SENIOR DAY PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior Ryan Lukach scored on a wild pitch in the second inning, manufacturing the loan Hawks run as the University of Hartford baseball team dropped a 3-1 decision to the visiting UMass Lowell River Hawks. With the loss, Hartford falls to 14-25 overall and 6-10 in the America East.

As a team, Hartford combined for four hits with the first two of the game both doubles. Lukach originally led off the second inning with a double to left field for his first of two hits in the game. His second was a single to left center which led off the seventh inning, but he was left stranded 90 feet from home plate in that frame.

Lukach's two hits led the Hawks, while senior shortstop Trey Stover and junior second baseman Aaron Wilson each finished with one hit. Stover's lone hit was the second double for Hartford, while Wilson's hit was a single up the middle in the eighth.

Suffering the loss on the hill for Hartford was junior starter Brian Murphy who pitched eight innings and allowed two runs, both earned, on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Junior reliever Jeremy Charles saw one inning of work and was tagged with allowing the final Hartford run on two hits.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

·       Senior Ryan Lukach led the Hawks bats with a pair of hits as his squad finished with four total in the series finale against the River Hawks.

·       Two of the Hawks four hits went for extra bases, both doubles. One of those doubles came from Lukach in the second inning as he led off the frame and eventually scored the lone run later in that inning when he crossed the plate on a wild pitch.

·       Senior shortstop Trey Stover also finished with a hit, providing the second extra base knock of the game when he drilled a one-out double to right center.

·       The Hawks used just two hurlers in the contest with junior starter Brian Murphy pitching eight innings as he suffered his fourth loss of the season. Murphy allowed two of the River Hawks three runs as he gave up four hits and walked one batter while striking out a pair.

HOW THEY SCORED

·       Hartford's lone run came in the second inning, thanks in part to a mistake by the River Hawks. Senior outfielder Ryan Lukach led off the inning with a double to left field, the Hawks first hit of the game. He would advance to third on an infield groundout off the bat of leftfielder Nick Campana. After the second out was recorded, Lukach took advantage of a wild pitch from UMass Lowell's starter Geoff DeGroot scoring from third to tie the game at one.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

·       Sophomore first baseman David MacKinnon snapped a 17-game hitting streak as he finished 0-4 at the plate. The Hawks leading hitter nearly kept the streak alive in the ninth inning when he drilled a ball to left centerfield that the River Hawks Jon Budesa made a spectacular play to rob the Hawks of an extra-base hit.

·       Redshirt senior Ryan Lukach extended his team lead in extra base hits to 15 when he led off the second inning with a double to left field. The two-bagger for Lukach was his eighth of the season, tied for the second most on the team.

·       Senior shortstop Trey Stover also recorded his eighth double of the year when he knocked a two-ball, two-strike pitch to the fence in right center.

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)

·       Hartford finished with a pair of doubles in the game, both the eighth of the season for senior's Ryan Lukach and Trey Stover.

·       Senior Ryan Lukach scored the Hawks only run of the game when he took advantage of a wild pitch in the second inning.

UP NEXT
Hartford will play a single midweek game on the road before returning to America East play next weekend at Stony Brook. Prior to making the trip to Long Island, the Hawks will travel to Hamden, Conn. to meet the Quinnipiac Bobcats for a rematch of an earlier 8-5 loss in West Hartford. The midweek test for Hartford is scheduled for Wednesday April 28 with first pitch set for 3 p.m.