Baltimore, MD ? The University of Hartford baseball team opened up conference play on Friday with a 6-0 shutout of UMBC in Baltimore, MD. The Hawks had eight players finished with at least one hit, 13 total for the team. Hartford and the Retrievers will continue their four game series tomorrow with a double header starting at 2:30 p.m. Fans can follow the action live online using UMBC's livestats linked off the HartfordHawks.com homepage.

The Hawks (4-16 overall, 1-0 America East) shut down the UMBC bats with a brilliant performance from sophomore right handed hurler Weston Szymanski.  Szymanski pitched all nine innings for the Hawks only giving up two hits and not allowing a run.  Szymanski's is now 3-2 on the season, following his second complete game.

The Retrievers (8-14 overall, 0-1 America East) only offense came in the fourth inning from Mike Scheffel and in the ninth inning from Tom Meaney who each picked up a single.  Marty Zawacki had eight innings of work for UMBC allowing five runs and 12 hits.

Hartford had five batters with two hits a piece.  Leading the way for the Hawks was junior, Bill Perry, who finished the day with two hits and two RBI.  Perry led off the Hawks in the top of the second inning with a solo homerun for their first run of the day.  Adam Bowser than added an RBI single to right centerfield in the third to make the score 2-0 in favor of the visitors.

Erik Price came up with an RBI single to center in the sixth allowing Ben Sobocinski to score.  Hartford continued their offensive attack in the eighth inning with a solo homerun from Ryan Crowley; and after a pair of Hawk hits David Grossman scored on a balk.  The Hawks final run of the game would come in the ninth inning off a Perry double to center which permitted Sobocinski to score.