THE BASICS:
 
RESULT:  Hartford 7, Holy Cross 6 (10 innings)
LOCATION: Fiondella Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
RECORDS:  Hartford (4-12, 1-2 America East), Holy Cross (5-15, 0-0 Patriot)
WP: John LaRossa (2-2) LP: Ethan Dyer (0-1)
 

THE LEAD: 
Freshman Zach Ardito only had one at-bat for the Hawks, but he made it count. With the score knotted at 6-6 in the 10^th inning and senior captain TJ Ward standing on third, Ardito stepped in and laced a one-out single through the left side to give the University of Hartford baseball team (4-12, 1-2 America East) a 7-6 walk-off win against Holy Cross.
 
Ward led off the inning with a triple to right off Holy Cross pitcher Ethan Dyer (0-1), who was making his first appearance of the season for the Crusaders. Ardito, who had just one hit in 13 at-bats this season, knocked a single into left for his first RBI of the year.
 
Hartford senior John LaRossa (2-2) pitched a scoreless 10^th to earn the win for the Hawks. First baseman David MacKinnon and right fielder Nick Campana each had three hits, while center fielder Ashton Bardzell and Ward both recorded two hits. Bill Schlich, Kellen McCormick and Dan Vucovich all had two hits for the Crusaders.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Holy Cross got on the board in the first inning with a two-out solo home run by first baseman Anthony Critelli.
• Hartford made it 1-1 in the third when Campana singled, stole second and scored on a double down the left field line by MacKinnon.
• Ward gave the Hawks their first lead of the afternoon with a two-out blast to left field.
• The Crusaders scored three runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-2 advantage. Holy Cross got a single from McCormick and an RBI double from right fielder Josh Hassell, but benefitted from a pair of wild pitches, a passed ball and an error that extended the inning.
• The Hawks got a run back in the bottom of the inning when catcher Erik Ostberg singled and came home on an RBI triple by freshman Jackson Olson, making it 4-3.
• Hartford reclaimed the lead at 5-4 in the seventh when MacKinnon singled, Ostberg walked and Bardzell drove them both in with a double to left field.
• Holy Cross took control again in the eighth inning, scoring a pair of runs on back-to-back RBI doubles from Schlich and McCormick.
• Campana connected for a one-out double in the eighth and tied the game at 6-6 when MacKinnon lined an RBI single down the left field line.
• Ward led off the 10^th with a triple to right, setting up Ardito's walk-off single.

 
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Ardito's walk-off hit was the Hawks' second walk-off winner in three home games for the Hawks this season.
• Ward's home run was his first of the season and his first since May 13, 2016 against UMass Lowell.
• Olson's triple was the first of his career. It was also his first RBI.
• Freshman right-hander Alex Moconyi made his first appearance for the Hawks, tossing two scoreless innings of relief.
• Ostberg had reached in 9 consecutive plate appearances before grounding out in the eighth inning.

 
 
NEXT UP:
Hartford's impromptu home stand will continue on Saturday, April 1, when the Hawks host Fairfield at 1 p.m. at Fiondella Field. Saturday's game will be the first of three against the Stags (7-12, 2-1 MAAC), as Hartford is slated to travel to Fairfield for a doubleheader on Sunday.