BOX SCORE GAME 1
BOX SCORE GAME 2
West Hartford, Conn. – The Hartford baseball team split a doubleheader with the Binghamton Bearcats on Saturday afternoon, winning the opening game by a 4-2 final before dropping the second game 7-4. The Hawks improve to 10-32 on the season and 2-10 in America East action. Hartford and the Bearcats will close out the series with another doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Fiondella Field.
For the day, Hartford was led by senior Andy Drexel who finished with two hits, both of which were doubles, and freshman Trey Stover who drove in a pair of Hawks runs. Drexel's two hits amounted to the only player to finish with more than one hit on Saturday, as seven other players all muscled one hit apiece. Stover was joined in the RBI column by sophomore duo Brian Estevez and James Alfonso.
On the hill, reliever Freddy Andujar picked up the Hawks victory in game one, pitching two innings of relief. Andujar did give up the two runs that tied the game for the Bearcats but still earned his team leading fourth victory of the season, while junior transfer Ryan Carter earned his first save in the scarlet and white. Starter Brian Hunter was tagged with the loss in game two.
Sophomore Zach Ferris started game one for the Hawks and pitched well through four innings. He allowed just one hit while walking two batters and striking out two. Hunter pitched seven innings in his seventh start of the season, allowing six runs, all earned, on four hits and three walks. He also struck out six batters.
The Hawks struck early in the opening game, hitting Bearcats starter Mike Augliera three times and scoring a pair of runs to take a 2-0 lead. Rob Meerman opened the Hawks offensive up with a leadoff single that ricocheted off of Augliera. Simon Kudernatsch followed that with a walk to put a pair of runners on. That allowed Alfonso to drive in the first run of the game on a single to right field as Meerman's speed allowed him to score from second. Three batters and two strike outs later Estevez took advantage of runners on the corner, smacking the third single of the inning into left center which allowed Kudernatsch to score easily.
The Hawks would struggle through the next four innings as Augliera struck out 10 batters in those four stanzas, including striking out the side in order in the third and fourth. During that stretch, catcher Alex Bulger mustered the only Hawks hit, a single up the middle just out of reach of Augliera's extended glove.
Binghamton was able to tie the contest in the fifth inning, taking advantage of back-to-back one out walks issued by Andujar. Zach Blanden followed those two walks with a single just in front of right fielder Pat Knauth, which allowed Daniel Nevares to score from second for the Bearcats first run of the day. The second run was made possible because of a Hawks throwing error on a double play attempt, which allowed Mike Danaher to score from second base.
Hartford would benefit from the Bearcats only miscue in the contest in the sixth inning, using a pair of two baggers and the Bearcats error. Drexel opened up the offense with a one out double to left center and he was able to score the go-ahead run on a routine groundball to first base that was booted. That error and the subsequent throw home allowed Estevez to get into scoring position at second base. With Estevez on the pond, Stover muscled his only hit of the game into right center for two bases and drove in an insurance run as Estevez scored easily from second.
The Hawks would turn to junior right hander Carter to close out the contest and earn his first save. Carter retired the only three batters he faced in order, thanks in part to a great defensive play at short stop from Stover as he dove to his right and fired the pearl across the diamond and on the mark to throw out a speedy John Howell.
In the second game, the Bearcats would put the first notches on the scoreboard tagging Hawks starter Hunter for three runs on two hits and a walk. The most important hit came by way of a three run home run, the first of the season, off the bat of Joel Stubbs.
Hartford came right back to tie the game in the bottom half of the second, using back-to-back hits to lead off the inning, a fielding error and a wild pitch. Drexel opened things up with a double just inside the left field foul line. He was followed by a single up the middle from Hunter putting runners on the corners. Rookie Brady Sheetz chased them with routine infield groundout that was not fielded cleanly, allowing Drexel to score and putting two runners on the pond, again at the corners.
Back-to-back groundouts led to the second run of the inning as Hunter scored on Stover's groundout to third, which also allowed Sheetz to go to second. He then took second on Estevez's groundout and took advantage of a wild pitch on a fourth ball issued to Brendan Behm to tie the game.
Hunter would then complete three-straight 1-2-3 innings before allowing three runs in the seventh inning as Binghamton sent eight batters to the plate. Three free passes, two walks and an hit batter, along with a double from Danaher and a single from Nevares gave the Bearcats the go ahead and eventual game winning runs.
The Hawks had an opportunity in the seventh with runners on second and third, but a failed suicide squeeze worked in favor of the Bearcats, ending the inning with an unconventional double play. The Bearcats then added one more insurance run in the ninth inning, making a leadoff single up the middle from Navares pay off, before closer Lee Sosa capped off the victory facing just three batters in the bottom of the ninth.
