Huskies are closing in on Big East title

No. 15 UConn baseball team gets its 40th win of the season, completes a three-game sweep over Creighton

Storrs — UConn never flinches when locked in a tight game like it was on Sunday.

"We've got slow heart beats," catcher Matt Donlan said. "We just want to be ducks in a rainstorm. We're calm, cool, confident that we're going to get the job done."

More on the ducks in a rainstorm mentality later.

The 15th-ranked Huskies certainly got the job on Sunday at Elliot Ballpark, rallying to beat Creighton, 6-5, to sweep a pivotal three game Big East baseball series and tighten their grip on first place. They improved to 40-8 overall, 14-1 in the league.

They've mastered the art of winning nail-biters, improving to 15-4 in games decided by two runs or less. They beat Creighton by two on Friday, one Saturday and Sunday.

Five of their six runs on Sunday were scored with two outs.

"I don't think we've ever won this many one run or two run ball games," coach Jim Penders said. "There's a calm and a slow heart beat in our dugout. We got down and it was just like business as usual. There was zero panic."

Rally time

UConn was in command early but lost the lead when starter Enzo Stefanoni allowed five runs in the fifth inning.

Trailing 5-4, the Huskies fought back.

They tied the game in the sixth.

Donlan reached on a one-out single, stole second with two outs and then scored on T.C. Simmons' double down the right field line.

The Huskies surged ahead in the eighth. Donlan and Bryan Padilla led off with back-to-back singles. David Smith's sacrifice fly plated the go-ahead run.

Reliever Devin Kirby (1-0) finished off Creighton, retiring the side in order in the ninth to earn his first career win. He struck out four and didn't allow a hit in 2.2 innings.

It was a total team effort for the Huskies, who've won 40 games in a season for the third time in pro

“I don't think we've ever won this many one run or two run ball games. There's a calm and a slow heart beat in our dugout. We got down and it was just like business as usual. There was zero panic.”

UCONN BASEBALL COACH JIM PENDERS