BOX SCORE

TEANECK, N.J. - The bats broke out on Wednesday afternoon as the Hartford baseball team backed up another strong pitching performance by one of its young pitchers, snapping a 13-game losing streak and defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, 7-0. Kevin Veilleux was perfect through the first six innings of the game, finishing with a two-hit shutout as he earned his first collegiate victory.

Veilleux struck out five and did not walk a batter. The Knights' Ryan Kresky singled through the left side of the infield to lead off the seventh inning, spoiling the freshman's perfect game bid. With the victory, Veilleux improved his record to 1-4. Matt Cadigan took the loss for Fairleigh Dickinson, dropping to 0-7.

Hartford got on the board in the second inning. Simon Kudernatsch led off the frame with a single that scooted through the right side of the infield. He moved around to third when Mike Aldrich did a good job hitting behind the runner, serving a single into right field to put runners at the corners. After a strikeout, Rodger Wilmot sent a chopper to third base. Kudernatsch broke for the plate, and Wilmot beat the throw to first base as everyone was safe. It was a tough inning for Knights' third baseman Steven LaForge, who mishandled Alex Bulger's ground ball to load the bases with one out.

With one run already in, the Hawks had Brian Estevez put down a drag bunt up the first base line. Aldrich was off on contact, and scored the team's second run. Cadigan came off the mound quickly and got Estevez at first, and escaped without futher damage when he struck out Ryan Lukach to end the inning.

Chris Suchy led off the third inning by a driving a ball deep to right field, going all the way to the wall. He raced around to third base, pulling in with a triple. Matt Walker's sacrifice fly moments later plated him with Hartford's third run.

Cadigan settled down over the next few innings, allowing just one single through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. In the seventh, though, Estevez drew a one-out walk, and after Lukach also took a free pass, Cadigan was pulled in favor of reliever Craig Warner.

Warner got Suchy to roll a grounder to first, where Fairleigh Dickinson tried to start a tough 3-6-3 double play. Lukach was thrown out at second, but Suchy beat the return throw, and Estevez moved up to third. With runners on the corners, Suchy forced the action, taking off for second base. The throw by FDU catcher Erik Pollag sailed into center field, allowing Estevez to come home with an unearned run, the fourth of the game for the Hawks.

Through six innings, Fairleigh Dickinson had yet to solve Hartford starter Kevin Veilleux. Making his fifth career start, Veilleux mowed down the first 18 batters the Knights sent to the plate, striking out three and allowing just two fly balls to so much as leave the infield.

Leading off the seventh, however, Ryan Kresky sent a sharp single through the left side of the infield. After LaForge lined out to shortstop, Veilleux hit Brian Dillon with a pitch, but worked out of trouble when he got Pollag to ground into a 4-4-3 double play.

Joe Martino would add a double in the eighth inning, but was gunned down on a relay started by left fielder Chris Suchy as he tried to stretch his hit into a triple.

In the eighth inning, the Hawks added two insurance runs when Brian Hunter tripled home Kudernatsch, and Wilmot singled to plate Hunter. The Hawks would add one more run in the top of the ninth after Estevez doubled and scored on a groundball to second base by Brendan Behm.

The win was the first for Hartford under interim head coach Jerry Shank.

Now looking to start a winning streak, the Hawks will remain on the road for their next three games, all at Maine this weekend. Hartford took one of three games from the Black Bears in West Hartford last month, and now will play a three-game series in Orono. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 3:00 p.m.