BOX SCORE
West Hartford, Conn. – Behind strong pitching from sophomore starter Ryan Lukach and a two run home run from Chris Suchy, the Hartford (1-6) baseball team picked up its first win in 2012 and the first under head coach Justin Blood, 5-2 over CCSU (1-4) on Wednesday afternoon. Lukach finished the five innings of work on the hill with no runs and five strikeouts.
Suchy led the Hawks at the plate with a pair of RBI's, while going 2-of-4 overall. He was one of four players to finish with a multi-hit game as Simon Kudernatsch, Andy Drexel and Brian Hunter all finished with two hits. Hunter also picked up the first save for Hartford after starting the game at first base. Lukach, Kudernatsch and Hunter also picked up one RBI a piece.
Lukach finished his five innings of work with four hits overall. Alex Fiste and Freddy Andujar saw time in relief for Hartford. Fiste gave up the Blue Devils only runs in the game as he pitched 1.1 innings and allowed four hits, while striking out one. Andajar finished 1.2 innings of work without allowing a run on one hit, while also fanning one. Hunter picked up the save despite allowing a walk, but never allowed a hit and struck out one batter.
Tom Coughlin suffered the defeat for the Blue Devils in his first appearance of the season. Cughlin allowed three runs on four hits, while managing just one strikeout. Brendyn Karinchak put together an impressive relief appearance, allowing one run on five hits in four innings of work while sitting down five Hawks batters. JP Sportman led the Blue Devils at the plate going 2-for-4 with two RBI, both of which came on his second long ball of the season.
Hartford put the first runs on the board with a three run second inning, which included a two run blast from Suchy driving home Hunter who also drove in the first run of the inning. Drexel started the offense off when he worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a well placed sacrifice bunt from Lukach. Hunter followed up the sacrifice with his first hit of the season to left field, which drove in Drexel. Suchy made it two hits in a row as he sent his second long ball of the season over the fence in right center field.
The Blue Devils had their first run in scoring position in the top of the third when Danny Hickey led off the inning with a double to center field. He wouldn't last long on the base paths as Connor Hoagland lined straight back at the mound to a waiting Lukach who turned and fired to second for the double play. Hartford threatened again in the third inning with runners on second and third but unable to add to the tally on the scoreboard.
The Blue Devils threatened in the fifth after the first two runners reached on a walk and hit batter and after loading the bases, Lukach worked out of the trouble by forcing a double play off the bat of Anthony Turgeon.
The next inning, CCSU would put their first notches in the scoreboard both coming off the bat of Sportman as he cranked his second, and the Blue Devils second, home run of the season high over the left field fence. Sportman was able to drive in Mitch Wells who led off the inning with a double to left center.
Hartford manufactured single runs in the seventh and eighth to extend its lead back to three, 5-2, heading into the final inning. Brian Estevez led off the seventh with his first hit of the game, a single to right field. A successful sacrifice and a wild pitch left him in scoring position with one out and he came around to score on the second hit of the game for Kudernatsch.
The Hawks would then open up the eighth inning with a double to left center field off the bat of Drexel and he would leg around third and across the plate on the next at bat when Lukach fired a shot into left center.
Hartford returns to the diamond for a four-game series with the Kansas State Wildcats beginning with a single game on Friday afternoon. The Hawks and Wildcats are scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. (eastern time) start at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
