GAME ONE BOX SCORE

GAME TWO BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. - The Hartford baseball team's search for its first victory of the season continues for at least another day as the Hawks dropped both ends of a doubleheader to Radford on Saturday, 15-5 and 4-3. The losses opened an eight-game road trip for the Hawks which will see them play a third contest at Radford, two at Virginia Tech and three at Delaware State. Freshman Alex Gouin slammed his first career home run in the nightcap of the doubleheader, while senior Rodger Wilmot had two hits and an RBI in Game One.

The five runs scored by the Hawks (0-6-1) in the first game marked a season high for the team, but all five came in the ninth inning when the game was already well in hand. Sophomore Anthony Mannuccia started and took the loss, his second of the year.

The Hawks were down 5-0 before getting their first hit, a single by Wilmot to lead off the third inning. He would advance to second two batters later when junior Victor Santana walked, but that was as far as either runner got as the last two hitters were quickly retired to end the frame.

With Radford already up 15-0 heading into the ninth inning, the Hawks' bats started to get going. Junior Simon Kudernatsch led off the ninth with a single to center field. The speedy Kudernatsch came all the way around to score when freshman James Alfonso followed with a double scorched to the wall in left. Senior Andy Drexel followed with an RBI double of his own. The double was Drexel's first of the season, giving him 44 for his career, just three shy of the Hartford all-time record.

Pinch runner Brendan Behm moved up to third base on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI groundout by senior Matt Walker. With two outs and freshman Mark Sorbara on first due to a walk, Wilmot laced a drive over the center fielder's head that went all the way to the wall for a triple. The senior scored moments later on a wild pitch, bringing the Hawks' tally to five. That would do it, however, as Radford shut the rally down and took the first game.

The second game saw perhaps the best pitching performance of the young season for the Hawks, as junior Mike Thatcher started and went seven innings, giving up just five hits and three runs. Hartford held a 3-1 lead at one point, but ceded a run in the sixth and two in the eighth to fall. Hunter Englehart took the loss out of the bullpen, his first of the year.

Radford got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Hawks had an answer in the second, though, as Drexel led off with a walk and came around to score on freshman Brian Hunter's two-bagger. Hunter was quickly picked off second, though, and the rally ended.

In the fifth, the Hawks tacked on two more runs to take a 3-1 advantage. After freshman Ryan Lukach's one-out walk, Gouin stepped up and slammed a Mark Peterson offering deep over the wall in right. It was the first homer of Gouin's career, and just the second hit by Hartford this season.

Radford got a run back in the sixth, then drove Thatcher from the game in the eighth and got two RBI doubles off Englehart to take the lead. The freshman appeared poised to get out of the inning without any damage, incuding two fly ball outs after inheriting a runner on first base. However, Matt Mack tied the score when he ripped a two-out double, and following a walk to Alex Guerra, Cory Turner untied it with his drive.

Hartford went down in order in the ninth to end the game.

The Hawks and Highlanders are back in action on Sunday, playing a single game at 1:00 p.m. to wrap up the three-game set.