MIAMI, Fla. – In the second day at the Florida International University Classic, the University of Hartford softball team dropped a pair of heartbreakers, first coming one run short of Savannah State in the morning game before suffering a 7-6, extra-inning loss to the host-team FIU Panthers in the evening.

The Hawks (0-4), who struggled to find their groove in their first three games of the season, turned things around in the nightcap and put together a solid, all-around performance. After committing several miscues in the previous games, Hartford played an error-free contest against FIU, scoring six runs on six hits and falling short of the win in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The six hits were scattered among six different players in the Hartford line-up, while six individuals accounted for the team's six runs. In her second start, junior transfer Zuzana Kudernatschova went the distance, allowing six earned runs on nine hits while fanning four batters.

It was a pitcher's duel to start the game as the Hawks and Panthers exchanged zeroes on the scoreboard through the first two frames. Hartford lit up the scoreboard first with Margaret Betz being the first runner to cross home plate in the contest.

A sophomore left fielder, Betz led off the inning with a single up the middle of the infield. Two plays later, she advanced to second on a sac bunt from Peyton Fisher and made it a 1-0 game following an outfield single off the bat of Amber Andrews.

FIU wasted little time to knot up the game at one run apiece using an RBI single from Nico Rascon in the bottom of the third. Following two more scoreless innings, Hartford loaded up the bases and Kate Wacyk, Sawyer Fried and Erica Phelps drove in Amber Andrews, Jenice Aloyo and Jackie Kelly, respectively, to push the Hawks ahead at 4-1.

Andrews was hit by a pitch from Panthers' starter Shel Wagnon, while Aloyo reached base on the Hawks' fourth hit of the game, a bunt single. An FIU miscue put Kelly on base, allowing the bottom half of the Hartford batting order to plate three runs and provide their team with the advantage.

The Panthers refused to go down easily, though, as they grabbed one run back in the bottom of the sixth and completed the comeback in the bottom of the seventh, scoring on a wild pitch from Kudernatschova and forcing extra innings on an Aleim Lopez sacrifice fly.

In extra innings, the Hawks jumped out to 6-4 advantage, but FIU used three hits to score the 7-6 win in the bottom of the eighth. Melani Maxwell, who started the inning at second, and Phelps, who earned a one-out walk, scored during that frame on a groundout by Betz.

Shel Graves, who was placed on second to start the frame, moved to the hot corner in the first at-bat as Rach Slowik notched a single and stretched that hit to two bases on the throw. Following a groundout, Bre Kaye knocked in the first Panthers' run of the inning, driving in Graves and pushing Slowik to third on a single to left field. Krys Garcie provided the heroics for the host team, smacking a double to right center field, deep enough to plate both the game-tying and the go-ahead runs.

In Saturday's first game, Andrews scored three times and Kelly went 3-for-4 at the plate with one run and an RBI, but the Hawks fell one-run short of Savannah State in an 8-7 decision.

Hartford cut an early 2-0 deficit to one in the bottom of the first as Andrews, who was hit by a pitch to start the frame, rounded the bases using a passed ball, followed by a sac bunt from Aloyo and a wild pitch. The Lady Tigers went on to push ahead by five runs following a four-run, third inning however the Hawks remained within striking distance, grabbing two of those runs back in the bottom of the third to make it a 6-3 ball game.

Savannah State added one more run to extend its lead to 7-3 in the top half of the fourth however Hartford got hot in its at-bats, plating three runs to come within one of the Lady Tigers.

With no outs, the Hawks quickly got runners on both corners as Fisher led off the inning with an outfield single and Andrews reached base on an error committed by Savannah State's infield. With Maxwell at the plate, Hartford made it 7-4 on a double steal that saw Fisher cross home plate. Maxwell then launched a double that was deep enough to plate Andrews from second base. Following a Savannah State pitching change, Kelly kept the momentum going, driving home Maxwell on an RBI single to close the Hawks' gap to one run at 7-6.

In the following inning, the Lady Tigers extended its lead back to multiple runs at 8-6. Hartford used its short game to make a rally in the bottom half ot the sixth stanza, using a run by Andrews to cut it to 8-7. The second baseman started the inning off with a single, and after advancing to second on the throw, she was pushed to third on an Aloyo sac bunt and crossed home via an RBI infield groundout by Wacyk.

In the next at-bat, Kelly looped a single to left field, putting the game-tying run at first and the potential game-winning tally at home plate. Junior Chelsey Mooney came up empty handed, however, as she struck out to close out the frame.

In its final at-bats, though, the Hawks were unable to complete the comeback bid as Hedderly, Savannah State's reliever, but down Hartford's lineup in order to hold on for the win.

Brittany Beebe earned the start for Hartford, allowing six runs, three earned, in 2.1 innings. Kaitlyn Meade took over inside of the circle, throwing 4.2 innings and allowing two runs while striking out three.

The Hawks close out the FIU Classic on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. against the Savannah State Lady Tigers.