BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hartford baseball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader with the UMBC Retrievers on Saturday afternoon, falling into fifth position in the league standings with the top four teams advancing to the America East Championship in two weeks. The Retrievers posted a 3-1 victory in the opening game and a 7-4 triumph in the nightcap.

For the day, Hartford (15-33, 11-15 America East) was led by shortstop Trey Stover who finished 4-of-8 at the plate, including a 3-of-5 performance in the second game with a pair of RBI. Aaron Wilson, Brady Sheetz and Chris DelDebbio each finished with two hits while Ryan Lukach and Brian Estevez rounded out all of the Hawks hits with one each, 12 total for the visiting team.

Hawks starters Kyle Gauthier and Brian Hunter suffered the losses on the hill as they combined to allow eight runs on nine hits. Gauthier lasted 3.1 innings in the first game as he gave up three earned runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. Hunter lasted just one out longer than Gauthier and gave up five runs, four earned, on a pair of hits and eight walks. Alex Gouin and Anthony Mannuccia pitched a total of four scoreless innings for the Hawks, allowing two hits and striking out four total batters.

In the opening game the Hawks only run came in the fourth inning as they tied the score at one. Sheetz led off the inning with the second of four total hits in the game, a single through the right side. After advancing to second on a sacrifice from Lukach, Sheetz was able to dvance on a single to right field from DelDebbio and score as the Retrievers right fielder bobbled the ball.

UMBC answered right back with the two go ahead runs in the fourth inning, beginning the bottom of the fourth with four straight hits, three singles and a double. Vince Corbi and D.J. Smith drove in those runs on singles, with Corbi's registering as the game winner.

In the second game, the Hawks found themselves in a five run deficit following a four run fourth inning. The first UMBC run came in the third inning before Hunter walked four batters in the fourth as the Retrievers scored all four runs with two outs. Two of those runs came courtesy of a single to right centerfield from sophomore Jake Barnes.

Hartford scored two runs each in the eighth and ninth innings but UMBC answered two of those four runs in its half of the eighth inning. In the Hawks half of the eighth inning Stover and Sheetz each drove in runs as Hartford finished with three hits in the inning. In the ninth, the Hawks rookie centerfielder, DelDebbio, led off the comeback attempt with a triple down the right field line as Nick Dummar and Stover each drove in the runs.

The Hawks and Retrievers close out what will be a six-game series on Sunday afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.