BOX SCORE GAME 1
BOX SCORE GAME 2
Orono, Maine – The Hartford baseball team dropped a doubleheader to the Maine Black Bears (19-14, 6-0 America East) on Saturday afternoon, opening a three-game series with a 6-1 loss and dropping the night cap 7-2. Senior Simon Kudernatsch and sophomore Brian Estevez led the Hawks (8-24, 1-4 AE) with two hits apiece, while Kudernatsch led the team with two RBI.
The Hawks spread 12 total hits over the two games, with those hits coming from 10 different players. Just one of the 12 hits went for extra bases, a double from Kudernatsch, while Andy Drexel joined Kudernatsch with the Hawks only other RBI on the day.
On the mound, the Hawks two starters, Brian Hunter and Hunter Englehart suffered the losses. Hunter pitched a complete game for Hartford, six innings, with four the Black Bears runs earned, allowing six total hits and striking out four batters while walking three. Englehart also pitched six innings, allowing six of the Black Bears seven runs, all six earned, on nine total hits. He also walked three batters. Austin Barnes and Ryan Carter each pitched one inning of relief for Hartford with Barnes allowing the final Maine run in the second game. Carter retired the three Black Bears he faced in order.
In the opening game, the Hawks only run came in the fourth inning, while Maine scored what would amount the game winning run as part of a four run second inning. The Hawks lone run was made possible thanks to a leadoff walk issued to Trey Stover who took second on a groundout and scored from second on Kudernatsch's first RBI of the day which came on a double down the right field line.
In the nightcap, the Hawks would again be forced to work from behind as Maine opened up a 5-0 lead with a single run in the second, two in the third and two in the fourth before Hartford puts its two runs on the board in the top of the fifth. The Hawks two run fifth inning was made possible by three singles in the inning. Pat Knauth and Stover were the first two, both coming with one out. Stover's single was enough to allow Knauth to take two bases, where he was able to score on a Kudernatsch groundout. Stover, who took second on a error on the Black Bears pitcher, took third on that same groundout and then scored on the final hit of the inning, a single off the bat of Drexel.
The Hawks and Black Bears will close out the Orono portion of their series on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch scheduled at Mahaney Diamond. The two parted series, six games total, will conclude on May 12 and 13 when Maine visits West Hartford and Fiondella Field.
