West Hartford, CT - The University of Hartford baseball team kept its playoff hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over the Vermont Catamounts in the opening game of a four-game series against Vermont. The Hawks need to take three of the four games to put themselves in the America East Championship for the first time since 1996. Hartford improves to 18-29 overall and 10-11 in conference play with today's win.

Junior pitcher Weston Szymanski pitched his fourth complete game of the season, earning his fourth game (4-5 overall). Szymanski allowed just four hits and faced only three batters over the minimum of 27. He finished with two strikeouts and walked no batters, forcing 16 groundouts, including a double play and seven fly outs. Joe Serafin, the leading pitcher in the America East, allowed two runs, both earned on six hits, while striking out six and walking two.

Brady Stouffer and Bill Perry led the Hawks in the game with two hits in three at bats. Stouffer added one of the Hawks two RBI's, while Andy Drexel recorded the other. Matt Walker and Simon Kudernatsch recorded the other two Hartford hits.

The Hawks manufactured the only run that mattered in the first inning, all beginning with a single up the middle from leadoff batter Stouffer. He advanced to second when Ben Sobocinski was hit by a pitch and took third on a fly ball to right field. Drexel then placed a deep fly ball into left field to score Stouffer, but Drexel reached safely when the left fielder dropped the ball.  

The Hawks insurance run came in the fourth inning when Kudernatsch started things off with a two out single to right center. He wheeled around the bases on a triple to left center from Stouffer on the next at bat. The Hawks threatened to put runs on the board in the fifth and seventh but were not successful.

Hartford and Vermont will continue the series with a doubleheader on Friday at 12:00 p.m. at the Hartford Baseball Field on campus.