VESTAL, N.Y. – The University of Hartford softball team was eliminated from the America East Championships on Friday afternoon as Stony Brook defeated the Hawks, 6-3, at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y. The Seawolves will meet the Binghamton Bearcats later this afternoon with the winner of that matchup set to take on Albany on Saturday in the championship game.

Stony Brook (32-23), the home team and No. 4 seed in the Championship, struck the scoreboard first in its first at-bats before Hartford retaliated with a run of its own in the top part of the third inning. The Seawolves went on to rally for five runs in the bottom of the fourth, providing enough separation from the Hawks to stay alive in the double elimination style tournament.

Making its first postseason appearance since 2007, Hartford (21-34) closed out the 2013 campaign with the most wins since 2008 while posting the program's first 20-win season in four years. Later this month, the Hawks will lose four players to graduation: Jordan Haines, Melani Maxwell, Erica Phelps and Kate Wacyk.

With two outs in the bottom of the first, Bria Green singled in Shayla Giosia for the first run of the game, putting Stony Brook ahead early by a 1-0 count. That score would hold until the top of the third as Chelsey Mooney recorded an RBI on a groundout to put the Hawks on the scoreboard and tie up the contest at 1-1.

Mooney's 10th RBI of the season was a product of Hartford loading up the bases with one out. A pair of fielder's choices from Jenice Aloyo and Jackie Kelly, the latter of which kept all runners safe as a result of a muffed throw by Stony Brook's shortstop, sandwiched a Kate Wacyk single to juice the bases and allow the Hawks to force knot up the contest.

Momentum quickly shifted back in favor of Stony Brook, though, as the Seawolves used three costly Hawk errors to grab four runs and take a commanding 6-1 advantage.

Kellie Reynolds got the rally going, earning a walk to lead off the frame and crossing home in the ensuing at-bat. With Gina Bianculli at the plate, Reynolds cashed in, taking second on a passed ball and third on a wild throw by Sawyer Fried before scoring on an outfield single that turned into two bases on another Hartford error.

Stony Brook's lead continued to grow in that frame as Bianculli grabbed third on an infield groundout and scored on a close squeeze play at the plate to put the Seawolves in front by a 3-1 count. Alexandra Pisciotta received the RBI on the play, laying down a bunt down the right field line.

Another run would be added to the scoreboard on the third costly Hawk error of the frame before Giosia provided her team with a five-run cushion by blasting a two-run shot over the left field wall to make it a 6-1 game.

The Hawks grabbed two of those runs back in the top of the sixth frame, with Jordan Haines coming up with a clutch single as a pinch-hitter, but were unable to cut the deficit in their final go-around at the plate in the seventh. Haines' base hit, a two-out screamer through the middle of the infield, brought home Peyton Fisher and Sawyer Fried to cut Hartford's five run deficit to three. Fisher pinch ran for Jackie Kelly, who led off with a single, while Fried reached on a fielder's choice. The duo's runs were made possible as a result of a sacrifice fly from Maxwell, allowing both runners to move into scoring position.

Zuzana Kudernatschova went the distance inside the circle, recording three strikeouts. For Stony Brook, Allison Cukrov earned the save, retiring all three Hawks she faced while Christine Lucido allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits. She finished with four strikeouts.