WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The upcoming America East weekend series between the University of Hartford baseball team and Stony Brook has been pushed up to Friday and Saturday afternoon due to inclement weather expected to hit southern New England on Sunday.
The series will now open on Friday with a single game, with first pitch from Fiondella Field scheduled to be thrown at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Hawks and Seawolves will conclude the weekend with a twinbill, beginning at 12 p.m.
The Hawks have been on fire as of late, as they have won 11 of their last 12 games for a 19-6 mark on the year. Within the America East, Hartford went 2-1 against UMass Lowell in its opening weekend. The Hawks split a doubleheader with the River Hawks last Friday, taking a 4-3 victory before falling, 6-5, in the nightcap. On Saturday, timely hitting coupled with solid outings on the mound from
Brian Murphy and
John LaRossa allowed the Hawks to clinch the series with a 6-0 triumph.
In mid-week action, Hartford extended its win-streak against UConn to three games on Wednesday, as it came from behind to snag a 4-3 victory. Facing a 2-0 deficit, the Hawks plated single runs in the fourth and fifth frames before completing the comeback with a two-run inning in the seventh.
Erik Ostberg came up with a crucial RBI single while senior
Chris DelDebbio added a sac fly to help the Hawks earn the win.
Ostberg, a senior, is batting .367 to lead all Hawks at the plate. He brings a six-game hit streak into this weekend's series.
Aaron Wilson has also had a solid senior campaign at the plate, as he is coming off a three-hit outing against the Huskies. He is in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, belting out a double and a home run while adding two RBI during that stretch.
David Drouin is expected to take the mound for Friday's series' opener while Murphy is expected to earn the game two start. Drouin is 3-1 on the year with a 2.30 ERA in 31.1 innings of work. He has struck out 23 batters this year, including seven, a season-high, in last weekend's setback at UMass Lowell. Murphy also sports a 3-1 record in five appearances this season, having earned wins in each of his last two starts. In 32.0 frames, he has fanned 18 batters.
Stony Brook enters this weekend's conference slate with a 3-1 mark in the America East. The Seawolves split a pair of games at UMBC last month before claiming a pair of wins at Maine last Saturday by way of 11-0 and 2-1 decisions. Overall, Stony Brook has won its last four games to improve to 12-12 on the year.
At the plate, the Seawolves are led by Andrew Gazzola. In 24 starts, he sports a .505 batting average behind 32 hits. His seven doubles and 23 runs scored are tops on the team. On the mound, Chad Lee has pitched 30.2 innings to lead the team. He enters the weekend with a 3-2 record and a 1.47 ERA.
In the all-time series, Stony Brook holds the edge with a 44-13 mark. Last season, the two teams split four games. Hartford went 2-1 in the regular-season series, taking 10-9 and 12-10 wins from the Seawolves on Long Island. But Stony Brook came up with the win when it mattered most, as it defeated the Hawks, 2-0, in the opening game of the America East Championship.
Following this weekend's Stony Brook series, the Hawks return to action with a pair of mid-week contests. Hartford concludes a five-game homestand on Tuesday, April 12, when it hosts Quinnipiac at 3 p.m., before it hits the road for Marist on Wednesday, April 13, for a single game at 3:30 p.m.
