POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Hartford softball team dropped a pair of games at Marist on Thursday afternoon falling 12-1 in the opening game before dropping a 5-2 decision in game two. Hartford falls to 19-31 following Thursday's doubleheader.

Leading the Hawks in the opening game was second baseman Amber Andrews who connected on a pair of hits in two at bats while scoring the team's only run. Jenice Aloyo contributed the Hawks only other hit, going 1-for-3.

In the second game, the Hawks were led by short stop Kate Wacyk who finished with two of the nine total hits, while driving in one of the two runs. Center fielder Erica Phelps and catcher Peyton Fisher also finished with two hits. Andrews and Aloyo each finished with one to complete the day with a hit in both contests. Third baseman Jackie Kelly drove in the Hawks' second run.

On the mound Ana Alberti suffered the loss in the opening game giving up seven earned runs on eight hits facing 11 batters total. Kaitlyn Meade also saw time in the circle, pitching 2.2 innings and allowing five earned runs on five hits. Brittany Beebe would suffer the loss in game two, pitching four innings and giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits and four walks.

The home team struck first and furiously with seven runs in the first two innings. The Red Foxes scored four in their half of the first inning and added three more runs in the bottom of the second before Hartford was able to put its first run on the board in the top of the third.

Maureen Duddy would lead off Marist's half of the opening inning with a leadoff single utilizing her speed on a bunt back at the pitcher. Danielle Koltz and Nicole Cheek continued the hit streak with a single to left field putting runners on first and second for Cheek who sailed the second pitch she faced over the fence in center field for a three run home run.

Alyssa Zahka continued offense by following the long ball with a fourth-straight hit on a single up the middle before the Hawks recorded back-to-back outs. Sarah Carmody would take advantage of a runner on second, Krysten Van Natta who reached on a fielder choice, with two outs by sending her first hit of the game to right center field working a double out of the swing and driving in the fourth run of the inning.

The Red Foxes three runs in the second inning came in the same fashion as their first three runs of the game with Danielle Koltz providing the home run this time as she drove in Taylor Kuzma and Duddy who both singled to reach.

The Hawks manufactured their first run of the game in the third all with two outs in the book. Andrews began the offense with a single up the middle followed by a second-straight single from Aloyo. Marist's starting pitcher Janine Lalli would then issue back-to-back free passes with the second driving in Andrews. The first of those free passes was a ball that struck Wacyk to load the bases for Kelly whose five-pitch walk earned her an RBI.

The Red Foxes put the first game well out of reach in the bottom of the fourth when they scored five runs to take a 12-1 lead into the fifth inning. Van Natta would lead four players who all drove in runs by knocking in a pair of runners on a single up the middle with one out. Zahka, Kuzma and Duddy all drove in runs for Marist in the fourth.

The Hawks struck first in the second game scoring a single run in the top of the first inning thanks in part to a leadoff double from Andrews who was able to advance to 60 feet away thanks to a fielder error by the left fielder. Andrews became the opening run when Kelly drove her in with a single to third base, her second RBI of the day.

The Red Foxes weren't going to let that deficit last long as they scored three in their half of the first inning to pull ahead 3-1. The tying run came courtesy of a Hartford throwing error on an attempt to catch a runner stealing, that error allowing Duddy to score after working a leadoff walk and stealing second. Van Natta would then knock in the go ahead runs on a double to right center field.

Hartford added one more run in the top of the fifth inning, cutting the Marist lead down to one. Fisher opened up the inning with a single to left field and moved her way to third base on a ground out from Andrews and a single from Aloyo. Wacyk would drive in the run with a two out single through the right side.Marist took that run back and added another insurance run with back-to-back home runs from Cheek and Zahka.

The Hawks return to conference play as they close out the regular season and prepare for an appearance in the America East Championship with a three-game set at Maine this coming weekend. The series will begin with a Saturday afternoon doubleheader scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start. The series finale on Sunday will start at 12:00 p.m.