BOX SCORE - GAME 1
BOX SCORE - GAME 2

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford baseball team fell in both games of Sunday's doubleheader at Fiondella Field to America East foes Binghamton, suffering an 11-3, nine-inning setback in the opening game before allowing the visiting Bearcats to squeeze by with a 2-1 triumph in game two.

With the two wins, Binghamton clinched the league series by a 3-1 count after the two squads split a pair of games on Saturday. The Bearcats (18-18) improve their mark to 9-3 in the America East while Hartford (10-24), dips to 2-12 in the league.

Simon Kudernatsch paced the Hawks in the four-game set, combining to bat 5-for-13 while Trey Stover put up a 4-for-12 effort at the plate.

In the opening game, the Hawks pushed ahead early and led by a 3-0 count through six innings, however that advantage was surrendered as the Bearcats tied things up in the top of the seventh to force extra innings. After a scoreless eighth frame, Binghamton's offense heated up and put the game out of reach with eight runs.

Hartford, which was outhit by its opponents by a margin of 16-8, got its bats going in the bottom of the second to get on the scoreboard and move ahead early with 1-0 score. The home team benefited from back-to-back outfield hits by Brian Hunter and Chris Suchy as a sacrifice bunt laid down by Brian Estevez allowed the first run of the afternoon to score.

Stover went on to provide the Hawks with a two run cushion in the bottom of the fifth when he smacked a single past the Bearcats' first baseman into left field, plating Alex Bulger from third and Rob Meerman from second for his 12th and 13th RBI of the year. The duo used two-straight singles to reach base as Bulger, Hartford's catcher, notched a one-out single and centerfielder Meerman followed suit with a double to right field. 

Alex Gouin got off to a strong start for Hartford, scattering just five hits through the first six innings while keeping the Bearcats off of the scoreboard. In what would have been the final inning of the opening game, however, Binghamton disrupted Gouin's shutout by loading up the bases with three-straight singles by Brian Ruby, Daniel Nevares and Mike Danaher allowing a walk by Zach Blanden to score the Bearcats' first run of the game.

Following a pitching change that saw Austin Barnes replace Gouin on the mound, Hartford retired Bill Bereszniewic on an infield ground out that scored the Bearcats' second run of the frame and John Howell completed the comeback for the visiting squad using a sacrifice fly to bring in Danaher and tie the game up at three runs apiece.

The top of the ninth frame belonged to the Bearcats as they used eight hits coupled with a pair of miscues by the Hawks' defense to scratch eight runners across the plate and put the game out of reach at 11-3.

Dave Ciocchi collected all three of his RBI in that frame using a home run to do the damage while Danaher, who went 2-for-2 in the stanza, scored one run and notched an RBI to help Binghamton gain its first lead of the game.

Barnes suffered the loss for the Hawks after allowing seven earned runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. In six innings, Gouin walked one, struck out two and allowed the Bearcats' first three runs of the game. For Binghamton, Mike Urbanski worked for 2.0 innings to earn the win, striking out three while keeping Hartford off of the scoreboard.

In the second game, Hartford again grabbed the early advantage thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Kudernatsch which plated Stover, who opened the game with a two-bagger to right field.

Anthony Grillini kept the Hawks scoreless for the next four innings, allowing six more hits in that span before Greg Ostner and Lee Sosa continued the trend for Binghamton, each putting in an inning of work.

Hunter Englehart, who tossed a complete game for the Hawks, blanked Binghamton in the first five innings, scattering just two hits during that span, before surrendering a pair of runs in the top of the sixth frame.

Binghamton opened the top half of the sixth with two-straight singles, with a throwing error on the latter hit advancing both runners into scoring position. Jordon Smucker, the next batter, cut the Bearcats' deficit in half using an infield groundout to plate the lead runner while Ciocchi's single to left field scored the go-ahead run, which proved to be the eventual game winner.

Ostner earned the victory on the mound for the Bearcats, marking his first triumph of the season, and Sosa racked up his eighth save of the year. Englehart drops to 0-8 after allowing two earned runs on six hits and striking out a pair.

Next up for Hartford is a mid-week game at Dartmouth on Tuesday, May 2. First pitch between the Hawks and the Big Green is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.