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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Hartford baseball team dropped its final mid-week contest of the season to the visiting Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils 9-4 on Wednesday afternoon. The loss for Hartford drops their overall record to 16-34 as they look ahead to a three-game weekend series with the Stony Brook Seawolves with the winner of that series taking the final spot in the upcoming America East Championship.

Hartford finished the game with 11 total hits led by rookies Chris DelDebbio and Aaron Wilson who each finished with a pair of hits. The remaining seven hits were scattered throughout the remaining batters with relief catcher Joe Roberti leading the team with a pair of RBI on his one hit. Brian Estevez and Ryan Lukach also drove in runs for the Hawks.

The Blue Devils rallied with two outs in the top of the second to put the first run of the game on the board. After Hawks starter Sam McKay forced the first two batters into a fly out and a groundball, the Blue Devils mustered three-straight hits to push the first run across the plate. Dominic Severino began the offense with an infield single before advancing 180 feet on a double down the left field line from Anthony Turgeon which put runners on second and third. Nick Palmisano would then fire a single through the right side to right fielder Lukach which allowed Severino to score easily before Turgeon was thrown out at the plate on a line drive throw from Lukach to catcher James Alfonso.

CCSU added five more runs in the third and fourth innings taking a 6-0 lead. In the fourth, Chris Renzoni drove in the first run as he followed up a one-out single from Dylan Delacruz with a double to left center field that allowed Delacruz to score from second after he stole second. Renzoni would then score the second run of the inning when Tyler McIntyre sacrificed himself for the run.

Central Connecticut opened up the fifth inning with two free passes and two hits off of freshman reliever Justin Robarge who was then pulled for the senior relief of Tyler Corsi. Palmisano, Renzoni and JP Sportman all drove in runs for the Blue Devils with Sportman sacrificing himself for the third run of the inning.

The teams would then trade single runs in the fifth inning as the Hawks were able to put their first run on the board thanks to an RBI from the second baseman, Estevez. His single up the middle allowed the third baseman, Wilson, to score after he reached on a single and advanced 180 feet into scoring position on a single from Trey Stover. The Blue Devils then added their eighth run in the top of the sixth inning. Sportman began the offense with a single to shortstop before stealing second and scoring from there on a wild pitch from reliever Austin Barnes.

In the eighth, the Blue Devils added to its tally thanks to a single swing of the bat as Delacruz extended his team lead in home runs to six total. That home run came with one out as the Hawks fifth reliever of the day, Ryan Carter, forced his first batter of the inning into a fly out on the first pitch. Including the home run, Carter threw just six pitches in his first inning of work.

Hartford also added to its run total in the eighth inning thanks to three hits and a leadoff hit batsman that forced three runs across the plate. Sheetz began the inning taking a pitch to the side earning the free pass. He would then score from first as Lukach followed him with the first of two doubles to left center field. Lukach would then advance 90 feet to third base as DelDebbio singled to right field. After Central forced the first out of the inning, the Hawks responded with the second two-bagger in the inning this time from Roberti, which allowed Lukach and DelDebbio to score. Those three runs were charged to Nick Boyd who came in to relieve starter Jesse Frawley who allowed just one earned run on eight hits in his longest outing of the season.

The Hawks return to Fiondella Field for three games this weekend against the defending America East champion Stony Brook Seawolves. Hartford and Stony Brook open the series on Friday with a doubleheader scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. with the final game set for 1:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Prior to the series finale on Sunday the Hawks will honor their two seniors Pat Knauth and Tyler Corsi.