Baltimore, MD - The University of Hartford baseball team prevented a UMBC sweep by winning the final game of a four-game series against the Retrievers by a 7-6 final, despite three ties in the game. The Retrievers did win the first game of the day by a 10-2 score to guarantee the series victory. The Hawks are now 10-24 overall and 2-8 in America East action.
Cory Beahm suffered the loss in game one, galling to 2-3 on the season. Beahm pitched the first five innings, of the seven inning game, and allowed six earned runs on seven hits. He struck out two batters but also walked four. Mike Thatcher and Andrew Smith combined to pitch the final inning for Hartford. Thatcher pitched one-third innings and allowed four earned runs on two hits and two walks. Smith pitched the final two outs and allowed only one hit in four batters faced.
The Retrievers took the first lead of the game, scoring four runs in the third inning and then adding two in the fifth and the final four runs in the sixth. Hartford's only two runs came in the sixth inning. With one out, the Hawks put together back-to-back hits, which led to both runs. Mike Amendola was the first hit, a single, and Andy Drexel followed him with a double, which scored Amendola, while Drexel was able to score on the same play because of a throwing error by the short stop. For the game, Amendola finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Drexel was 1-for-3 with the Hawks only RBI and also scored a run.
In the final game of the series, Hartford took an early lead, but single runs in each of the first four innings allowed the Retrievers to take their first lead of the game in the fourth inning, 4-3. Hartford immediately tied the game, for the second time, with a single run in the fifth, and each team added two more runs in the sixth inning. Hartford's game winning run came in the eighth inning and was made possible by a lead off double from Beahm. Despite the next two batters recording outs and unable to advance Beahm, the rookie was able to score on a two out single to left field from Brady Stouffer.
Bob Rogers records the win on the mound for Hartford. He is now 2-5 overall. He came in relief of starter Zach Tarner, and pitched the final 4.2 innings. He allowed two earned runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Tarner lasted the first 4.1 innings for the Hawks, giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
For the game, Amendola and Ben Sobocinski led the Hawks with two hits each. Amendola finished the game 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Sobocinski was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Six other players finished with one hit a piece, including Andrew Siano who finished 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Hartford will play a single game at Dartmouth on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m., before taking on the Vermont Catamounts in Burlington, VT for a four-game series next weekend. The Hawks and Catamounts will open the series with a Saturday doubleheader, beginning at 12:00 p.m.
