Storrs — In the hours prior to UConn's first ever baseball game at Elliot Ballpark, coach Jim Penders dealt with a wave of emotions.

Penders got choked up sitting in his Rizza Performance Center office, which overlooks the complex, Tuesday morning, thinking about the marathon distance his program has come. He spoke on the phone with Doug Elliot about the first meeting about the new facility two days before Thanksgiving in 2003 and all the people that helped push the project to completion.

Then he tried to compose himself for the game against Central Connecticut State University.

"I said a little prayer this morning, all right, whatever the outcome, just try to enjoy this day...," Penders said. "I dealt with my emotions in the morning and got choked up a couple times and then it was time to go manage a baseball game."

Emotions got the best of the UConn baseball team at times.

About midway through the game, Penders addressed his team and told them to loosen up. The Huskies were tight, putting too much pressure on themselves to break in the new ballpark with fireworks.

The Huskies eventually settled down and posted a 2-0 victory, capping the celebration on the beautiful spring day. Freshman Pat Gallagher earned his first win, allowing three hits, walking one and striking out nine in five innings while four relievers finished the job, including red-shirt sophomore Caleb Wurster who notched a save by pitching a perfect ninth.

Junior Erik Stock's RBI single in the eighth inning accounted for one run and the other scored on a throwing error in the first. Both teams managed just four hits.

A small crowd limited to family and friends of UConn baseball as well as some students witness program history. The Huskies have been practicing at Elliot Ballpark since last September but Tuesday was the official opening day.

"Special day, really special day christening Elliot Ballpark and breaking it in with 'W', it wasn't an easy one," Penders said. "But it was a long time coming. Doug Elliot and I spoke this morning on the phone. I know he was able to get here at the end of the game kind of incognito up in the stands. That's how he operates."

Everything was different about the day.

First, Tuesday marked 682 days since UConn played its last home game in Storrs.

The Huskies always open the season with a long road trip, so they were away when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world last March and canceled the first scheduled home game at Elliot on March 29, 2020. Then they played the first 17 games this season on the road.

It took a bit getting used to being the home team and hearing fans cheer for them for the first time all year. Right now, the attendance limit is 230.

"We're just not used to being up second," Penders said. "It was a home game. We've had one of those and it was at Coastal Carolina. So there's even adjustments with that. This is unfamiliar and they're 18 to 23 years old and you throw a little curveball at them and you don't know exactly what you're going to get.

"Fortunately, we took advantage of a couple of their mistakes and we got a couple runs, which is often how college baseball games are decided. Happy with the defense and pitching. I thought we were certainly pressing."

For the record, Gallagher threw a strike on the first ever pitch at Elliot and CCSU's Buddy Dewaine, a Montville graduate, had the first hit, lining a single up the middle in the opening inning. Sophomore Kyler Fedko scored the first run, hustling home from second when the catcher's throw sailed into centerfield in the first inning.

The Huskies (7-11) will continue their homestand with a game Friday and Saturday against Rhode Island.

With a new baseball home, Penders' game day list of worries is considerably shorter than it was at J.O. Christian Field.

"It's certainly a lot easier to come to Storrs every day knowing that I don't have to worry about a tarp or how many deer relieved themselves in right field, or do I have to scoop poop before BP today. Did anyone think to wipe down the dugout benches? Is the music going to be right? Are the flags going to be hung right?

All those things that would take up energy. We've got a stellar staff in place. The scoreboard alone, I caught myself staring at it, like is this really Storrs? It's like Dorothy, are we in Kansas anymore?

"It felt like, are we in Storrs anymore?"

g.keefe@theday.com