GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford baseball team's losing streak has hit seven games as the Hawks fell in both ends of a doubleheader against Albany on Saturday, 9-4 and 6-4. Hartford put up late comeback attempts in both games, but could not finish them off as they fell to 0-5 on the season against the Great Danes.

David Kubiak got the win for Albany in the first game, with Mike Thatcher taking the loss for the Hawks. Kasceim Graham earned the victory in Game Two, with Hunter Englehart taking the defeat.

The Hawks got off to an early 1-0 lead in the first game thanks to a miscue by the Great Danes. Ryan Lukach led off the second inning with a double. He lined a base hit back through the box, and never hesitated as he burst down the line and made the turn for second, sliding in safely well ahead of the throw of center fielder Rob Cervini. Matt Walker followed with a ground ball base hit through the left side. Lukach had to hold up to make sure the ball got through, so he stopped at third base.

Chris Suchy was up next, and he made good contact but hit a hard grounder right back to Kubiak on the mound. Kubiak looked to third and realized that he had Lukach caught too far off the bag, so he threw to third baseman Ralph Rizzo to start a rundown. Rizzo chased Lukach towards the plate, then tossed the ball to catcher Josh Nethaway, who dropped the easy toss as Lukach dove around him and safely touched home. Everyone was safe, and Nethaway was charged with an error.

The Hawks could not do any more with the threat, as the next batter hit into a double play and Kubiak got one of his six strikeouts to end the inning.

Hartford starter Mike Thatcher cruised through the early part of the game, going 3.2 innings without giving up so much as a hit to the Great Danes. Then, with two outs in the fourth, Nethaway blooped a single into right field for the first Albany base hit. From there, the floodgates opened as Thatcher walked two of the next three hitters, giving up a double in between. He was pulled from the game with the Danes up 2-1 with two on and two out. Brian Rice came on in relief, and appeared to have Rizzo struck out to end the inning, but the potential strike three was called a ball, and Rice hit Rizzo with the next pitch. Nolan Gaige then singled to center to bring in two more runs, and the Hawks trailed 4-1.

Albany would tack on three more runs in the sixth, but the Hawks answered with three of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Mark Sorbara led off with a single to center, and moved up to second when Victor Santana followed with a single back up the middle. After a strikeout, Simon Kudernatsch rolled a base hit through the right side, plating Sorbara. Two batters later, Walker shot a line drive do right, good for a single as both Santana and Kudernatsch came around to score.

Leading 7-4, the Great Danes would get two insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. Hartford put two runners on in the bottom of the inning, but could do no damage as they fell, 9-4.

Albany scored first in Game Two, notching three runs - two of which were unearned - off Hawks starter Hunter Englehart in the third inning. Englehart would settle down after that, allowing just one more unearned run until the eighth inning, striking out four while walking just one batter.

The Hawks got on the board in the fourth, as Lukach reached on a fielder's choice and came around on Suchy's RBI double. They would add a run in the seventh on a bizarre play, as Suchy scored from third on a fly ball to shallow center field that Gaige dropped. The Danes' center fielder recovered in time to force Santana at second base, so he was not charged with an error, but the run was unearned as it was, amazingly, the second consecutive miscue by an Albany outfielder. One batter earlier, Santana had reached and moved Suchy to third when his fly ball to deep left field popped in and out of the glove of Nethaway, who had moved to left from behind the plate in Game One.

Leading 4-2 heading into the eighth inning, the Danes scored twice off the tiring Englehart before he was pulled in favor of Kevin Veilleux. Veilleux allowed an inherited runner to score, but struck out two and was not charged with a run over 2.0 innings of work.

In the ninth, the Hawks began to mount a comeback. Sorbara and Brendan Behm got the inning started with back-to-back singles. With no one out, Albany reliever Greg Lutton appeared to have Behm caught off first base, but threw his pick off attempt wide. Sorbara scampered all the way around to score, and Behm ended up on third base. He scored moments later on a wild pitch.

After Santana flew out, Brian Hunter singled, followed two batters later by a bloop double off the bat of Walker. The tying run was in scoring position, but Lukach hit a hard grounder to third that ended the game.

Hartford and Albany will conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon at Fiondella Field with a single nine-inning game set to get underway at 1:00 p.m. Tickets are still available, and can be purchased at the gate.