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West Hartford, Conn. – Behind a nine-inning complete game from sophomore right hander Anthony Mannuccia, the University of Hartford baseball team scored a 4-1 win over the Maine Black Bears to close out a three game series with the Black Bears. The win for the Hawks is the first in conference play as they improve to 1-2 in the America East and 3-25-1 overall.
Mannuccia's complete game is the second of his career as he pitched a complete seven inning shutout against fellow league foe Albany in his final outing of the 2010 season as a rookie. Mannuccia gave up eight total hits and stranded seven players on the bags, including working out of trouble in the sixth to strand the bases loaded. For the game, the Danbury, Conn. native walked one batter and struck out four.
Offensively, the Hawks were led by a two-hit appearance for junior Simon Kudernatsch, who sent both of his hits to the outfield fence and converted both into three baggers, the first two of the season. Junior Chris Suchy provided a pair of RBI's with two outs in the fourth that gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead, one they would not give up through the final five innings.
Neither team could muster a run through the first three innings with the Black Bears putting the first mark on the board on a solo home run to right center in the top half of the fourth inning. Senior lefty Joey Martin would lead off the fourth inning with the long ball, the second of the season for Martin.
After Mannuccia stranded one batter to end the top half of the fourth, the Hawks offense began to find holes in A.J. Bazdanes pitching as Kudernatsch sent the Hawks first hit of the day to the base of the right centerfield wall putting the first runner in scoring position for the home team. The next batter, Ryan Lukach would find himself with a free pass, putting runners on the corners. With two outs, Suchy would find an opening in left center to place his first hit of the game, allowing Kudernatsch to score easily and a speedy Lukach to score what would prove to be the game-winning run.
The Hawks answered with insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings with Lukach and Victor Santana picking up the RBI's. Lukach would knock in the Hawks third run following a leadoff triple from Kudernatsch with a fly ball to center field, which allowed Kudernatsch to score on a throw to the plate that was off the mark.
The Hawks fourth and final run would come with the help of a throwing error at the hot corner, third base. With Stephen Perakslis coming on in relief of the Black Bears starter, Bazdanes, Alex Bulger pushed a bunt down the left field line which forced the third baseman to make an off balance throw that sailed high over first base allowing Bulger to put himself in scoring position at second. Bulger would take third on a wild pitch before scoring the final run of the game with two outs on a single straight up the from Santana.
The Hawks will play their next six games on the road, including a pair of mid-week tilts against Quinnipiac (Tuesday 3:00 p.m.) and Dartmouth (3:00 p.m.). Conference play will resume with a four-game series against Binghamton over the weekend in Vestal, N.Y.
