SOUTH ORANGE VILLAGE, N.J. (Interstat) — The Connecticut Huskies erupted for 10 runs in the fifth inning Saturday afternoon and coasted to a 13-1 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates at Owen T. Carroll Field, evening the Big East series after a 4-3 win by the Huskies a day earlier.

Connecticut pounded out 20 hits and got a dominant pitching performance from reliever Charlie Hale, who allowed only one earned run over 5⅔ innings while striking out seven and scattering no hits. The Huskies improved to 29-22 overall and 1-1 in the weekend set, while Seton Hall dropped to 15-27.

The game was scoreless after the first inning, but Connecticut broke through in the second. Maddix Dalena led off with a home run to right field, and the Huskies added two more runs on a Chase Taylor single and a Peyton Jemison single to take a 3-0 lead. Starting pitcher Cayden Suchy worked 2⅓ scoreless innings with three strikeouts before giving way to Hale in the bottom of the third.

Hale entered with one out and the bases empty after Suchy had allowed a bunt single but struck out the next batter. Hale retired the side in order and kept the Pirates off the board until the seventh.

The decisive moment came in the top of the fifth when Connecticut sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs on 10 hits. Jackson Marshall delivered the key blow with a two-run double to center field, his first of two doubles in the inning. After a pitching change, Nater Wachter doubled in another run, Chris Polemeni singled in two more, Chase Taylor singled in a run, and Anthony Belisario singled in a run. Marshall later capped the outburst with another two-run double, making the score 13-0.

Seton Hall’s lone run came in the bottom of the seventh when shortstop Nick Tomasetto hit a solo home run to center field off Hale. Tomasetto finished 2 for 3 with the homer and an RBI. The Pirates managed only five hits in the game, with Magnus Krieger and Ty Acker also collecting singles.

Polemeni, the Huskies designated hitter, went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a walk. Taylor was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two stolen bases. Belisario had three hits and two RBIs, and Marshall finished 4 for 6 with four RBIs. Dalena added two hits, including his homer, and an RBI. Garret Garbinski pitched a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout to close the game.

For Seton Hall, reliever Derek Benzinger gave the Pirates 3⅔ innings of one-run ball on four hits with two strikeouts, but the damage had already been done. Starter Jason Kuhn was lifted after failing to record an out in the second inning, and four pitchers combined to allow 13 runs on 20 hits.

The Huskies grounded into two double plays but spread their offense across the lineup. Seton Hall left six runners on base and struck out 13 times.

Connecticut will look to win the series Sunday in the rubber match, while Seton Hall will try to salvage the finale before traveling to Georgetown next week.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Connecticut 7, Seton Hall 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Huskies a 74.90 percent probability to win the game.