Orono, ME - The University of Hartford baseball team bounced back from a four-game conference sweep last weekend to pick the first of a four-game America East series against the Maine Black Bears by a 6-3 margin. Hartford improves to 15-24 overall and 7-6 in conference play. The Hawks and Black Bears will continue the series on Saturday with a double header beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Hawks starter Weston Szymanski pitched his third complete game of the season, winning his third game overall (3-4). Szymanski allowed eight total hits and three runs, only one of which was charged to his earned run total. He also struck out 10 batters, while walking just one. Ben Sobocinski led the Hawks at the plate, the only batter to finish with two hits, while Mike Amendola and Adam Grap recorded the Hawks only RBI's.
Maine scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first after Bill Cather led off the inning with a single up the middle. He advanced around the field on a passed ball and a wild pitch, scoring on a sacrifice fly from Curt Smith. Hartford then tied the score in the top of the second with a single run. Andy Drexel was the Hawks only base runner after getting hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a sacrifice from Brady Stouffer and scored on a fielding error.
The Black Bears regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second. Mark Ostrander began the inning with a double to center field and Tony Patane followed that with a walk. Both advanced two bases on a Hawks error, scoring Ostrander for the first run. Patane then scored on a single to right center from Joe Mercurio.
Hartford chipped away at the lead with a single run in the third, beginning with a lead off single to center field from Bill Perry. Matt Walker followed that with a double to center putting both in scoring position. Perry then scored on a sacrifice fly from Amendola. The Hawks then tied the score in the fifth with Sobocinski reaching with a double to left center and scoring the tying run. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield groundout.
The Hawks then put themselves ahead for the first time and the only time, scoring three runs in the sixth inning. Brady Stouffer became the first runner of the inning, after striking out but reaching on a wild pitch. He then took second on a passed ball and scored on a single to left field from Grap. Rodger Wilmot would enter the game as a pinch runner for Grap and took second on Simon Kudernatsch's single to left. Both advanced and scored on three-straight wild pitches from Maine's starter, Kevin Scanlan.
