ORONO, Maine – The University of Hartford swapped a pair of shutouts with Maine on Saturday afternoon, with the Hawks scoring the series-opening 4-0 win before dropping an identical 4-0 decision in the nightcap. The Hawks will seek their three-game conference series' win on Sunday when the two squads faceoff for a rubber match at 12 noon.

Junior Zuzana Kudernatschova tossed her sixth shutout of the victory, a one-hitter, to lead Hartford to victory while freshman Sawyer Fried combined for a 3-for-5 effort at the plate, hitting her team's only extra-base hit of the afternoon and compiling two runs and two RBI.

The first game of the afternoon featured a pitcher's duel through three innings until Hartford broke the silence with three runs in the top half of the fourth inning.

Leading up to that offensive outburst, Maine saw chances to score in the home halves of the first and third, loading up the bases in the opening frame before stranding three in the latter. Using an error, a walk and a single from Kane, the Black Bears had all bases occupied with just one out recorded. The Hawks and Kudernatschova got out of the jam without any damage being done to the scoreboard as Hannah Hill fouled out to Fried behind the dish and Makaila Kowalsky went down swinging.

Hartford allowed Maine to threaten just one more time. With two outs, Kudernatschova issued three-straight walks before closing the door on the Black Bears by striking out Kowalsky for the second time to earn her fourth K of the afternoon.

From there, the Hawks' defense cruised, allowing one Black Bear to reach base on an error before retiring the final 15 batters in order, including four more strikeouts from Kudernatschova.

Hartford lit up the scoreboard with three runs in the fourth, putting those tallies up with two outs recorded in the frame. With Wacyk on second and Mooney on first after reaching base on a fielder's choice and an error, Fried cleared the bases and broke open the stalemate with a double to left center field. In the next at-bat, the Hawks saw their lead grow to 3-0 as Melani Maxwell knocked an outfield single, plating Fried for the RBI.

In the sixth inning, the Hawks would add an insurance run with Erica Phelps collecting an RBI using a single to right field. Her base hit drove-in Fried, who got the bats going with a single, for her second run of the afternoon.

Kudernatschova fanned nine batters while Beth Spoehr, Maine's starting pitcher, gave up four runs on six hits and recorded five strikeouts.

The roles were reversed in the nightcap with Maine holding Hartford's offense to just one hit and Hill struck out five to take home the shutout win. Fried recorded the Hawks' only hit while Maxwell was the only other Hartford batter to reach base, using a fielding error.

Maine scored early, as Kane fouled out to right field to Jean Stevens from third base. The Black Bears would round out the scoring in the bottom of the fourth by first putting runners on the corners before bringing in the lead runner on a bunt from Stephanie Wood. With runners on second and third and just one out recorded, Nikki Byron and EmJ Fogel went off for back-to-back singles to push the Black Bears' advantage to 4-0, the eventual final.

Earning the loss for Hartford was Kaitlyn Meade who allowed the first run of the contest. Ana Alberti worked the final 5.2 innings, conceding three runs on eight hits.