THE BASICS:

GAME 1 RESULT: Hartford 6, Maine 5 (10)
GAME 2 RESULT: Hartford 4, Maine 1
LOCATION: West Hartford, Conn. (Fiondella Field)
RECORDS: Hartford (24-12, 7-7 America East); Maine (11-25, 2-8)

THE LEAD:
The Hartford baseball team used a pair of late rallies to earn a doubleheader sweep of Maine on Saturday, taking game one in extra innings, 6-5, then rallying from behind in the bottom of the sixth to take game two, 4-1.
 
Ashton Bardzell had an outstanding doubleheader, going 5-for-6, while Ben Bengtson went 4-for-7 in the twinbill for the Hawks. Eight of the 10 Hawks who played in the games scored runs.

GAME 1: HARTFORD 6, MAINE 5 (10)
Chris DelDebbio delivered a walk-off home run to right field on the first pitch of the 10^th inning to lift Hartford to a dramatic win in game one. Bardzell went 3-for-4 in the win with a pair of RBI, as six different Hawks scored in the victory. Tyler Schwanz went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and four RBI in a losing effort for Maine.
 
Collin Ferguson pitched a sterling 2 2/3 innings, allowing just a hit batsman, in collecting the win in relief for the Hawks. Connor Johnson was carded with a tough loss for the Black Bears, allowing just one run in three innings out of the pen. Kyle Gauthier pitched a strong six innings, allowing five hits and two walks, in a no-decision for Hartford.

HOW THEY SCORED, GAME 1:
• Both starting pitchers came out very strong, keeping the game scoreless through the first three innings.
• Maine got the first run on the board, delivering an RBI single past the Hawks' drawn-in infield with one out in the top of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead.
• Hartford responded in a huge way in the bottom of the fourth, beginning with three straight singles by Erik Ostberg, Chris Sullivan and Bengtson. T.J. Ward followed with a two-run chopper down the left-field line to make it 2-1.
• Bardzell followed, and went the other way for a two-run triple to right center, his second three-bagger of the year, for a 4-1 lead.
• Aaron Wilson delivered the sixth and final hit of the frame, an infield single that plated Bardzell with the fifth Hartford run.
• Gauthier settled in at that point, putting zeroes on the board in the fifth and sixth, striking out the side in order in his final inning.
• Maine trimmed the lead with a sac fly in the top of the seventh to make it 5-2.
• The Black Bears then got the big swing from Schwanz, as he went to the opposite field for a game-tying three-run homer in the top of the eighth.
• The score remained there until DelDebbio sent a flyball over the right-field wall to end the game.

GAME 2: HARTFORD 4, MAINE 1
Hartford rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth, as the first six batters in the inning reached base, to earn the Hawks a 4-1 win. Bengtson went 3-for-3 in the game and Bardzell had a 2-for-2 contest.
 
Brian Murphy pitched a complete game, surrendering five hits, two walks and one run, earning the victory to improve to 5-2. John Arel was carded with the loss for the Black Bears, falling to 0-7 on the year after giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks in six innings.
 
HOW THEY SCORED, GAME 2:
• The pitchers dominated the early going, with the game remaining scoreless through the first four frames. Arel had two 1-2-3 innings and surrendered just two hits in that span, while Murphy did the same.
• Maine cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fifth, as Schwanz drew a walk, stole second and came around to score on a Jonathan Salcedo double to make it 1-0.
• Murphy emerged without any further damage thanks to a sparkling defensive play by Ward that stranded a pair.
• The Hawks finally came alive in the bottom of the sixth, with a Wilson single followed by a David MacKinnon double into the right-field corner. DelDebbio was then walked intentionally to load the bases.
• Ostberg drove in the first run with a hard grounder off the pitcher for an infield single to make it 1-1.
• Chris Sullivan followed with a slow chopper to short for a second-straight infield single and a 2-1 lead.
• Bengtson then roped a single to center to plate the third run, and a Ward groundout brought home the final run for a 4-1 advantage.
• Murphy finished off the game by retiring the side in order, getting a pair of strikeouts in the top of the seventh.

UP NEXT:
Hartford and Maine will wrap up their three-game set on Sunday at Fiondella Field. First pitch is slated for noon in West Hartford. Admission is free to all Hartford Baseball home games, and live stats and video will be available on HartfordHawks.com.