Senior Ty Hanchey collected two extra-base hits, but the Florida A&M Rattlers fell to the No. 10 UConn Huskies 9-6 Saturday.
Senior Zach Morea took the loss on the mound for Florida A&M.
Hanchey’s two extra-base hits were the highlight of a 2-for-4 day and included a double, a home run, and an RBI. Senior Jared Weber put together a standout performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.
Senior Janmikell Bastardo also contributed for the Rattlers, putting together one hit in four trips to the plate while adding a home run and an RBI.
BASTARDO’S SOLO 💣
📺 https://t.co/YRytpzdKXA (ESPN+)
📊 https://t.co/h7amHjwNbb#FAMU | #FAMUly | #Rattlers | #FangsUp 🐍 pic.twitter.com/KlNap9dvJB— Florida A&M Baseball ⚾️ (@FAMU_Baseball) June 3, 2023
“To begin with, I know there’s not a lot of Florida staff here right now, but thanks to you guys for a tournament very well ran,” said head coach Jamey Shouppe. “We were happy to be here, we thought we had a chance to make some more special memories even though this season has already given us a lot of them. It was a good season for FAMU baseball. We still have to get over the barrier of coming to the regional tournament and winning a baseball game.”
The Rattlers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Weber put Florida A&M on the board with a two-out solo home run off sophomore Thomas Ellisen.
After the Huskies rallied to tie the ballgame at one, the Rattlers came back to retake the lead in the third inning. Florida A&M picked up a run on Hanchey’s two-out solo home run off of Ellisen, which brought the Rattlers lead to 2-1.
Florida A&M’s lead had disappeared by the time the fourth inning came around and turned into a 4-2 UConn advantage when the Rattlers cut that deficit to 4-3. The Rattlers recorded a run on Bastardo’s one-out solo home run off sophomore Joe Carrea.
The Huskies expanded their lead to 5-3 before the Florida A&M offense got back to work, tying it up in the fifth. Sophomore Jalen Niles and junior Ty Jackson each scored a run for the Rattlers in the inning, evening the score at 5-5.
UConn then broke up that tie and took an 8-5 lead moving into the eighth, when the Rattlers narrowed the gap to 8-6. Florida A&M picked up a run on freshman Joseph Pierini’s two-out solo home run off of senior Devin Kirby. The Rattlers were unable to get any closer.
Courtesy: Florida A&M Athletics
