Box Score
WEST HARTFORDÂÂ, Conn. – With first baseman Brady Sheetz going 3-for-3 with an RBI and sophomore righty Brian Murphy pitching 5.1 shutout innings with six strikeouts, the University of Hartford baseball team blanked UMass 3-0 in its 2014 home opener on Wednesday afternoon. The Hawks, who improve to 6-7 on the season, host Yale on Thursday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
Murphy, who started his third game of the season, was one of four pitchers to combine for the shutout with senior Alex Gouin earning his second save as he closed out the game with a no hit ninth inning. Kyle Gauthier and John McGinty both saw time in a middle relief role. Murphy would allow three hits to the Minutemen who grabbed six total, but never had a runner advance past second.
Sheetz's three hits ties a season best for the junior infielder who has now hit safely in the last three games going 6-of-12 in that stretch. Outfielder Chris DelDebbio and Ryan Lukach each added one hit as the Hawks closed out the two hour game with five total.
All three of the Hawks runs came in the fifth inning with the home team using just one hit but capitalizing on the Minutemen mistakes. The first two batters of the inning would reach on free passes with Aaron Wilson getting hit by a pitch and Dalton Ruch working a four-pitch walk. The pair would advance on a double steal with a wild pitch on the third strike to Stover allowing Wilson to score and putting Ruch and Stover on the corners.
Stover would then swipe second putting both runners in scoring position with no outs as DelDebbio knocked in the second run on an infield ground out. With two across the plate and Stover on third, Sheetz singled to left field driving in the third run of the inning.
On the mound, Murphy would allow a pair of this in the second inning but strand both runners on first and second. He followed that inning up by retiring the next 10 batters with the Minutemen not mustering another hit until the sixth inning. McGinty and Gouin combined to close out the game retiring five of the final six batters with the lone runner coming by way of a walk.Â