AMHERST, Mass. – The Hartford baseball team dropped a 4-3 decision in their seventh extra inning game of the season at UMass on Wednesday afternoon. Leading Hartford (11-22) was freshman third baseman Aaron Wilson who finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.

Wilson led seven players who all combined for nine hits with the other seven all laying down one hit. Joining Wilson in driving in runs was second baseman Brian Estevez who drove in a run in the top of the 10th before the Minutemen came from behind for the walk-off victory. Right fielder Ryan Lukach would record the Hawks third RBI of the game.

On the hill, Hartford was led by reliever Brian Murphy who pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless ball, allowing just one hit. Alex Gouin also did not allow a run in his 2.1 innings of relief work. Freshman Jacob Mellin started for Hartford, giving up two earned run on four hits in two innings, while closer Jeremy Charles suffered the loss as he allowed two runs on four hits, facing six batters in the 10th inning.

The Hawks opened the scoring in the top of the first scoring a single run off of three hits. Short stop Trey Stover began the game with a leadoff single to center field and took second on the second hit of the inning, a one-out single gown the left field line from first baseman Brady Sheetz. Lukach extended his current hit streak for four-straight games as he drove in Stover for the first run on a double to left field.

The Minutemen didn't waste time on their end taking that run back in their half of the first inning, starting their offense with two outs. After Mellin forced the first two batters into groundouts to second base designated hitter Rob McLam began the offense by beating out a bunt single. McLam would advance to second on a wild pitch and scored on the next at bat as Adam Picard drilled a double to center field before Mellin threw his first strikeout to end the inning.

UMass continued their scoring in the second inning combining two hits a sacrifice and a groundout to drive in the go ahead run for a 2-1 advantage. Third baseman Nick Campero began the inning with a leadoff single right field. He would advance to 90 feet from the plate on a sacrifice bunt from centerfield Kellen Pagel and a groundout from catcher Ben Panunzio. Nine-hole hitter Vinny Scifo would come through for the Minutemen sending the second hit of the inning, his first of the game, to center field allowing Campero to score standing up.

The Hawks tied the game in the seventh inning using a one-out walk issued to catcher James Alfonso to their credit. Alfonso would advance to second on a second walk issued to left fielder Adam Touhey, that one coming with two outs recorded. The Hawks nine-hole hitter, Wilson, would then come through in the clutch as he fired his second hit of the game up the middle allowing Alfonso to score and Touhey to advance to third. That hit also drove UMass starter DJ Jauss out of the game with neither starter eligible for a decision.

Neither team would score in the final two innings forcing the Hawks seventh extra inning game of the year. Hartford would strike first in the first extra stanza with a single run in the top of the 10th. With one out in the inning the Hawks nine-hole hitter Wilson would start things off with a single to center field, his third hit of the game. After stealing second with two outs, Wilson was able to score from 180 feet away when Estevez single to left field.

UMass responded in its half of the 10th after a pitching change for Hartford send Jeremy Charles to the hill. Charles would get the first batter of the inning to ground out to second base before McLam followed with a one-out single to center. Picard chased that up with a single up the middle advancing McLam two bases to third. The pair would be joined on the base paths thanks to a walk issued to Dylan Begin. Paul Yanakopulos, who entered as a pinch runner earlier in the game executed a suicide squeeze which plated McLam as the tying run before Pagel followed that with a single down the left field line scoring the game-winning run in the form of Picard.

The road warrior Hawks continue a stretch of 10-straight on the road with a three-game league series at Albany this coming weekend. The Hawks and Great Danes are scheduled to open the series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m. with the finale scheduled for Sunday also with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch. This is the second series between the Hawks and Great Danes with Hartford winning two of three in what was the league opening series in mid March.