BOX SCORE

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford softball team dropped an 8-2 decision to the Albany Great Danes on Sunday afternoon. The Hawks, who tied up the game at 1-1 in the third inning, surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and five more in the sixth inning to suffer the three-game sweep at the hands of the Great Danes in America East play.

With the sweep, Albany improves to 24-7 overall, 8-1 in the America East, while Hartford falls to 4-27 with an 0-9 mark in league play.

The Great Danes got on the scoreboard first, using a double by MacDowell followed by a single off the bat of Taylor Franich to plate the run, however Hartford countered in the bottom of the first utilizing smart base running to cross home plate. Devynne Butler, a rookie, led off the frame with an infield base hit and moved up 60 more feet when Amber Andrews laid down a sacrifice bunt. A speedy base runner, Butler then stole third base and easily cruised home to knot up the game at one run apiece.

In the top of the fifth, Albany scratched a pair of runs across the plate to break up the tie and regain the lead at 3-1. With runners on second and third, Alexa Toole got just enough distance on an outfield fly to bring Charlise Castro home on a sacrifice while a single by Lauren Alcorn allowed Katie Wambold, who singled early in the frame, to score the Great Danes' third run of the afternoon.

Albany exploded for five runs on five hits and a Hartford error to cushion its lead to 8-1 in the top of the sixth inning. The Great Danes opened the stanza with three-straight hits, starting with a single by MacDowell and back-to-back triples by Franich and Castro. With two runs in and Castro on third, Wambold would drive in her fellow infielder on a base hit to extend Albany's lead to 6-1. Toole would wrap up the scoring for the Great Danes with a two-run shot over the center field wall to make it an 8-1 ball game.

Senior Shannon Simpkins' speed on the base paths allowed the Hawks to put another notch on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth frame. The inning's lead-off batter, Simpkins put down a bunt which was overthrown by the Great Danes' second baseman. The wild hurl then ricocheted off of the wall and dribbled deep into the right field corner, allowing Simpkins to cover each of the bags and make it an 8-2 game.

In their final at-bats, the Hawks got a pair of runners on the paths as Jackie Kelly led off the frame by roping a single to left field and one batter later, pinch-runner Margaret Betz was hit by a Brittany MacFawn pitch. The Great Danes' hurler, however, bounced back and retired the next two Hawks on a strikeout and line out to conclude the game and earn the three-game sweep.

 MacFawn struck out eight batters and improved her record to 13-3. Hawks' pitcher Siera Sheehan, who allowed eight earned runs, recorded three strike outs and dips to 4-7 on the season.

The Hawks return to the diamond on Tuesday when they host in-state foe Fairifeld for a pair of games. First pitch of the double dip will be thrown at 2:30 p.m. from the University of Hartford Softball Field.