West Hartford, Conn. – Sophomore first baseman David MacKinnon drilled a pair of doubles and drove in two runs to lead the University of Hartford baseball team to a 6-1 win over in-state rival UConn on Wednesday afternoon at Fiondella Field. The win over the Huskies is the second-straight year the Hawks have defeated UConn, posting a 3-2 victory last season, also at Fiondella Field.
MacKinnon was one of four Hawks who finished with two or more hits, while as a team Hartford finished with nine total hits. Leading the way in the hit column was freshman designated hitter Erik Ostberg who finished with three hits in four at bats, while scoring one run. Junior Joe Roberti and freshman Nick Campana rounded out the leading hitters with two hits apiece. In addition to MacKinnon, Roberti, sophomore Dalton Ruch and junior Aaron Wilson both helped provide offense as they each drove in one run.
Earning the victory on the hill for the Hawks was junior reliever Jacob Mellin who pitched one inning of reliever and did not allow a Husky hit, while striking out one. Junior Brian Stepniak opened up the game and he combined with Mellin to hold the Huskies without a hit through the first three innings.
Redshirt sophomore reliever John McGinty also pitched a hitless outing as he closed out the game pitching the ninth inning, also recording one strikeout. Overall, the Hawks pitching staff held UConn to six total hits, while the lone Husky run was credited to reliever Kevin Wiltse.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
· Four Hawks finished with two-plus hits as the Hawks outhit UConn 9-6 en route to the 6-1 win over the in-state rival. Leading the Hawks at plate was freshman designated hitter Erik Ostberg who finished with three hits in four at bats, his second multi-hit game of the season and his first career game with three hits.
· Sophomore first baseman David MacKinnon joined Ostberg with a multi-hit outing, finishing 2-of-4 at the plate, while driving in a game-high two batters. Both of MacKinnon's hits were doubles, driving in one run on each of those hits. The two doubles gives him seven total for the season, tied for the team-high with freshman Ben Bengtson.
· Earning his second victory of the season on the hill was junior Jacob Mellin who came out of the bullpen to pitch the third inning without giving up a hit. He also struck out one batter.
· Mellin combined with starter Brian Stepniak to hold the Huskies without a hit over the first three innings of the game, extending the Hawks streak to 12-straight innings without allowing an opponent to reach base on a hit. The first nine of those innings came as four Hawks pitchers combined to no-hit the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Tuesday.
· Junior reliever Jeremy Charles followed Mellin in the rotation on Wednesday, throwing three scoreless innings as the Hawks shutout UConn through the first six innings of the game. With the six scoreless innings to start Wednesday's game, the Hawks had held their opponents from scoring for 15 consecutive innings.
HOW THEY SCORED
· Sophomore David MacKinnon drove in his first of two runs in the third inning, putting the Hawks on the board first with a 1-0 lead. Junior catcher Joe Roberti drilled his first of two hits up the middle to lead off the inning with a single. Centerfielder Aaron Wilson followed by sacrificing himself on a bunt that allowed Roberti to take second where he was able to score thanks to the first of two doubles off MacKinnon's bat, this one coming with two outs.
· Hartford broke open the game in the sixth inning when the combined to send nine batters to the plate, scoring five runs to take a 6-0 lead through six innings. After a fly ball out to lead off the inning, the Hawks next five batters all reached safely thanks to three singles and two walks. Freshman leftfielder Nick Campana kicked off the rally with the first of back-to-back singles with the second coming from classmate Erik Ostberg. A walk issued to freshman TJ Ward would load the bases for Roberti who singled to right field advancing all runners one base and pushing Campana across the plate. Wilson would follow Roberti's hit working the second walk in the rally, which led to his fifth RBI of the season.
· The third run of the inning came thanks to a wild pitch, while sophomore second baseman Dalton Ruch sacrificed himself on a fly ball to left that drove in Roberti. Wilson would score the final run of the frame as he scored from second on MacKinnon's second double of the afternoon, this one fired into left center.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
· The two doubles from sophomore first baseman David MacKinnon represented the first time in 2015 that a Hartford batter has hit two two-baggers in the same game.
· Freshman designated hitter Erik Ostberg's three hits was his second multi-hit game in a Hartford uniform and his first career game with three hits.
· Combined with Tuesday's no-hitter against Sacred Heart, the Hawks pitching staff held the Pioneers and Huskies hitless through a total of 13-straight innings and scoreless for a series of 15 consecutive frames.
· The win over the Huskies is the second-straight season Hartford has defeated its in-state rival, with both of those wins coming at home. The 3-2 victory last season broke a streak of six-straight losses, while it is the first time since 1993 that Hartford has put together consecutive victories in the 51-game series.
TWEETABLES (140 characters or less)
· Four Hawks combined for all nine of the Hawks hits as Hartford outhit UConn 9-6, led by rookie Erik Ostberg's career-high three hits.
· Five Hartford pitchers combined to hold the Huskies scoreless over eight innings with junior reliever Jacob Mellin earning his second win.
· Sophomore first baseman David MacKinnon led the Hawks offense as he drove in two of Hartford six total runs.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will return to conference play when they next take the field. Hartford will host the Binghamton Bearcats for a three-game set this coming weekend. The series is scheduled to start with a doubleheader on Saturday and conclude with a single game on Sunday. First pitch on both days is set for 12 p.m.
