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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford softball team got its home schedule off to an impressive start on Wednesday, sweeping a doubleheader from the Iona Gaels. The Hawks came from behind in both games to score 6-4 and 12-11 wins with the latter extending into extra innings.

Hartford hurler Zuzana Kudernatschova tossed a solid game to lead Hartford (10-20) to the victory in game one while sophomore Jackie Kelly capped off an impressive outing at the plate in game two by knocking-in the game-winning run in walk-off fashion with a single in the bottom half of the eighth to propel the Hawks to the triumph. Iona drops to 5-24 with the losses.

Kelly combined to go 4-for-6 in both games, driving in four runs while crossing home plate three times. Sophomore Brittany Beebe was awarded the win in the nightcap, working 3.1 innings while allowing one run on three hits and striking out a trio of batters.

Sophomore Jenice Aloyo and senior Kate Wacyk joined Kelly with two hits apiece in the first game of the afternoon, with Kelly knocking in a pair of runs and Wacyk crossing home plate twice.

In that outing, the Hawks' defense retired the first three Gaels in order and went on to take a 1-0 lead in the first go-around at the plate, thanks to Wacyk's first hit of the afternoon. The shortstop, she blasted a single to right centerfield, plating junior Amber Andrews to take the early advantage.

Iona threatened in the top of the second, loading up the bases with two outs. Kudernatschova and the Hawks got out of the inning without any damage, though, as Hartford's ace struck out Brianna King to end the frame and collect her third of nine strikeouts.

The home team's defense got out of the jam in the second inning but the things quickly changed in the top half of the third as Iona stormed ahead by plating four runs.

The Hawks slowly chipped away at that disadvantage, grabbing two of those runs back in their next at-bats to come within one run of the Gaels at 4-3. With one out recorded in the frame, Aloyo singled and stole second before taking third using another base hit off the bat of Wacyk. With runners on the corners, Kelly provided her first key hit of the afternoon, smacking a bases-clearing single to right center to close the deficit to one.

The bottom of the fourth again featured timely hitting by Hartford as Erica Phelps notched a double with two outs and tied up the game on the ensuing at-bat, a play that saw Andrews reach on an infield error by Gaels' third baseman Sarah Schutz.

The comeback bid was made complete as Sawyer Fried pushed Hartford back ahead with a lead it would not relinquish in the bottom of the fifth. Fried's two-out single allowed Wacyk, who started off the Hawks' at-bats by earning a walk, to come across home and provide the home team with the 5-4 advantage. That lead then inflated to two runs with two outs in the frame as Margaret Betz looped a base hit into right field that was deep enough to drive-in Fried for the insurance run.  

After allowing four runs, none of which earned, Kudernatschova improved her mark to 6-9 on the season. Carly Argyle took the loss for Iona, allowing three runs on four hits in the final three innings of action.

Totaling two hours and 45 minutes, game two featured a see-saw outing that saw Hartford take a commanding 4-1 lead at the end of the first inning before falling behind by five runs in the top half of the fifth.

Phelps drove in the pair of runs that gave her team the early three run advantage before the Gaels countered and tied up the game at 4-4 by using all nine of their batters to produce three runs on four hits.

Iona earned its first advantage of the game in the top of the third, using small ball to bring home King who was issued a one-out walk. That lead was short-lived, however, as Phelps forced the game into its second tie after scoring on a sacrifice fly off the barrel of Andrews.

Five hits, including a two-run bomb from Schutz, coupled with a pair of costly Hartford fielding errors, including one that should have ended the inning with no damage done in the frame, turned into a five-run frame that put Iona back on top, 10-5, in the top of the fifth.

That rally wasn't the end of the game, however, as the Hawks responded for five runs of their own in their next at-bats to knot up the score at 10-all.   

Mooney's second hit of the game, a single down the middle of the infield, closed the Hawks' gap to four runs while Maxwell continued the rally and trimmed the deficit to 10-7. Mooney's base hit brought home Wacyk, who doubled to lead the frame off, and Maxwell's hit, a two-bagger, drove in Kelly from second.

Despite the Hawks seeing the second out of the frame recorded after Mooney was tagged out at home on an attempt to score on Maxwell's double, the inning continued for the Hawks as they closed the gap to a single run and went on to tie it up at 10-10 in the next at-bat. Peyton Fisher knocked a slow dribbler towards the third base line, a ball that was picked up by Iona's third baseman but thrown past its first baseman. Fisher advanced to third on the play, and Maxwell and Erica Phelps both scored to complete yet another comeback for the home team.

The two teams exchanged runs in the sixth frame before coming up empty in their final at-bats. In extra innings, Iona's Jodi Petersen, who was placed on second to start the frame, advanced 60 feet to third on a sacrifice bunt, but would not cross home as Hartford pitcher Brittany Beebe induced back-to-back infield popups to end the inning.

Peyton Fisher started the bottom of the eighth on second base, and with one out, the Hawks found themselves with the bases loaded after Andrews and Wacyk each earned walks. That set the scene for Kelly, who looped a single into left field, allowing Fisher to easily coast home for the walk-off victory.

Junior Kaitlyn Meade earned the start for Hartford, working 4.2 innings before being relieved by Beebe. For Iona, Jordan Courage pitched for 4.2 innings, conceding the first nine runs of the game. Argyle was issued the loss after allowing the game-winning run past home plate.

Hartford continues its six-game homestand by welcoming the Boston University Terriers to West Hartford for a three-game America East Conference set. The two league foes will play a doubleheader on Saturday (1 p.m.) followed by a single game on Sunday (12 noon).