UConn holds off Rutgers, 5-4, for sixth straight win
Hook C continued its winning ways.
The UConn Huskies take on the Bryant Bulldogs in a college baseball game at Conaty Park in Smithfield, RI on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. | Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog The UConn Huskies (26-20) used a pair of home runs from the bottom of the lineup to outlast the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (22-23), 5-4, at Bainton Field in Piscataway, NJ on Tuesday. After dropping to sixth in the order last week against Rhode Island and staying in that slot throughout last weekend’s Georgetown series, Chris Polemeni slid one spot lower against Rutgers with loud results.
The designated hitter’s two-out, full count home run to left with a pair of runners on in the top of the fourth started the scoring for both teams and gave Connecticut a three run lead. The ball just snuck out over the outstretched glove of Quinten Perilli and would have had enough distance even if the left fielder hadn’t mistimed his jump at the wall. Three innings later, backup catcher Chris Cancel hit the first homer of his collegiate career to right field to give the Huskies an insurance run and extend their lead back to two after a pair of Rutgers runs in the fifth.
Cam Righi added an RBI single and later in the inning to extend the advantage all the way back to three. In that inning, three straight doubles, the middle coming as an RBI ground-rule double for Gabriel Rivera, and a run-scoring groundout from Yomar Carreras pushed the Scarlet Knights within one before Cancel’s long ball again lengthened the Huskies’ lead. While the rough fifth chased UConn starter Charlie Hale from the game, the right-hander still finished with a respectable line of two earned over 4.
2 innings of work. After earning the save in the series finale against Georgetown on Sunday, Hale took the mound for his seventh start of the season. Though the eight hits given up is an unsightly mark, the junior allowed just two free passes.