ORLANDO, FL ? The University of Hartford baseball team dropped the rubber-game of a three-game series against the Central Florida Knights on Sunday afternoon, after a three-run home run from Shane Brown erased a UCF one-run deficit in the top of the seventh, leading to an eventual 16-12 win. Hartford falls to 1-6 on the season and Central Florida stands at 7-10 overall.
A three-run homer from Andy Drexel in the top of the first gave Hartford an immediate 3-0 lead against UCF starter Brennan Dobbins. With one out in the top of the first, Simon Kudernatsch began the offense with a single up the middle, followed by a single through the right side from Mike Amendola. Drexel stepped in with runners on first and second and gave Hartford the early lead.
The lead didn't last long as the Knights took their first of the game with five runs in the bottom of the first. They finished the inning with five hits, including a double from Evan Stobbs and two-run home run from Brandon Romans. The Hawks also struggled defensively in the first inning with three fielding errors.
UCF extended its lead to 10-4 with two runs in the second and three more in the fourth. Back-to-back doubles allowed by Hawks starter Brendan Floyd led to the two runs in the second innings, while Matt Govoni gave up the three runs in the fourth, his first inning of work.
Hartford's bats lit up in the fifth, finishing with five hits, only one of which was extra bases. The top of the order led off the inning with three straight hits, singles form Brady Stouffer and Kudernatsch and an RBI double from Amendola. After Drexel was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Ben Sobocinski hit into a fielder's choice which scored Kudernatsch and took Drexel off the bases, leaving runners on the corners. Another hit-batter loaded the bases, leading to back-to-back two-run singles from Andrew Siano and Jason Freethey. The final run came off a single through the right side from Kudernatsch, his second base-hit in the fifth inning.
It would again be errors that plagued the Hawks in the seventh. Nick Choto led off the inning with an infield single and took second on a throwing error on the Hawks. After Govoni walked the next batter, Brown followed up with the second long-ball of the game for the Knights, scoring all three runs with no outs.
The Hawks chipped into the lead with a single run in the top of the eighth, making a triple from Sobocinski pay off later in the inning. Bobby Gorski provided the hit for Hartford that drove Sobocinski in. The Knights returned the favor in the bottom of the inning, scoring a single run off a solo home run from Austin Smith.
Govoni suffered the loss for the Hawks, his first decision of the season. Floyd pitched the first 3.1 innings allowing 10 runs, nine of which were earned, on nine hits with three walks and a strikeout. Govoni pitched three full innings allowing four runs, all of which were earned, on six hits. Mike Thatcher and Myles Kelly both saw time on the mound. Thatcher pitched two-thirds of an inning allowing one run on no hits, while Kelley pitched an inning allowing one earned run on a hit, with one strikeout.
At the plate, the Hawks had five players finish with a multi-hit game, led by Kudernatsch. He finished with three hits in six at-bats with an RBI and two runs scored. Following him was Stouffer who was 2-of-4, Amendola who was 2-of-6 with an RBI, Drexel who was 2-of-4 with three RBI and Drew Sgro who finished 2-of-4 with an RBI.
The baseball team continues its week-long furlough in the Sunshine State with Jacksonville State in Winterhave, FL on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.
