Billy Walker
Steve McLaughlin
9
Winner Hartford HARTFORD 2-0
8
North Florida UNF 3-4
Winner
Hartford HARTFORD
2-0
9
Final
8
North Florida UNF
3-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Hartford HARTFORD 0 3 0 0 5 0 0 1 0 9 11 2
North Florida UNF 0 6 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 12 2

W: Drouin, David (1-0) L: GERMAN, Frank (0-1) S: Ferguson, Collin (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Rallies in Eighth Inning to Grab a 9-8 Victory Over North Florida

THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 9, North Florida 8
LOCATION: Harmon Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
RECORDS: Hartford (2-0, 0-0 America East); North Florida (3-4, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)

THE LEAD:
Aaron Wilson drove in the go-ahead RBI in the top of the eighth inning for the Hartford baseball team, as the Hawks bats got hot en-route to a 9-8 victory over the Ospreys to open the season on a two-game winning streak.

Wilson, David MacKinnon and Erik Ostberg collected three hits and an RBI each, but the big swing of the day came on a three-run bomb by Billy Walker to left that helped lift the Hawks to victory in the high-scoring affair. David Drouin picked up the win in relief, and Collin Ferguson notched the save in the ninth to keep the Hawks rolling. Alex Merritt drove in four runs for North Florida, while Keith Skinner added four hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • Today's game proved to be much more about the offense, as both teams scored early and often in today's matchup. Wilson and MacKinnon opened up the game with a pair of singles in the top of the first to get the bats going, but Hartford did not push any runs across in the opening frame.
  • John LaRossa, the Hawk's starter in today's game, worked his way out of a jam in the bottom half of the inning to keep it scoreless after forcing a groundout to Wilson at second base.
  • With two outs in the bottom of the second, TJ Ward drew a walk and Dalton Ruch reached first on an Osprey error to put two on with two away. Walker stepped up and smashed the first pitch he saw over the left field fence to give the Hawks an early 3-0 lead.
  • North Florida would answer, however, in the bottom half of the inning with a six-run outburst that eventually forced LaRossa out of the game. A pair of RBI singles and a grand slam by Merritt put the Ospreys back out in front 6-3.
  • Drouin, who spelled LaRossa in the inning with one out, looked solid in his first live action since his freshman season. The redshirt sophomore, who sat out last season due to injury, slowed down the Osprey bats after a lively second inning.
  • After North Florida tacked on another run in the third to increase their advantage to 7-3, the Hawks bats came alive in the top of the fifth. Hartford would plate five runs in the inning to storm back ahead and take a tight 8-7 lead.
  • Once again, the Hawks did their damage with two outs in the inning after Ruch ripped a single to open the top of the fifth. Wilson lined a single up the middle, and MacKinnon, along with Chris DelDebbio, ripped back-to-back RBI singles to force Ospreys starter Matt Vaka off the mound. The Hawks weren't fazed by the change, as RBI singles by Ostberg, Nick Campana, and Ward built on to an 8-7 lead.
  • North Florida answered right back in the bottom half with an RBI single by Nick Karmeris after a double down the left field line by Chris Thibideau, but smart baseball by the Hawks caught Karmeris trying to extend his hit into a double and they forced him out, the score now tied at 8.
  • With the game getting into the later innings, Hartford would pull ahead on a blunder in the field by North Florida. After Ruch and Walker both walked to start the inning, North Florida head coach Smoke Laval was ejected, and then Sebastian DiMauro laid down a sac bunt to get both Hawks players into scoring position. Ruch squeezed across home plate after Wilson reached on a fielding error at second. Wilson was given an RBI for the effort and from there, the Hawks were back in front 9-8.
  • Sam McKay relieved Drouin in the bottom of the eighth and worked his way out of a jam with two on and one out. The Hawks turned a clutch double play after Dakota Higdon lined out to Ruch, who completed the unassisted double play to end the frame.
  • Collin Ferguson came out for the ninth inning and picked up the save after forcing North Florida to leave the tying run at second. The Hawks are now 2-0 to start the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Ferguson picked up his first career save as a Hawk in today's victory. Hartford totaled ten saves last season, with Jeremy Charles and John McGinty registering three each to lead the team.
  • Walker, who had totaled just two home runs in his career before today, smashed Hartford's lone bomb of the afternoon. The senior from Smithfield, R.I., got his first start of the season behind the plate after Joe Roberti got the call in Friday night's game.
  • The Hawks put together a balanced offensive performance, with eight out of nine batters collecting at least one base hit on the day. Ruch scored three key runs for Hartford down the stretch.
  • Drouin provided much-needed relief out of the 'pen, going 5.2 innings and picking up a pair of strikeouts while allowing just two runs to a reenergized North Florida battery.

NEXT UP:
The Hawks will go for the series sweep at Harmon Stadium tomorrow at 1:00 against the Ospreys. RHP Brian Murphy takes the mound for Hartford, and North Florida will start RHP Anthony Delaney. Live stats are available on HartfordHawks.com.
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