Vestal, NY - The University of Hartford baseball team opened up a four-game series with the Binghamton Bearctas dropping an 11-4 decision at Varsity Field in Vestal, NY. The Hawks and Bearcats will continue the series with a double header on Saturday, beginning at 12:00 p.m. Hartford drops to 9-24 on the season and 6-6 in conference play, while the Bearcats are now 16-12 overall and 10-2 in America East action.
Weston Szymanski suffered the loss for the Hawks. Szymanski started his fourth-straight game and allowed eight runs (four earned) in three and a third innings of work. Szymanski allowed eight of 12 total hits for Binghamton, while striking out three batters and walking two. Zachary Groh picked up the win for the Bearcats. Groh improved to 4-1 with the win, going seven innings and allowing three runs (all earned) on five hits and striking out 14 batters.
The Hawks used four pitchers in the game with Zach Stefka, John Coury and Brendan Floyd all pitching an inning or more. Stefka allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits over two innings of action. Coury pitched an inning and two-thirds not allowing a hit and striking out one batter. Floyd pitched the eighth inning and allowed a run on one hit and a walk.
The finished with six hits in the game, all coming from different players. Brady Stouffer, Adam Bowser, Ryan Crowley, Chris Hebert , Matt O'Connell and Greg Cinelli all had a dash in the hit column. Crowley picked up a pair of RBI with his two run double to right in the first inning, the second of two doubles in the first innings, the other coming from Stouffer in the lead off position.
Bowser finished the game with a solo home run as his hit. He smacked his second base-rounder of the season, over the left field fence, in the eighth inning. Cinelli also recorded an RBI in the game with his sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Hebert who led off the inning with a single to center.
The Hawks scored two runs in the first inning but would quickly see that lead erased when the Bearcats scored four runs, only one earned, in the bottom half of the inning. Justin Smucker led off by reaching on an error at third base and would later score as part of a two run single through the left side for Matt Simek. Hartford would score a run in the seventh and eighth but never get closer.
