Baseball Splits with Albany in Home and Conference Debut

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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford baseball team made its home and conference debut on Saturday afternoon at Fiondella Field, and the Hawks came away with a split against league foe Albany to improve to 1-13 overall and 1-1 in the America East. After suffering a tough, 9-6 loss to start the day, Hartford rebounded for a 3-1 triumph in game two.

The Hawks wrap-up the three-game series with the Great Danes on Sunday, with first pitch from Fiondella Field scheduled to be thrown at 12 noon.

Sophomore Brady Sheetz paced Hartford at the plate in both outings, scoring two runs and driving in three more on a 3-for-7 effort. Freshman Adam Touhey also turned in a solid performance, combining to go 3-for-6 while finishing with two runs scored and a RBI.

In the opening game, the Hawks overcame a five-run deficit, but were unable to complete the comeback after conceding four Great Danes' runs in the top of the final inning.

Things got off to a rough start for Hartford in that opening game as Albany batted through its lineup in the top of the first and produced five runs off four hits to take the quick advantage. Rookie Kyle Gauthier earned the start and had to work from behind early as the Great Danes loaded up the bases with one out recorded in the frame.

Gauthier quickly put down the Great Danes' next batter, striking out Evan Harasta for the second out, but the bottom of Albany's line-up would prove to do the damage as a base hit off the bat of Muller plated the first two runs of the game. Welsh followed up with an RBI single to stretch the lead to three runs before Matt Hinchy launched a bases-clearing single to right center field to give the visiting squad the early 5-0 advantage. Gauthier got out of the jam, though, putting down Adam Mund in three pitches to close out the top of the first.

Despite the barrage of early runs, Hartford did the opposite of shutting down as it got three of those runs back thanks to an RBI double from Sheetz and a sacrifice fly from James Alfonso. Sheetz's sixth two-bagger of the season came with no outs, plating Touhey and Brian Estevez who earned walks to lead off the bats for Hartford. After using a bunt from Ryan Lukach to take third, Sheetz cut Albany's lead to two runs at 5-3 on the deep sac fly. The rally continued for the Hawks, but they fell short of closing the gap to a single run as Nick Dummar was struck out by Brendan Ryan, the newly inserted Albany pitcher, with the bases loaded.

The score remained locked at 5-3 until the bottom of the fifth, when Hartford tied up the game for the first time since the opening inning. Prior to that, Albany nearly extended on that lead in the top half of that frame. What looked to be a quick one, two, three inning for the Hartford defense quickly changed as the Great Danes loaded up the bases with two outs on an infield error followed by a Great Dane who was hit by a pitch and a single to left field by Jeff Welsh. Gauthier prevented any runs from reaching the scoreboard, stepping up to strike out Hinchy for his seventh strikeout of the game.

Billy Walker came through with the game-tying runs after lacing a two-out, RBI double down the left field line to bring in two for the Hawks. Sheetz started the offense off with his second hit of the afternoon, and after Lukach earned a walk, the duo advanced 90 feet down the base paths on a double steal. Alfonso sent a dribbler down the first base line for the second out, but Walker came through with the bases clearing double to make it a new ball game at 5-5.

Hartford's momentum would come to a halt, however, as Albany's offense exploded for four runs off of reliever Anthony Mannuccia to reclaim the advantage at 9-5. D.J. Hoagboon made it 6-5 after scoring on a sacrifice fly and with runners on first and third and two outs, Hinchy boosted the Great Danes' lead to 7-5 with an RBI single to right field. As a result of an infield error by the Hawks, two more would come in before the end of the frame to put the game out of reach.

In its final at-bats, Hartford loaded up the bases with one out and managed to scratch one of those runners across home plate using a sacrifice fly by Walker. It wasn't enough to muster up a comeback, however, as the Hawks stranded two on base after Chris DelDebbio struck out for the final out.

Gauthier finished with eight strikeouts, while Mannuccia suffered the loss on the mound, allowing four runs, two earned, on three hits.

In game two, the Hawks tackled the scoreboard early with Touhey providing the first run of the outing. A freshman, Touhey led off the frame with an infield single and in the next at-bat, he advanced 90 more feet down the base paths on a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Estevez. With one out, the left fielder came away with a key stolen base to come within 90 feet from home, and, on the ensuing play, he scored his team's first run of the game on a Sheetz sacrifice fly.

Following three scoreless innings, Albany tied up the game at 1-1 in the top half of the fifth before Hartford responded with two more runs in its next at-bats to go ahead, 3-1.

With one out, DelDebbio and Trey Stover's patience at the plate paid off, earning back-to-back walks. With Nick Dummar in the batter's box, DelDebbio darted to steal third, but ended up making it past home on the play for the go-ahead run thanks to an attempted pick-off by Albany's second baseman Jeff Welsh that soared over his third baseman's head.

Dummar hit into a fly out to centerfield, but Touhey kept the Hawks' rally going with two-outs, smacking an RBI double into left field to bring home Stover from second and provide the home team with the 3-1 edge. Hartford held on to that advantage down the stretch and silenced any threats from Albany to score its first win of the season.

Brian Hunter enjoyed a solid outing on the mound, fanning seven Great Danes and allowing just one run on three hits. Brian Murphy took over in the top of the seventh, keeping Albany off the scoreboard for two frames before Jeremy Charles earned the save, striking out two of the three batters he faced in the final inning.

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