ALBANY, N.Y. – The Hartford baseball team split its doubleheader with the Albany Great Danes on Saturday afternoon dropping the first game by a 23-8 final and defeating the Great Danes 11-5 in the nightcap. Leading the Hawks (12-23, 9-8 America East) was freshman Chris DelDebbio who finished 5-of-9 at the plate with four RBI and four runs scored.

Sophomore first baseman Brady Sheetz also hit well for the Hawks, finishing the doubleheader with a team-best six hits in nine at bats. He drove in two runs and also scored four more. Three of his six hits went for extra bases on a pair of doubles and a home run, the only long ball of the day for Hartford. DelDebbio also had two of his hits go for extra bases, both doubles.

James Alfonso finished second on the team for the day with three runs driven in while freshmen Adam Touhey and Aaron Wilson both drove in two runs. Right fielder Ryan Lukach finished third overall with four hits while Touhey was the only other player to finish with a multi-hit day scatting a pair of hits over the doubleheader.

On the hill, the Hawks starters each finished with the decision. Rookie hurler Kyle Gauthier suffered the loss in the opening game allowing seven earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks while recording just one out in the first inning. He faced a total of eight batters. In the second game, junior Brian Hunter earned the victory pitching seven innings and allowing just two earned runs on six hits and a walk. He also struck out six batters, the most for the Hawks on Saturday.

In the opening game, the Great Danes opened up a 13-0 lead in just the first two innings adding an addition 10 insurance runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. In the first inning the Great Danes used five hits, four of which were doubles to score eight runs. The big hits in the inning came from designated hitter Matt Hinchy and first baseman Greg Muller who both drove in three runs on doubles. Muller finished the inning 2-for-2 at the plate registering the first hit of the game and then knocking in three on a two-bagger in his second at bat in the inning.

In the second inning, Albany sent 12 batters to the plate finishing with five runs on six hits including a home run from right fielder Josh Nethaway. That home run was a leadoff single run bomb and was his first of two hits in the inning as he single to right field in his second at bat. Third baseman Joey Tracy also finished the inning with a three RBI double down the left field line for the Great Danes.

Muller added three more RBI's in the fourth inning on a triple to right field as he finished the opening game driving in seven runs. Tracy also added three more RBI's, finishing the first game with six total. He drove in a single run in the fifth and added two more in the sixth as he finished the game 4-for-4 at the plate with a walk.

Leading the way for Hartford in the opening game was the left fielder Touhey who finished with a pair of RBI's while going 2-for-3 at the plate. The Hawks scored single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings before adding their final four runs in the top of the seventh in an attempt to mount a comeback. In the seventh, the hawks would finished with four hits, including an RBI double from catcher Billy Walker and an RBI three-bagger from Nick Dummar who pinch hit earlier in the game and played short stop.

In the second game, the Hawks would need to work from behind for the victory after allowing the Great Danes to score the first run of the game in the second inning. The home team took advantage of a lead off hit batter and a wild pitch which allowed left fielder D.J. Hoagboon to score the opening run.

The Hawks began their scoring in the fourth inning where they scored a pair of run on an RBI double to right fielder from DelDebbio and a sacrifice from Alfonso. Hartford added five more runs, three of which were unearned, in the fifth inning putting the game out of reach of the Great Danes. DelDebbio and Alfonso again combined for the RBI's in the inning with each driving in two runs on singles, DelDebbios to right field and Alfonso's through the right side.

Hartford continued its scoring run with a single run, on a solo home run from Sheetz, in the sixth, two more runs in the seventh and a final run in the eighth. The rookie third baseman, Wilson knocked in the two runs in the seventh inning on a single to right field, his only hit of the game, while Lukach knocked in the final run in the eighth as he singled up the middle.

Albany attempted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth but could muster just three runs before falling victim to Hartford 11-5. Center fielder Nolan Gaige and Nethaway would record the only two RBI's in the inning with the third run scoring on a wild pitch.

Hartford and Albany will close out the series with a single game on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.