Box Score Game One
Box Score Game Two
West Hartford, CT - The University of Hartford softball team split a doubleheader against the UMBC Retrievers on Saturday, winning the first game by a 5-3 score before falling in eight innings 7-5 in the nightcap. The teams will close out a three-game series with the rubber-game on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at the Hartford Softball Field on campus.
A four run fourth inning, backed by a complete game from Siera Sheehan on the mound led to a 5-3 victory in the first game for the Hawks. Jessica Oliveira led the Hawks batters in the opening game, going 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI, while Nicole Springer and Amanda Dilworth also knocked in runs for Hartford.
Both teams put up single runs in the first inning. The Retrievers opened the scoring with a solo home run to center field. Hartford responded with manufacturing a run with two outs. Dilworth began the offense with a single to left field and then stole second, leading to the run, which was made possible by a single down the left field line from Springer.
One swing of the bat in the third inning led to UMBC regaining the lead at 3-1. Malorie Weller provided the muscle, hitting a double that hit off the fence in right field, scoring Emily Thompson, who singled to reach, and Kaela Mason who reached on a fielder's choice.
The Hawks big offensive inning came in the bottom of the fourth when they regained the lead with four runs. Oliveira knocked in the first run of the inning, scoring Rachel Clonick who was hit by a pitch and took second on a bunt single from Kate Wacyk. Sara Messinger followed Oliveira with a walk to load the bases with a sacrifice fly from Dilworth scoring the game-tying run. The final two runs came by way of a wild pitch and a throwing error on the Retriever's catcher, which scoring Messinger and Oliveira.
In the second game, the Hawks gave up a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, thanks in part to a pair of Hartford errors. Oliveira and Clonick finished with a multi hit game in the second game, while Dilworth led the way with a pair of RBI. Springer added an RBI, her second of the day, while she suffered the loss in the circle, giving up seven runs, three earned, on 11 hits.
Hartford opened up the scoring and took a 4-0 lead before allowing a run from the Retrievers. Springer provided the first RBI of the game, scoring Olivia Piacentini, on a double to left center field. Piacentini opened the game with a bunt single, advancing to second on an infield out before scoring on Springer's hit. One inning later, Melani Maxwell provided a single to shallow center field, which scored Clonick to give Hartford a 2-0 lead.
The Hawks struck again in the bottom of the fifth inning when Dilworth drove in a pair of runs on a double down the left field link which scored Oliveira and Messinger who both reached on hits. UMBC put its first mark on the board in the top of the sixth inning when Emily Thompson went yard with a solo blast to left field.
Hartford answered back in the bottom half of the sixth, when Clonick matched Thompson, sending her hit over the fence in left center field.
UMBC came out swinging in the top of the seventh, tying the game at five. With one out, Lauren Brummel opened up the offense with a single up the middle, which Amanda Fefel followed with a single to left center putting two runners one. One batter later Thompson loaded the bases with a single to left center field, which led to the first runs of the inning, both scoring on an error at third base.
Lauren O'Malley provided the offense that led to the first two runs, hitting a hard ball down the third base line, which was uncontrolled and rolled into the corner allowing Fefel and Brummel to score, and leaving runners on second and third. After a line drive grabbed at second base by Dilworth, Julia Culotta knocked in the next two runs, tying the game at five, when her slow roller towards the pitcher was overthrown and rolled into right field, scoring Thompson and O'Malley.
UMBC then took the lead for good with two runs in the top of the eighth inning, both coming with two outs on the board. Everything started with a walk to Fefel, who then advanced to third on a double to left field from Thompson, putting runners at second and third. After a pitching change for the Hawks, a single up the middle scored both Fefel and Thompson, credit O'Malley with the go ahead RBI's.
Prior to Saturday's double header, the Hawks honored their four seniors Sara Messinger, Rachel Clonick, Ann Kyzer and Olivia Piacentini.
