GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford baseball team spent its first 13 games away from home in 2011, opening its home schedule on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against Yale. Things did not go as planned for the Hawks, as Yale blanked the hosts in both games, 4-0 in the first and 14-0 in the second. Mike Thatcher was once again a hard-luck loser for the Hawks in the first game, while Hunter Englehart took the loss in Game Two.

Hartford managed just five hits, all singles, over the course of the twin bill, committing six errors. Freshman Brian Hunter had three of the hits.

The first game was a fast-paced, engaging pitchers duel as Thatcher and Yale's Vinny Lally each went the distance in the seven-inning contest. Thatcher worked around a wind-aided double in the first inning and a leadoff hit batsman in the second. Yale got on the board in the third when another hit batter, Gant Elmore, came around to score from first on a double by Trey Rallis.

Hartford threatened to tie the score in the fourth, but was thwarted by a bizarre play that turned into an inning-ending double play. After freshman James Alfonso led off with a walk, Hunter laced the Hawks' first hit of the game to right field, putting runners on first and second with one out. Freshman Ryan Lukach stepped up and lofted a high pop up just in front of home plate. Yale catcher Ryan Brenner circled the ball, but couldn't make a play on it in the swirling winds. Nevertheless, Lukach was out, a victim of the infield fly rule.

As the ball hit the turf, Hunter, not hearing the infield fly call, took off towards second base while Alfonso remained on the bag there. Brenner picked up the ball and ran towards Hunter, now caught between first and second. Brenner continued to near Hunter until the Hartford freshman committed to second base, at which point Brenner tagged him out. The inning - and what would prove to be the best Hartford threat of the day - was over.

The Bulldogs added another run in the fifth, taking advantage of an error by Hunter at third base. Hunter could not handle Elmore's hard grounder with two outs, allowing Elmore to move up to second base. Rallis followed with an RBI single to left.

Yale tacked on two more runs in the seventh inning.

Thatcher, who pitched a season-best 7.0 innings, struck out four without walking a batter. He allowed six hits and three earned runs, but Hartford could manage just two hits off Lally, who struck out 10 en route to a complete game shutout.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick start in the second game, scoring twice in the first. The 144 in attendance at Fiondella Field saw another unusual occurance. After Cam Squires led off with a liner to left that was misplayed into a three-base error, Andy Megee lofted a fly ball to shallow left. With the wind once again affecting the flight of the ball, Hartford could not get under it and the ball fell safely. Squires stayed at third base, so despite being credited with a double, Megee could not get the run home from third. Two batters later, Rallis would drive home Squires with a single, and Charlie Neil followed with a perfect bunt attempt to not only bring home Megee, but also get himself safely aboard.

Freshman starter Hunter Englehart settled down from there, incuding a double play to end the first and allowing only one hit over the next two innings. In the fourth, the Bulldogs scored three more, two of which were unearned after another Hartford error.

Yale tacked on a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth before really blowing the game open with five runs in the seventh inning. Myles Kelly and Charlie Moran came on to close out the game without allowing a run over the final 2.1 innings, the fourth and fifth Hawk pitchers of the game.

Hunter had two hits in the second game, and junior Simon Kudernatsch added a single as five Yale pitchers combined for the shutout.

Hartford will travel down I-91 tomorrow to continue the weekend series with Yale, this time playing a doubleheader in New Haven at historic Yale Field. The Hawks and Bulldogs will get things underway at noon.