Big East: Huskies Hold On

By Grant Tunkel - May 23, 2007

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Connecticut closer Matt Karl dug deep. Really deep.

After Karl allowed two walks and a base hit to lead off the top of the 9th, he induced a fielder's choice groundout that got the runner at home, a strikeout, and a soft liner to second to retire the side and preserve the 5-2 win for the Huskies. It was the second consecutive inning in which Pitt loaded the bases but couldn't get any runs across. The Panthers left 10 runners on base, which essentially cost them the game. Now, Pitt joins Notre Dame as the second team eliminated from the Big East tournament.

Rob Brant went 8 innings and struck out 6 for the Panthers, and Mike Tarsi went 8 and struck out 7 for UConn to get the win, while Karl held on for the save. The Panthers out-hit the Huskies 12-8, but they also committed 4 errors.

The next game features Louisville, the number 3 seed in the tournament, against Rutgers, the number 2 seed. Both teams won last night, with the Cardinals topping Villanova 3-1 and the Scarlet Knights dominating Notre Dame 13-2.