Softball Sweeps Two from UMBC on Saturday

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BALTIMORE, Md. – The University of Hartford softball team picked up a pair of key wins in league play on Saturday afternoon, sweeping UMBC in respective 6-0 and 2-1 decisions at UMBC Softball Stadium. Hartford (18-29, 8-7 AE) will look to complete the three-game sweep of the Retrievers (9-39, 1-16) on Sunday afternoon at 12 noon.

Junior transfer Zuzana Kudernatschova pitched a gem in the opening game, scattering just two hits and striking out nine batters to earn and improve to 11-12 the shutout while Amber Andrews knocked-in the eventual game winning run to lead the Hawks to the one run triumph in the nightcap.

Backing up Kudernatschova's impressive outing on the mound were three runs in the third inning followed by three more insurance tallies in the visiting half of the sixth.

Following three quiet innings to start, the Hawks jumped out in front by juicing up the bases on a pair of walks and a hit by a pitch. With one out, Jenice Aloyo broke open the 0-0 deadlock with a free RBI, earning a base on balls to bring home Melani Maxwell, who also earned a walk to start off the frame.

That advantage quickly grew to 3-0 in the next at-bat as Kate Wacyk smacked a two RBI double to left center field, bringing home Andrews and Erica Phelps with her seventh two-bagger of the season.

The bottom of the fourth was a breeze for Kudernatschova and the Hartford defense, but following that one, two, three frame, UMBC threatened in the home part of the fifth. Margentino opened things up with a leadoff single and took second with just one out following a walk by Martinez. The Hawks quickly silenced the home team's threat, though, as Scroggin was induced into a fly out and O'Neill hit into an infield ground out to end the frame.

Three more runs were plated by the Hawks in the top of the sixth, with the damage being done with two outs in the frame. With Wacyk on first and Andrews on second, junior Chelsey Mooney cleared the bases, roping a double down the left field line to make it a 5-0 game. After Sawyer Fried reached base on a miscue by UMBC's infield, Mooney capped-off the scoring for her team, scoring on a passed ball in Maxwell's at-bat.

In game two, the top of the Hartford lineup each finished with multiple hits with Andrews, Aloyo and Wacyk connecting twice. Junior Kaitlyn Meade picked up her fifth win of the season, striking out six while allowing just one earned run on five hits.

Hartford saw a plethora of runners reach base to start, but combined to strand six through the first three frames. That all changed in the top half of the fourth, though, as Maggie Betz singled with one out and after advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Phelps, broke open a 0-0 game on a triple from Andrews.

The Hawks' advantage doubled to 2-0 in the next at-bat as Aloyo connected for her team's second-straight hit, easily plating Andrews from third on a base hit to left field.

UMBC managed to grab one of those runs back in the bottom part of that inning, but never threatened down the stretch as all of its base runners were retired before reaching third base. The lone Retrievers' run came as a result of back-to-back singles from Scroggin and Chance to lead off the inning. With one out, Martinez manufactured her team's only tally, hitting an RBI single through the middle of the infield to make it a 2-1 game.

Brown suffered the game two loss, recording two strikeouts, while Clark took the hit in the opening game, allowing three runs in 3.1 innings on one hit.

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