PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Junior catcher Joe Roberti tipped off a five run seventh inning as the Hawks erased a 4-1 deficit to take a 6-4 victory over UMBC in the rubber match between the league foes on Monday afternoon at Fiondella Field. Leading the Hawks (6-8, 2-1 America East) bats overall was senior shortstop Trey Stover who finished 3-of-4 with a run scored.

Overall, Hartford and UMBC finished even in the hit column with eight apiece. Five different players got in on the action on Monday with Stover's three hits, his first three run hit of the season, leading all players in the game. Joining him with a multi-hit outing was left fielder Nick Campana who finished 2-for-4 at the plate, extending his current hit streak to a team-high six games.

On the hill, right handed starter Brian Murphy pitched 6.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits, while striking out four in a no decision outing. Reliever Jeremy Charles came out of the bullpen to score his first victory of the season, pitching 1.2 innings and allowing one run on one hit. Redshirt sophomore John McGinty closed out the game on the mound, earning his team-best third save of the season.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

·       The biggest highlight of the afternoon came at the plate for junior catcher Joe Roberti who drilled his first collegiate home run over the left field fence, just to the right of the scoreboard, driving in sophomore Dalton Ruch. That home run followed up Ruch being hit by a pitch and was just the second pitch out of the hand of reliever Shane Vlasic, with the home run tipping of a five-run seventh inning.

·       Redshirt senior Ryan Lukach drove in what would prove to be the game winning run with his only hit of the afternoon, a single to right field that took a high bounce over the Retrievers first baseman who was playing in to protect what at the time was a one-run lead. The two RBI single for Lukach is the fifth time this season he has driven in more than one run in a game.

·       Reliever Jeremy Charles came out of the bullpen to earn his first victory of the season as he pitched 1.2 innings and was tagged with one run on one hit. Charles came in to replace junior starter Brian Murphy who opened up the game retiring the first nine batters and fiving up just one hit through five innings. That lone hit was erased quickly when he picked off the Retrievers shortstop Kevin Lachance who was leaning towards second.

·       Redshirt sophomore John McGinty also made an appearance out of the bullpen for Hartford, earning his team-leading third save of the season. McGinty would pitch the ninth inning for the Hawks and hold UMBC scoreless despite giving up a leadoff single and walking a batter.

·       Senior shortstop Trey Stover completed his first three-hit game of the season as he opened up the game tying his career-high in hits going a perfect 3-of-3 at the plate before being retired. Stover first hit of the game was double to left field, which paid off as he would come around to score the first run of the afternoon.

HOW THEY SCORED

·       The Hawks opened up the scoring in the second inning thanks in part to a leadoff double from senior Trey Stover. That two-base hit is the third of the season for Stover. After advancing to third on deep fly ball to centerfield, rookie TJ Ward would come to the plate with a runner 90 feet away and put down a ground ball to shortstop allowing Stover to score easily for Ward's fifth RBI of the season.

·       The remaining runs for the Hawks all came in the seventh inning, the first two of which came just two pitches into the stanza. Sophomore second baseman Dalton Ruch led off the inning by taking the first pitch from reliever Shane Vlasic in the arm, granting him first base. On the next pitch, just the second of the game for the Retrievers relief pitcher, junior catcher Joe Roberti got all over a ball down the heart of the plate, driving his first career home run over the left field fence just to the right of the scoreboard.

·       Roberti's home run was followed with the next three batters all reaching safely. Junior centerfielder Aaron Wilson would be the next batter, reaching first on a walk. Freshman left fielder Nick Campana followed that with his second hit of the day, a single up the middle putting runners on first and second. Sophomore David MacKinnon followed by working a six-pitch walk that loaded the bases for redshirt senior right fielder Ryan Lukach. With the infield playing in to protect a one-run lead, Lukach chopped a ball straight at the first baseman that took a high bounce and sailed over the head of the Retrievers infielder into right field. That defensive miscue by UMBC allowed Wilson and  Campana to score with the latter the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run. The final run of the inning came thanks to a third error against UMBC in the game as the second reliever of the inning, Denis Mikush, through a pickoff attempt away, allowing MacKinnon to score from third after advancing on Lukach's hit.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·       Freshman Nick Campana finished the series finale against UMBC going 2-of-4 at the plate with a run scored. The two-run game for Campana is his fourth-straight and fifth of six games with two hits. It is also his team-leading ninth multi-hit game of the season.

·       Senior shortstop Trey Stover finished with three hits, going 3-of-3 to open the contest. The three-hits for Stover ties his career-high and is the fourth three-hit game of the season or Hartford.

·       Stover's three hits on Monday gives him 13 total for the season, while his 3-for-4 performance vaulted him into first on the team with a .419 batting average. Four of his 13 hits have gone for extra bases, including three doubles, second most on the team.

·       Joe Roberti's two-run home run that started the Hawks five run rally in the fifth inning was his first career-home run of the year and just the second, of five total, two-run home run of the year. Roberti is just the third Hawk to go yard this season joining junior Chris DelDebbio and redshirt senior Ryan Lukach, with Lukach leading the team with three homers.

·       Redshirt sophomore John McGinty secured his team-leading third save of the season which ties him with Maine's Charlie Butler for the most in the league.

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)

·       Junior Joe Roberti tipped of a five-run fifth inning rally for the Hawks with his first collegiate home run, a two run blast.

·       Freshman Nick Campana extended his streak of two-hit games to four straight and five of the last six. He has nine total two-hit games.

·       Senior Trey Stover tied his career-high with three hits, going 3-of-4 against UMBC, including his third double of the season.

·       Redshirt Sophomore reliever John McGinty earned his third save of the season, tying him for the most in the America East.

UP NEXT
Hartford continues what has turned into an eight-game home stand on Tuesday as they will welcome the Yale Bulldogs to Fiondella Field. The Hawks and Bulldogs are scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch in what was originally scheduled to be a road contest for Hartford.