Spinners Slam Tigers, 10-3

Jordan Pearce banged out a two-run double, but it was too little, too late
as the Connecticut Tigers dug themselves a 10-run hole and ultimately
dropped a 10-3 decision to the Lowell Spinners on Monday night.

By Rich Haskell

NORWICH – Garrett Benge went five-for-five—just a home run short of a cycle—and the Lowell Spinners hammered out 17 hits to trounce the Connecticut Tigers, 10-3, before 1,302 fans at Dodd Stadium on Monday night. Benge was in the middle of two four-run explosions for the Spinners, with an RBI double in the top of the first inning and a two-run triple in the fifth. In all, the 21-year-old third baseman from Yukon, Okla., had a monster night, finishing with three singles, a double, a triple, and five runs batted in.

Down 10-0 in the eighth, the Tigers finally got on the board by stringing together singles by Cole Peterson, Luke Burch and Garrett McCain. A two-run double by Jordan Pearce closed out the scoring.

Lowell’s Enmanuel DeJesus threw 5.1 innings of shutout ball to earn his second win of the season, while Connecticut starter Jose Vasquez (1-2) was tagged for eight runs in 4.0 innings and suffered the loss for Connecticut.

Red Sox third-round pick Brett Netzer went 3-for-5 with three runs scored for the Spinners to raise his average to .328. Burch, McCain, Pearce and Colby Bortles had two-hit apiece in a losing effort for the Tigers.

Matt Manning will take the mound tonight for the Tigers as the series wraps up tonight at The Dodd. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

CT Open To Receive Unprecedented Coverage on ESPN Networks

Bristol-based ESPN will offer extensive coverage of one of the state's
premiere sports events, the Connecticut Open, later this month. The
tournament will be offered on several of ESPN's platforms.

By Kristine M. Phillips

NEW HAVEN – ESPN will be all over the Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies like white on rice, with expansive week-long coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN3 (a streaming service). The Bristol-based all-sports network’s unprecedented coverage of the tournament—a WTA Premier event taking place at the Connecticut Tennis Center Aug. 18-26—will entail more than 50 hours of action at the Connecticut Open, featuring all singles matches played on Stadium Court, will be shown live across ESPN’s networks.  The early rounds and quarterfinals will be available on ESPN3 and streaming live on the ESPN app, while the semifinals and finals will air live on ESPN2.

The ESPN broadcast team will consist of Rennae Stubbs, a six-time Grand Slam doubles champion who represented Australia at four Olympic Games, and Jason Goodall, a one-time leading British junior who later coached his ESPN colleagues Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver, plus the British Fed Cup team. Shriver, who has worked for ESPN since 1990, will join Stubbs and Goodall in the booth on the weekend. Shriver boasts 22 Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal on her impressive resume.

“ESPN’s coverage of the Connecticut Open continues to expand, and we are thrilled to be airing more than 50 hours of action as we celebrate 20 years of women’s tennis in New Haven this summer,” said tournament director Anne Worcester. “ESPN’s coverage of tennis in the US is unsurpassed, with ESPN2 and ESPN3 available in 87 million US households, so we’re excited to have three of ESPN’s best commentators here to bring the Connecticut Open to life.”

ESPN’s coverage of the Connecticut Open begins on Sunday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN3, and runs through Aug. 26 with the women’s singles final at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

New Streaming Service

In addition to ESPN’s coverage, the Connecticut Open will be streamed live on WTA TV, a new subscription service of the Women’s Tennis Association launched on July 31. An annual subscription to WTA TV provides access to nearly 2,000 live and on-demand matches from all WTA Premier tournaments and the majority of WTA International tournaments. The consumer-centric platform is highlighted by HD streaming and multi-match viewing.

“It’s fantastic news for the Connecticut Open that the WTA has launched their new streaming service in time for the US Open Series,” added Worcester. “Tennis fans around the globe will be able to tune in from whichever device is closest to them and will have the luxury of watching more than one match at a time.”

For more information about the 2017 Connecticut Open, to volunteer, or to purchase tickets visit www.ctopen.org or call 203-776-7331. For the full television schedule, please go to www.ctopen.org/schedules/tvschedule

—with Bob Phillips and staff reports