HAMDEN, Conn. – The University of Hartford concluded its non-conference slate at Quinnipiac on Thursday, where it dropped a pair of contests. The Hawks fell, 11-0, in five innings in the opening game before they were topped by the Bobcats, 7-1, in the nightcap.

Hartford dips to 3-37 on the season while Quinnipiac improves to 12-30. The Hawks return to action this weekend when they head to Maine for a three-game set. The two teams are slated to play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. before wrapping up the series with a single game on Sunday at noon.

Senior Margaret Betz paced the Hawks on the afternoon with a 3-for-6 effort at the plate. The left fielder doubled in the opening game and drove in her team's only run in the second game, using an RBI single in the top of the fourth to plate classmate Jackie Kelly.

GAME ONE
Despite knocking out nine hits, the Hawks were unable to manufacture a run in Thursday's opening game as they fell in five innings to the Bobcats by an 11-0 final. Betz, junior Sawyer Fried and sophomore Danielle DeMarco collected multiple knocks at the plate in the outing as they each went 2-for-3.

Quinnipiac, which scored its runs on 11 hits and six walks, plated two in both the first and second innings. Extending their lead to 5-0 after three frames, the Bobcats sealed the victory by pounding the scoreboard with six runs in the bottom of the fourth. Five Bobcats finished with two RBI as senior infielder Nikki Barba, the lead-off batter, paced the offense by going 3-for-3 while scoring three runs and earning one walk.

Facing a 4-0 deficit heading into the top of the third, the Hawks had a chance to cut into their deficit. With two outs, DeMarco reached on a fielder's choice and took two more bags in the next at-bat on a Jackie Kelly rip to right center field. Quinnipiac hurler Sydney Robey would get out of the jam, though, as Fried was induced into a fly-out in centerfield to end the inning without any runs reaching the scoreboard.

In their following at-bats, Hartford again threatened to strike the scoreboard as it loaded up the bases with two outs on a Marisa Ferguson walk, a Peyton Fisher fielder's choice and a four-ball count issued to Jenice Aloyo. The Bobcats again held off the Hawks, retiring sophomore Jamie Soles on an infield groundout to end the frame.

Hartford, which stranded 11 total runners on the base paths, was unable to cut into what was an 11-0 deficit in its final at-bats, despite Fried lacing a single into left field with just one out and reaching third on a Betz single followed by a fielder's choice by Alberti.

Freshman Kelsey Bird (4-11) suffered the loss for the Hawks after logging 3.0 innings and allowing eight earned runs on eight hits. Robey, who went 4.0 innings for the Bobcats, scattered six hits and struck out one to improve to 4-11 on the season.

GAME TWO
A combined three-hit effort by Casey Herzog and Hannah Lindsley helped push the Bobcats past the Hawks, 7-1, in game two. Kelly, Betz, and Ferguson were the only batters to collect hits against the Bobcats' duo, which allowed just seven batters to reach base on a pair of walks and two errors.

With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, Quinnipiac took a 1-0 lead. Getting on base with a single, Abby Johnson scored the run, taking advantage of a pickoff attempt between the first and second base bags. The Bobcats extended that advantage to 3-0 in the third as a triple off the bat of Dani Edmands brought in the first run of the frame before Magana followed with a two-bagger to left center to provide the three-run edge.

The Hawks managed to cut the lead to 3-1 in the top half of the fourth. Opening the frame with a double, Kelly was pushed to third on a Fried sacrifice fly before Betz's single to left field drove in her classmate for Hartford's first run of the afternoon.

But Quinnipiac would answer that run and put up one of its own in the home half of the inning before it put together one last big inning in the fifth. This one proved to be the dagger as the Bobcats plated three runs on four hits to go up, 7-1. Edmands and Magana registered singles to open up the frame before Robey smacked a double to bring in the lead-off runner. With runners on the corners and one out, Jarrett collected an RBI and made it a 5-1 lead on a base hit. A double steal would allow Robey to score the final run of the game.

Herzog tossed 3.1 innings to earn the win. She fanned four batters. Taking the loss was sophomore Lexi Wilkerson, who allowed seven runs – five earned – in 4.0 innings.