West Hartford, CT ? The University of Hartford baseball team dropped a 12-3 mid-week decision to Holy Cross at the Hartford Baseball field on campus. The Hawks drop to 7-17 overall in 2007, while Holy Cross improves to 7-15 overall.
The Hawks starting pitcher, Zack Tarner suffered the loss, his first decision of the season. Tarner went 3.1 innings and allowed three runs (all earned) on a pair of hits. The Hawks finished the game with only three hits, all coming from different players. Ben Sobocinski, Ryan Crowley, and Erik Price all recorded RBI's in the game with Price's coming on a solo home run to left field to lead off the ninth inning.
Holy Cross struck first with six runs in the top of the fourth inning. Tarner loaded the bases before being pulled for John Coury, who walked in a pair of runs. Bob Rogers then came in relief, facing John Sills as his first batter. Sills reached on a fielding error, which scored two runs, before a throwing error on the same play scored the fifth run of the inning. Matt Perron then smacked a single to right field scoring Sills, before a groundout ended the inning.
Hartford took two runs back in the bottom half of the inning, when a pair walks led to runs. The first walk to Adam Bowser led to an RBI sacrifice from Sobocinski after Bowser stole second and third. Bill Perry walked on the next at bat and came around to score from first on a double to the right field fence for Crowley.
The Crusaders extended their lead to eight with four runs in the sixth inning. Sills would become the first base runner of the inning with a single off the pitcher. He then advanced to second on a single to left from Jamie Aldrich, and both advanced on the Hawks third error of the game, a fielding error on the right fielder. Sills scored the first run on a fielder's choice, leading to an RBI for Norm Roth. Aldrich and Matt Perron both scored on the next at bat when Brendan Akashian sent his third home run of the season over the right center field fence.
The Crusaders extended their lead to 10 with a pair of runs in the eighth inning. Norm Roth scored the first run of the inning, after reaching on a single up the middle, his third time reaching base in the game. Brendan Akashian scored the second run of the inning, after reaching base on a fielder's choice. Tyler Stampone recorded the only RBI of the inning on his single to left field.
The Hawks will be back in action this weekend, when they host the Stony Brook Seawolves in a four-game America East series beginning with a nine-inning game on Friday at 3:00 p.m.
