BOX SCORE GAME 1
BOX SCORE GAME 2
Albany, N.Y. – The Hartford baseball team split a Friday afternoon doubleheader at Albany 21-30-1, 15-8 America East), winning the early game 3-2 before falling 5-3 in the nightcap. The Hawks (16-39, 7-16 America East) were led by senior outfielder Chris Suchy who finished 3-of-5 at the plate, while knocking two runs.
Brian Hunter scored the victory on the hill in game one, pitching five innings and allowing both Great Danes runs. Hunter faced 25 batters and gave up two hits while walking seven batters. He also struck out one. Austin Barnes recorded his team leading third save of the season, working two innings of relief. Barnes did not allow a hit while allowing just one run. He also walked two and struck out a pair.
Starter Zach Ferris suffered the loss in the second game after pitching the first 6.1 innings and allowed all five of the Great Danes runs, however only two were earned. Ferris allowed eight hits and struck out two batters. Freddy Andujar pitched the final five outs in game two, allowing just one hit while walking two batters and striking out two.
Suchy's three hits led all nine starters who all finished with at least one hit over the two-game stretch. His three hits was one of seven players to finish with a multi-hit afternoon as six other players finished with a pair of hits. Senior Andy Drexel also knocked in a pair of runs as he finished with two hits on the afternoon, while sophomore second baseman Brian Estevez drove in a run, what amounted to the game-winning run in the opening game.
In the opening game, the Great Danes struck first with a single run in the first inning. After the Hawks were retired in order to open the contest, Albany's D.J. Hoagboon worked a one out walk that eventually led to the games' first run. Hoagboon stole second and was able to score on a single up the middle from Mike Tirri with two outs.
Hartford wasn't able to respond until the third inning when they took a 2-1 lead, a lead they would not relinquish through the seven inning game. Following a pitching change for the Great Danes, Brendan Behm opened the Hawks offense with a leadoff walk and was successfully pushed to second on a sacrifice bunt from Suchy. Following a strikeout for the second out, Estevez walked and Simon Kudernatsch was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Drexel who connected for the Hawks first hit a single down the right field line. That hit allowed Behm and Estevez to score.
Estevez then provided his own RBI in the fifth inning, giving the Hawks a two run advantage at the time. Behm once again opened up the Hawks offense with a leadoff single to left field but eventually fell victim to a fielder's choice which left Suchy on first with one out. Suchy advanced to second on a balk and took third on the innings second hit, a single to left from Trey Stover. With runners on the corners, Estevez sailed the Hawks second straight single, this on allowing Suchy to score easily from third for the insurance run.
The Great Danes didn't waste much time taking that run back in the bottom half of the inning with Josh Netheway sacrificing himself for the team, knocking in Peter DiResta on a fly ball to right field. DiResta reached base on a leadoff double down the right field line.
In the nightcap, the Hawks got on the board first, taking a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second innings. Stover, the Hawks leadoff batter, worked a walk on the first at bat of the game and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, was pushed further into scoring position on a sacrifice laid down by Estevez. From third, Stover scored easily on the games first hit, a single up the middle from Kudernatsch, extending his team leading RBIs to 37.
The second inning began with a leadoff double down the left field line from catcher James Alfonso who was led stranded at second through the next two at bats, groundouts to the left side from Alex Bulger and Behm. Suchy, a senior outfielder, wasn't going to let the lead off extra base hit go to waste as he singled up the middle driving in the Hawks second run of the contest.
The Great Danes responded by scoring four runs in the bottom of the third, taking their first lead of the game. The home teams half of the third began similar to the Hawks second inning as Joey Tracy managed a lead off since to center field and was left stranded over the next two at bats, fly balls to left and right field. Junior Nolan Gaige began a string of four batters reaching base safely as he worked a two-out triple down the right field line for the Great Danes first RBI of the afternoon.
Hoagboon followed that up by reaching base courtesy of a Hawks fielding error, which also allowed Gaige to score the game tying run. After stealing second, Hoagboon was able to score on the third hit in the inning, a single up the middle from DiResta, who then became the final run as he scored on a double from Tirri.
The Hawks cut into that lead with a single run in the seventh, all starting with a leadoff double down the right field line from Bulger. Behm followed that up with a second-straight hit, a bunt single that put runners on the corners. Bulger was then able to score on a double play ball off the bat of Suchy, cutting the Great Danes lead to 4-3.
Albany responded back in their half of the seventh, putting that two run cushion back on the board. Pinch hitter Greg Muller worked a one out single to get things rolling in the seventh before being lifted for a pinch runner, Jeff Welsh. Welsh showed his speed on the bases as he stole second and third, putting himself well into scoring position before the next at bat was complete. That allowed Madej to drive in the Great Danes fifth, and final, run of the game on a single to center.
The Hawks and Great Danes will close out the series, and the regular season, with a single game on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Varsity Field.
