THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 8, Manhattan 3
LOCATION: Duchess Stadium (Wappinger Falls, N.Y.)
RECORDS: Hartford (7-4); Manhattan (3-10)

THE LEAD:
After jumping out to another quick lead, the Hartford baseball team claimed an 8-3 road victory over Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon in upstate New York.

Erik Ostberg, Chris Sullivan and Nick Campana all had big days at the plate for the Hawks, adding two hits and an RBI each. Justin Cashman earned the win on the mound, and Sebastian DiMauro picked up the save in the ninth to close out the matchup. Jose Carrera collected two hits for Manhattan.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
·         As has often been the theme this season, the Hawks jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. A single by Aaron Wilson up the middle was followed by a double from David MacKinnon to put men on second and third. Ben Bengtson popped up into an infield fly, but after the ball was caught, Anthony Rondon threw the ball away and Wilson scored. A balk in the next at bat scored MacKinnon, and then Sullivan scorched an RBI single that bounced up off the second base bag to bring in another run. After one frame, the Hawks had already claimed a 3-0 lead.
·         Hartford used another staff day on the mound to quiet the Jaspers, with Cashman earning the start. The freshman struck out two and allowed one hit in two innings, holding Manhattan scoreless in his outing.
·         The Hawks lead grew to 4-0 when Chris DelDebbio ripped an RBI triple to left center after Wilson reached base and stole second to get into scoring position.
·         Manhattan earned two runs back in the third after a pair of hits led to an RBI groundout by Fabian Pena and a wild pitch narrowed the Hawks lead to 4-2.
·         After a flurry of offense in the opening three innings, both teams started to settle in, and Hawks pitching wound up going four straight innings without allowing a run. John Mormile, Justin Robarge and Sam McKay combined to throw four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit in that time.
·         Hartford added some insurance runs with another offensive outburst, this one coming in the seventh inning. After an Ostberg double, an Ashton Bardzell walk and a Sullivan single, a sac fly by Joe Roberti, who came into the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth, added a run to the lead, and a throwing error by the Jaspers pushed across Bardzell. An RBI single by Campana added another run, and the Hawks now claimed a 7-2 advantage.
·       A MacKinnon double was followed by an RBI single from Ostberg to tack on one more run and make it an 8-2 lead in the eighth inning.
·        With the bases loaded and a run already scored in the bottom of the eighth, the Jaspers had an opportunity to get back into the game, but the Hawks called on DiMauro in a big spot and the sophomore delivered. The righty hurler induced an inning-ending double play to get Hartford out of its biggest jam of the day. DiMauro wound up retiring the side in the ninth to get the save as the Hawks rose victorious by a final score of 8-3.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
·         Hartford collected three runs in the first inning, doing so in back-to-back games. The Hawks have pushed across at least one run in the first inning in six of the last eight games.
·          The Hawks used a collective effort in today's game, with five different players driving in a run in the affair.
·          The win for Cashman was the first of his Hawks career. The freshman has now appeared in three games and holds a 3.00 ERA with just one hit allowed in three innings of work.
·       DiMauro's save was the second of his season and the second of his career. He has allowed just one hit in 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.

NEXT UP:
The Hawks will play at home for the first time this season when they take on conference foe Albany in a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game is set to start at 1 p.m., and the second game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first. Free live video of both games will be available on HartfordHawks.com and AmericaEast.TV. Be sure to check out @HartfordBASE on Twitter for in-game updates and for news about the program.