Ryan Hyde broke the tie with a two-run single in the sixth inning to help the University of Connecticut beat Duke University, 4-1, on Friday in the opening game of the Division I baseball tournament for both teams.
Freshman Tyler Minnick gave the Huskies some breathing room with a solo home run in the ninth inning.
With runners on second and third and two outs, Hyde, a redshirt junior catcher from Berlin, Connecticut, provided the highlight of the game by hitting the first pitch from Blue Devils relief pitcher Gabriel Nard the wrong way, slipping through the outstretched glove of second baseman Zack Morris and flying into right-center field to score Morton and Padilla.
Connecticut starter Ian Cook, the Big East Pitcher of the Year, earned the win by pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out four and walking two. Braden Quinn closed out the game with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.
Duke's Andrew Healy was replaced in relief after giving up four hits and one run in four innings, and Ryan Higgins was the losing pitcher in the sixth inning after pitching a perfect fifth inning, walking Morton and Padilla as the tide turned in the Huskies' favor.
This was the first meeting between the two teams since 1988.
On Saturday, Connecticut (34-23) will face the winner of the match between host and regional top seed Oklahoma University and Oral Roberts University, while ACC Tournament champion Duke University (39-20) will play the loser of the OU-ORU match in the finals.
The Associated Press contributed.