Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford softball team fell short in a pair of comeback bids on Sunday afternoon as it fell in 7-5 and 5-4 decisions to UMBC on Senior Day at the University of Hartford Softball Stadium. The Retrievers improve to 30-17 overall and 7-6 in the America East while the Hawks fall to 7-27 overall, 1-13 in league games.

Prior to the start of the games, the Hawks' five seniors – Amber Andrews, Zuzana Kudernatshova, Kaitlyn Meade, Chelsey Mooney and Genevieve Morneau-Vaillancourt – as well as student manager Kim Eisen were honored in a ceremony in the infield.

Sophomore Sawyer Fried combined for a 4-for-7 outing at the plate, adding an RBI and a run to pace the offense while junior Margaret Betz, who enjoyed a three RBI outing in the opening game, combined for a trio of hits. Rounding out the afternoon's top hitters was Marisa Ferguson. A rookie, she connected three times in seven at-bats and touched home three times.

The afternoon's first contest was a see-saw battle as UMBC fought off a late Hartford rally to score the win. With the score tied at three, a pair of two-run homers in the top part of the seventh proved to be the deciding factor for the Retrievers. Rallying in their final at-bats, the Hawks got two runs back, but fell two short of completing the comeback.

Kudernatschova struck out six for Hartford in the loss while Jessica Holte recorded four punchouts en route to her 17th win of the season.

The Hawks led early with the top half of the order stringing together three hits to plate a run. Starting the rally was a one-out single poked through the middle of the infield by Ferguson. After Fried followed suit with an infield hit, Betz brought home Ferguson from third on a hit to UMBC pitcher Holte.

An error cost the Hawks their lead in the top of the second, though. With Kelly Lane on second base after reaching on a fielder's choice, the left fielder got caught in a pickle en route to third in an attempt to swipe the bag. Andrews chased down the runner from second base, but misfired the throw to third, allowing Lane to race touch the base and beat out any play at the plate.

The bats remained quiet for the next few innings until one swing by Chelsea Bertoglio provided UMBC with its first lead of the afternoon at 2-1. With two outs on a 3-1 count, the Retrievers' first baseman lofted a solo shot over the left field wall to break open the tie. That UMBC advantage grew two innings later as back-to-back doubles by Bridget O'Malley and Taylor Hall made it a 3-1 game.

The Hawks responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth as Betz came through, collecting RBI number two and three after ripping a base hit down the right field line. She drove-in Ferguson, who walked to lead off the inning, as well as the tying run in Fried after the catcher reached on a single.

UMBC made the most of its final at-bats, exploding for four runs to take a 7-3 lead thanks to a pair of two-run home runs by Danielle O'Neill and Taylor Hall. The Hawks managed to get two of those runs back in their final chance, pulling within two on a one out, two-bagger from Amber Andrews, but the Retrievers would hold off the final Hawks' batters. Ferguson popped up to Holte and Fried flied out to the warning track in left field to end the contest.

In game two, UMBC produced five runs out of the gates, scoring two runs in the first on a bases-loaded, two-out single from Kelly Lane and adding three more in the next inning using an O'Neill two-run homer followed by a bases loaded, Bertoglio RBI single.

Back-to-back hits to open the bottom of the fourth sparked the Hawks' comeback attempt. After singling to left field to start things off, Ferguson put her first team's run up on the board, scoring on a two-bagger off the barrel of Fried. Hartford continued to claw away at its deficit and scratched two more across the plate before the end of the inning, utilizing a pair of infield errors to close the gap to 5-3.

Down to its final at-bats, Hartford received back-to-back singles from junior Jackie Kelly and Morneau-Vaillancourt to start off the inning. After the two runners advanced 60 feet into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Meghan Wynn, Andrews made it a one-run game by plating pinch runner Dani Regina on an infield ground out. The Hawks would be unable to complete the comeback, though, as Ferguson flied out to right field to end the game.

Meade suffered the game two loss, conceded five runs, all earned, in 1.1 innings. In relief, rookie Lexi Wilkerson clamped down, scattering six hits and striking out three to keep the Retrievers off the board down the stretch. Nicole Cassagrand improved to 6-3 with the win for UMBC, recording two strikeouts.

The two teams will end the three-game series on Monday with a single game at 11 a.m., marking the Hawks' final regular season home game