Baseball Senior Day

Baseball Hartford Sports Information

Walker Ties Record on Senior Day as Baseball Drops Pair to Stony Brook

GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Matt Walker reached a milestone on Sunday afternoon, but the Hartford baseball team could not snap its losing streak as it fell in both ends of a doubleheader to Stony Brook. Walker's RBI double in the seventh inning of Game One was the 47th two-bagger of his career, tying a school record previously held by Ron Acabbo. It was not enough to keep Stony Brook from building a 10-2 victory, however, and the Seawolves held on for a 9-6 triumph in Game Two after jumping out to a 9-1 lead.

Anthony Mannuccia took the loss for the Hawks (3-38-1, 1-15) in the first game, dropping his record to 2-7. Brandon McNitt, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, improved to 6-2 for the Seawolves (34-10, 15-2). In the second game, Vincent Fiore took the loss, dropping him to 1-3. G.C. Yerri picked up the win, moving him to 3-0.

Stony Brook took a quick 1-0 lead in the first game, as Chad Marshall drew a one-out walk, stole second and came home on a two-out single by Maxx Tissenbaum. The Seawolves build some insurance in the fifth inning, thanks in large part to a two-out, two-run triple by Tissenbaum.

The Seawolves broke the game wide open in the top of the seventh, scoring five runs off reliever Brian Rice. Rice walked the first batter he faced, then hit the next before an RBI single brought in the Seawolves' sixth run. After another hit-by-pitch, Tissenbaum drove in his fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field. Steve Marino then doubled home two more runs, and would later score on a Hartford error.

Facing the prospect of being no-hit by McNitt, the Hawks sent Chris Suchy to the plate to get the bottom of the seventh inning started. He quickly ended the no-hit bid, pounding a hard ground ball just beyond the reach of the Seawolves' first baseman and into right field. Walker followed by stroking the record-tying double that hugged the left field line, bringing Suchy all the way around from first to score.

Two ground balls brought Walker plateward, but that was all the Hawks could muster as they dropped the first game, 10-2.

Game Two once again saw the Seawolves build up a comfortable lead. Thanks to two Hartford miscues, Stony Brook scored five runs – four of which were unearned – over the first two innings.

Hartford got on the board in the bottom of the second. Rodger Wilmot laced a double down the left field line, then scored two batters later on Alex Bulger's single to left. The Seawolves would negate that run in the top of the third, though, when Marino powered a home run over the right field fence.

Stony Brook made it 9-1 with three straight doubles by Willie Carmona, Tissenbaum and Marino with one out in the fourth inning. Those runs all came off reliever Tyler Corsi, who settled down from there and allowed just two more hits after the fourth, holding the Seawolves at nine runs.

Meanwhile, Hartford began to come back. With one out in the fifth inning, Ryan Lukach walked. The next batter, Simon Kudernatsch, ripped a double down the right field line that went all the way to the wall in the corner, allowing the speedy Lukach to come home and score. Walker's single up the middle brought Kudernatsch home, and after Suchy doubled, Wilmot drove in Walker with a groundout to the shortstop.

In the eighth, Hartford scored two more runs thanks to a two-run single by Lukach, scoring Brendan Behm and Erik Figueredo. Down three runs going into the ninth inning, the Hawks put runners on second and third with one out before Jason Freethey flew out to right field and Walker was gunned down at the plate trying to score, ending the game.

Hartford has just one home game remaining, a non-conference contest against Rhode Island on Tuesday, May 17. In the meantime, the Hawks will hit the road this week, visiting Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday afternoon before traveling to Orono to take on the Maine Black Bears in three games this weekend. Wednesday's game gets underway at 3:30 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader at Maine has a scheduled first pitch of 3:00 p.m.
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