Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The University of Hartford softball team split a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Princeton, scoring a 6-5, extra-inning win in the opening game before falling by a 4-1 final in the final game. The Hawks go to 2-4 on the season while the Tigers improve to 1-6.

Princeton forced two ties in the contest, coming back from a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the fourth and again knotting up the score at 5-5 in the fifth, but it was Hartford that prevailed in the first extra inning. Placing Sawyer Fried on second due to the international tie-breaker rule, the sophomore advanced to third on a sacrifice fly off the barrel of freshman Meghan Wynn before drove her in on another sacrifice fly ball.

Senior Kaitlyn Meade earned the game one start for the Hawks, striking out two in the first 3.1 innings, but it was junior Ana Alberti who shut down Princeton's offense to earn her first win of the 2014 campaign.

After the Tigers battled back from their 4-0 deficit in the home half of the fourth, Alberti came out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and just one out. With the help of her defense, Hartford and the junior got out of the jam, picking off Klausner at the plate and throwing out Rendina in her attempt to steal the second for the final two outs of the inning.

Alberti went on to allow one run on two hits in the final 4.2 innings, walking two batters while fanning a pair. She caught fire down the final stretch, retiring the last 11 Tigers she faced after conceding the run in the sixth. For Princeton, Klausner suffered the loss, conceding six runs – four earned – on six hits while striking out six batters.

Using a Sawyer Fried sacrifice fly to get on the scoreboard in the opening inning, a double, two singles and a pair of walks generated the offense in the second that provided Hartford with the early 4-0 edge. After senior Chelsey Mooney doubled to lead things off, the Hawks juiced up the bases as Meghan Wynn was hit by a pitch and Marisa Ferguson drew a walk with no outs. Two batters later, back-to-back RBI singles from Mackenzie Obert and Amber Andrews pushed the Hawks' advantage to 3-0.  

With two outs, Fried recorded her second RBI of the contest, earning a bases-loaded walk to score Ferguson and wrap up the offense for the inning.

But the Tigers battled back, rallying for a four-run, fourth inning to tie up the score at 4-4. The next inning, Hartford regained its advantage following a Mooney double that brought in Fried, who drew a walk three batters before. That edge was short-lived, though, as a single off the bat of Cousens in the bottom of the fifth brought in Princeton's lead-off batter Reynolds, who drew four balls to start off the inning.

The 5-5 draw stood through the final two frames, forcing the extra inning.

In the second game, Princeton took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third, doing all the damage to the scoreboard with two outs. The Tigers loaded up the bases on three-straight singles to set the scene for a Marissa Reynolds grand slam.

Hartford managed to get one run back in the next frame, but would only produce three more base runners overt eh final three innings. Margaret Betz, a junior, recorded the Hawks' lone RBI of the contest, scoring Mooney from third. The first baseman started the inning with a double to finish 1-of-2 in the outing with one walk.

Freshman Mackenzie Obert went 2-of-3 to pace the Hawks' offense while junior Jenice Aloyo tripled to round out her team's multi-base hits.

The Hawks return to West Hartford with hopes of opening up their home schedule on Tuesday. Hartford is slated to kick-off its first of 21 home games this season at 2 p.m. when it hosts neighboring Central Connecticut in a doubleheader.