It took some time for the gears to really turn, but the BIG EAST Baseball Championship finally got underway with the quarterfinal rounds Thursday and Friday.

Weather delays took hold at Prasco Park, just outside of Cincinnati, causing postponements of the latter quarterfinal between nearby Xavier and second-seeded Creighton, but those who stuck it out and watched both games in the round were given a treat.

Though Day 1 was exciting, Day 2 is when the tension ramps up with the onset of loser-goes-home baseball. With seasons on the line, expect every critical moment in games to mean just that much more from now on.

What went down in the quarterfinals and what should fans watch out for in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Baseball Championship? Catch up below. 

Saturday's games will be streamed live on FloBaseball.

UConn Gets Vengeance, Shuts Out Georgetown

After a tumultuous final weekend of the regular season, in which it was shockingly swept by its eventual first-round opponent in the BIG EAST Championship, UConn had questions suddenly come its way and a point to prove. 

After a 4-0 victory over Georgetown in Thursday play of the BIG EAST Championship, consider the statement to be made. 

Spot in championship game on the line. #HookC pic.twitter.com/W9KlARLkby

— UConn Baseball (@UConnBSB) May 28, 2022

The Huskies were knocked out of the D1Baseball Top 25 due to three straight defeats by the Hoyas less than a week prior, looked much more like the team that won 43 regular-season games in their postseason opener. 

Ace and new All-BIG EAST first-team pick Austin Peterson was lights-out, allowing just four hits over seven innings, before relievers Brendan O'Donnell and Devin Kirby came on to finish the shutout and put UConn in the driver's seat toward a spot in Sunday's championship series. 

The same Hoyas team that dropped 33 runs in three games last week against the Huskies suddenly was made obsolete, while RBI base hits from Korey Morton, T.C. Simmons and Bryan Padilla in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, respectively, gave UConn the offensive boost it needed to close the deal and get to Saturday's semifinal round without a blemish on its record weighing the team down in the double-elimination tournament.

Creighton Keeps Cool, Edges Xavier

Creighton, Xavier and each teams' fans had to wait a little while for the two schools to get going, as scattered thunderstorms shelved what was supposed to be a Thursday game until Friday night. 

As expected between two of the BIG EAST's top offensive teams from the regular season, the fireworks on display were worth the wait. 

Congrats to our own head coach Ed Servais on his 800th Career Victory tonight!!! pic.twitter.com/J4FJcO8pNP

— Creighton Baseball (@CU_Baseball) May 28, 2022

However, it was the Bluejays - despite playing in hostile territory - who managed to pull through and get a date with UConn in the semifinals, thanks to a critical 6-5 victory over the Musketeers. 

Xavier struck first, with league Co-Player of the Year Luke Franzoni smacking his 25th home run of the year via a two-run shot off of Pitcher of the Year Dylan Tebrake in the third inning. 

Creighton fought back to tie the game twice, first at 2-2 and then 3-3, before its own BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year, Alan Roden, broke the deadlock with an RBI triple in the seventh inning. 

The Bluejays added two more runs in the inning to make it 6-3, and though the Musketeers managed a run each in the eighth and ninth frames, they didn't manage enough to get out of an elimination game with Georgetown on Saturday. As for Creighton, top-seeded UConn awaits.

Who Gets Through Gut-Check Time?

Despite the numerous great achievements each team still playing at this point in the BIG EAST baseball season has accomplished, two teams have got to go home Saturday. 

On paper, the UConn-Creighton semifinal surely will be spicy, with the Bluejays looking to make up for the sweep it suffered at the hands of the Huskies earlier in the month. 

However, the first elimination game of the BIG EAST Championship (Xavier-Georgetown) likely has Saturday's most intriguing storyline. Georgetown, the plucky underdog that's never made the NCAA Tournament, is playing with the idea that it could make history with a short burst of form, evidenced by the fact the Hoyas are probably here in the first place because it beat the nationally-ranked BIG EAST champion (UConn) three times in a row. 

The Musketeers, meanwhile, probably have the better roster top to bottom and won at least one game against each of the other three BIG EAST Championship schools this year. Plus, Luke Franzoni's power and prowess as one of America's best long-ball hitters can quickly turn a game on its head. 

Whichever school wins that meeting will take on the UConn-Creighton loser for a shot at Sunday play and be one step closer to representing the league in the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday's BIG EAST Baseball Championship Semifinal Schedule

NOTE: All games contested at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio. First-pitch times are in Eastern Time and subject to change.

Game 1: No. 4 Georgetown vs. No. 3 Xavier, 10:30 a.m.

Game 2: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 2 Creighton, 2:30 p.m.

Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Loser, 6:30 p.m.