Orono, ME - The University of Hartford baseball team split its America East doubleheader at Maine on Saturday afternoon. Hartford won the first game by an 8-4 margin before dropping the second by a score of 6-1. The Hawks are now 16-25 overall and 8-7 in conference play. The teams will close out the series with a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Chris Greiner picked up the Hawks victory, pitching a complete game. He improves to 6-1 overall. Greiner gave up seven hits and four runs, three earned, in seven innings. He also struck out five batters and walked three. Pete Moraski suffered the loss in the second game, pitching just two innings before turning the ball over to Bob Rogers to close out the game. Moraski gave up five earned runs on seven hits, while striking out one. Rogers gave up just one run on a home run, his only hit allowed. He also struck out three.
At the plate, the Hawks were led by Andy Drexel and Brady Stouffer in the first game, and Bill Perry and Mike Amendola in the second. Drexel finished the first game 2-for-2 with two RBI's and a sacrifice, while Stouffer went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Perry was the only Hawk with multiple hits in the second game, finishing 2-for-3, while Amendola recorded the Hawks only RBI.
Hartford struck first on the day with four runs in the top of the first inning. Simon Kudernatsch started the offense with a one out single up the middle. Perry then reached on an error, which allowed Kudernatsch to score and Perry to advance to third. Matt Walker then walked, putting runners on the corners for Amendola's double to left, which scored perry. Walked then scored on a sacrifice from Adam Bowser, wile Amendola scored on a single to right from Drexel.
Maine answered with two runs in the second and again in the third. The second began with a lead off home run to right center for Billy Cather. Kevin Jackson and Curt Smith followed that with back-to-back singles, with Jackson scoring the second run of the inning on a single to right from Jarrett Lukas. In the third, Danny Menendez teed off the offence with a one our double to center field. He took third on a single through the left side from Cather and both scored on the next at bat, which was a fielder's choice and error on the Hawks.
Hartford regained its lead with a single run in the fourth, beginning with a lead off infield single for Bowser. He took second on a passed ball and third on a sacrifice bunt before scoring on a single to left from Adam Grap. The Hawks grew their lead with another run in the fifth inning and two more runs in the sixth to go ahead by four.
Amendola began the fifth inning offense working a two out walk and making the Black Bears pay. Amendola took second when Bowser was hit by a pitch and scored on a single up the middle from Drexel. Stouffer started the offense in the sixth with a lead off double to left. He advanced on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly from Ben Sobocinski. Kudernatsch then worked a walk and advanced to foulout to right field, before scoring on a double to left center from Walker.
In the second game, the Hawks only run came in the fourth inning after Kudernatsch lead things off with a single up the middle. He advanced to third on a single from Pery and scored on an Amendola sac fly. Maine opened the scoring with a single run in the first, before a four run second. The final run came on a solo home run for Kevin McAvoy in the third inning. The Black Bears second inning rally saw five total hits, including two triples. Tony Patone had the biggest hit of the inning with one of the two triple driving in two runs.
