WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Hartford baseball team dropped a pair of games on Wednesday in a doubleheader to the Rhode Island Rams who outscored the Hawks 15-3 on the day. The Hawks fall to 12-26 on the season before returning to conference play this weekend at Maine.

For the day, the Hawks were led by short stop Trey Stover who finished with three of Hartford's nine total hits. Stover, who recorded seven at bats, also scored two runs. Ryan Lukach and Brady Sheetz also finished with a multi-hit afternoon as each finished with two hits. Sheetz finished with one hit in each of the games extending his team-leading streak to 13 straight games with at least one hit. Joe Roberti and Chris DelDebbio would record the other two Hartford hits. Lukach and Roberti would be the only two Hawks to record an RBI on the afternoon.

Hartford starters Ryan Carter and Sam McKay were each tagged with the losses. Carter falls to 0-3 on the season giving up two earned runs in two innings of work in the opening game. McKay suffered his first loss at Hartford, now 3-1 in 2013, as he gave up all eight of the Rams runs in game two. McKay finished three innings of work allowing 10 hits while striking out two batters.

Rhode Island struck first plating a pair of runs in the top of the second inning thanks to a triple from designated hitter Shane O'Connell. His three-bagger to center field drove in Pat Fortunato who reached on a single up the middle and Kevin Stenhouse who reached on a four-pitch walk.

The Hawks chipped that lead in half in the bottom of the third. Short stop Stover followed a pair of strikeouts from Rams starter Milan Mantle with a double to left center. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Stover was able to score on a throwing error from the short stop that pulled first baseman Conor Foreman off the bag.

URI regained their two run lead manufacturing a single run in the top of the fifth, thanks in part to a leadoff single up the middle from nine-hole hitter Tim Caputo. He was able to advance one base each on a sacrifice bunt from Jeff Roy and a groundout from Joe Landi, but a single through the left side from third baseman Mike Lebel who recorded his team-leading 28th RBI.

The Rams added an insurance run in the sixth and broke the game open with three more runs in the seventh, taking a 7-1 lead into the final half inning for the Hawks. In the sixth, a leadoff ground rule double from catcher Pat Quinn resulted in the fourth run two batters later thanks to a single through the right side by Stenhouse. In the seventh, Mike LeBel and Fortunato recorded one RBI apiece with the third run able to score on a throwing error on a stolen base attempt.

In game two, The Rams again struck early with a single run in the top of the first inning thanks to a pair of hits, a single from Roy in the leadoff position and a double to deep center field from Lebel. The RBI for Lebel was the third of the day for him as he continues to increase his team lead.

The Hawks evened the score in their half of the first again thanks in part to a leadoff single from Stover. He would be sacrificed to second thanks to second baseman Brian Estevez and was able to take third on an infield groundout from Sheetz. That left Stover at third when Lukach hit a chopper that bounced over the short stops head and allowed Stover to score the tying run.

After both teams were retired in order in the second inning, the Rams responded by plating seven runs on eight hits. The first two runs came courtesy of one swing of the bat as Roy sailed a pitch over the fence in right field for the junior's first home run. After McKay retired the next two, the Rams strung together six straight hits, three of which went for extra bases on two doubles and a triple.

The Hawks would get one run back in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to an RBI infield single for catcher Roberti. Hartford loaded the bases thanks to two walks and a hit batter with Roberti taking advantage of the bases loaded opportunity with one out by plating the Hawks second run of the game. Rams reliever Ty Sterner who entered in the middle of the sixth would then force the Hawks into a double play to end the threat.

Hartford returns to conference play next time out when they travel to Orono, Maine for a three-game set with the current league leading Black Bears of Maine. In the first half of the home-and-home series with Maine, Hartford took two of three from the Black Bears at Fiondella Field in West Hartford.