West Hartford, CT ? The University of Hartford baseball team snapped a seven game losing streak with an 8-2 win over the University of Massachusetts on Wednesday afternoon. Hartford's CJ Browne picked up his first win of the season, now 1-2 overall. The Hawks improve to 2-13 in 2007, while UMass falls to 4-8 overall.
Browne went eight and a third innings allowing just two runs, one earned and seven hits. He faced 32 total batters, recorded three strikeouts and walked one batter. Ben Sobocinski came in from second base to complete the game for the final two outs in the ninth inning. He allowed one walk, but forced two of three batters into ground outs.
The Hawks bats were led by Adam Bowser who finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Sobocinski finished with a pair of RBI on one hit. Brady Stouffer and Ryan Crowley both finished 2-of-4 at the plate, while Crowley added an RBI.
Hartford opened the scoring in the top of the first with Sobocinski tallying the first run after reaching base on a fielder's choice. He advanced to second on a Bill Perry single and then scored on a singe up the middle from catcher Crowley.
Hartford then extended their lead with a pair of runs in the third and a run in the fourth. Stouffer led off the third inning with a walk and would later become the first run of the inning. He advanced to second on a sacrifice. Perry joined him on the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Crowley was then hit on the next pitch, loading the bases for Erik Price.
Price had his pop up bobbled by the shortstop allowing Sobocinski and Perry to score after running on the play. Massachusetts put their first and only run on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs, Lou Proietti, the lead off hitter, smacked a double to left center field and scored on the very next at bat on a single to center from Adam Tempesta.
The Hawks then added to the lead with single runs in the seventh, eighth and two runs in the ninth. With one out in the seventh, Bowser laced his first triple of the season to left field and scored on a fielder's choice from Sobocinski, for his first RBI of the day. A lead off double form Crowley in eighth inning led to a run. Back to back ground outs from Price and designated hitter Chris Hebert led to another insurance run.
Andrew Dorman led off the ninth inning and was hit by a pitch, a mistake that would be costly, when he scored from second off an RBI single from Sobocinski, his second for the game. Sobocincksi would later score after a fielding error on the UMass Shortstop Proietti.
The Minutemen fell short of a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, only able to plate one unearned run. Ryan Franczek led off the inning with a two-base error on Dorman. He then came around to score on the next at bat when Bill Rankin hit a line drive single to left field, his only hit of the game. The Hawks would turn to their second basemen Ben Sobocinski to close out the game, relieving Browne, who missed a complete game by two outs.
The Hawks will be back in action this weekend when they host Sacred Heart on Friday and Quinnipiac on Saturday. The Pioneers will come to Hartford for a 3:30 p.m. start on Friday afternoon and the Bobcats and Hawks will start at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be played on the Hartford Baseball Field on campus.
