middle of games. Have to get Cate and the bullpen figured out.

 

[dbmill]

Dunlop shows promise. I’m thinking the staff is trying to stretch him out a bit with the starters not going deep into games. They’re going to need someone that can give them a few innings in the middle of games. Have to get Cate and the bullpen figured out.

I suspect Dunlop at the very least is going to get some midweek starts. I think the coaches want to keep Rossomando in one role to simplify things for him, and that is in relief. That of course is a reaction to Ronnie's pitching problems in the past. If Dunlop becomes a starter he will be the only underclassman in a starting role, so it is something that would be looking towards the future of the starting staff in years to come.

Edit: Forgot about the sophomore Mason Feole. My mistake.

 

[kris1]

Three pinch hitters....Bergmann (strikeout), Hague and Moriarty (flyouts to LF). Huskies go quietly in the 8th.

 

[dbmill]

Rivera stays in for the bottom of the 8th.

 

[kris1]

Susi having a rough game....four passed balls.

 

[dbmill]

Another unearned run off a Susi passed ball in the 8th makes it 14-3.

 

[kris1]

St John’s has scored in every inning but the 5th, when Cate faced just three batters.

 

[dbmill]

Game over, St. John's wins 14-4.

Well, I know I will see the Huskies win tomorrow. Going to the women's NCAA tournament game at Gampel tomorrow.

 

[huskymedic]

Huskies Overmatched 14-4 at St. John's

“Our Friday night guy didn’t have a Friday night presence.”

 

[dbmill]

Huskies Overmatched 14-4 at St. John's

“Our Friday night guy didn’t have a Friday night presence.”

Wow. Penders throughout the interview refers to Tim Cate as "Friday Night Guy", does not mention him by his name. Same thing with Zac Susi, referring to him as "Catcher". Only player who Penders actually refers to by name is Thad Phillips, and he was a late game substitution. Aside from Phillips, Penders could not name a single positive to this game.

 

[gtcam]

The New England/Northeast bug has bitten again
This is a very concerning trend - tough when your ace gets bombed

 

[dbmill]

The New England/Northeast bug has bitten again
This is a very concerning trend - tough when your ace gets bombed

St. John's is not your typical northeastern team. St. John's year in and year out is a very good team, and in many years they are deserving of an NCAA bid. You do not really get penalized in losing to them. The same cannot be said about teams like UMass or Holy Cross.

But yes, at this point Tim Cate has only had one really good outing. That is certainly a big concern. 3 quality starts out of 13 for your weekend starters is a big concern for a team that was supposed to be built on their weekend starting pitching.

 

[Palatine]

Cate has an ERA of close to 5.00 and is getting shelled almost every time out. If he is the "Friday night guy" UConn is in tough shape.

 

[huskymedic]