West Hartford, CT ? The University of Hartford baseball team opened a four-game America East series with the Albany Great Danes dropping a 7-3 decision. Hartford drops to 10-29 overall and 6-10 in conference play, while Albany is now 19-21 overall and 6-7 in America East action. The two teams will continue the series with a double header at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Ben Sobocinksi suffers the loss in his first decision of the game. Sobocinksi came in relief in the top of the ninth and allowed four runs (one earned), while facing seven total batters. Weston Szymanski started for the Hawks and pitched eight and two-third innings in the no decision. Szymanski allowed three runs (all earned) on 10 hits, while striking out three batters. Marc Toomey also pitching in the game. He saw one-third inning and forced the only batter he saw into a fly out.
The Hawks bats were led by Greg Cinelli, Bill Perry and Erik Price who all finished with two hits. The Hawks had nine hits total in the game. One of the Hawks hits was a two out triple from Sobocinski, which put Hartford on top 2-1 going into the top of the ninth inning.
Al Barbato led off the ninth inning with a double to left field and took third on a fly out to left field. The Hawks then threw Barbato out at the plate on a fielder's choice hit to Sobocinski at second base. After West singled to short, allowing Marchese to take second, the Hawks turned to Sobocinski to close things out. Sobocinski gave up a single to right to the first batter he faces, Leo Corvino, allowing Marchese to score and West to take third.
Steve Wyland then doubled down the left field line allowing the Great Danes to retake the lea, scoring West and Corvino. After an error at third extended the inning, Al Barbato sent a double to left field, scoring Wyland and Hill. One more run would score in the ninth, when Chris Ward was walked with the bases loaded.
The Hawks threatened in the bottom of the ninth, when four of the first five batters reached safely. Ryan Crowley led off the inning with a walk and took second on a single to left from Price. Both advanced a base on the ninth hit of the game, a single to center from Andrew Dorman. Brady Stouffer was then hit by a pitch, scoring Crowley, which prompted the Great Danes to bring in Sean Gregory in relief. Gregory struck out the first batter he faced, David Grossman and then forced Sobocinski to fly out to left to end the game and earn his second save of the season.
Albany put the first notch in the scoreboard with a run in the top of the first inning. Lead off batter Dave West became the first runner after knocking the second pitch of the game to short center field. He would later score when Steve Sayre was hit by a pitch, after Szymanski walked two batters.
The Hawks took the lead off a two run triple from Sobocinski, scoring Stouffer and Cinelli. Stouffer reach based after being hit and Cinelli reached on a single to left field , while put Stouffer on third.
