THE BASICS:
 
RESULT:  Davidson 7, Hartford 5
LOCATION: Wilson Field (Davidson, N.C.)
RECORDS: Hartford (1-4, 0-0 America East), Davidson (6-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
WP: Smutzer (3-0) LP: Drouin (0-1) S: Whitmire (3)

THE LEAD: 
Davidson used a four-run rally in the fifth inning to score a 7-5 come-from-behind victory against the University of Hartford baseball team on Saturday. Junior starter Josh Smutzer picked up the win for the Wildcats, allowing four hits in seven innings, to improve to 3-0. Senior Westin Whitmire pitched a perfect ninth to earn his third save of the season.
 
Sophomore left fielder Chris Sullivan went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, but the rest of Hartford's lineup was quiet against Davidson. Junior Designated hitter Erik Ostberg (double) and shortstop Ben Bengtson accounted for the Hawks' only other hits in the game. Sophomore Justin Lebek went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs to lead the Wildcats.
 
Junior pitcher David Drouin came out of the Hawks' bullpen to strike out six in 3.2 innings, but allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits to take the loss for Hartford. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the first when junior Cam Johnson singled, advanced on a single and fielder's choice and scored on a passed ball.
• Hartford answered back in the top of the second, pulling ahead 2-1 on a two-run home run from Sullivan.
• A Davidson error led to a pair of Hartford runs in the fourth inning, with Sullivan picking up another RBI as the Hawks stretched their lead to 4-1.
• The Wildcats regained control in the fifth, scoring four runs on three hits to go up 5-4. Lebek did the most damage, sending a two-run two-out double down the right field line.
• Davidson tacked on two more in the seventh on a two-run single from Zach Nussbaum.
• The Hawks cut the deficit to 7-5 in the eighth inning when Zach Ardito walked, took second on a passed ball and scored on a double to left-center from Ostberg.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Saturday was Sullivan's first three-hit game since going 5-for-6 against Quinnipiac on April 26, 2016. That was his only game with more than two hits this past season.
• Sullivan leads the team with 9 RBIs and has driven in 31 percent (9 of 29) of the Hawks' runs this season.
• Drouin's six strikeouts were his most since fanning seven at UMass Lowell on April 1, 2016 and tied Billy Devito's mark as the most in a single game by a Hartford pitcher this season.
• Robert Carmody made his first start behind the plate for the Hawks, spelling Ostberg, who had caught in Hartford's first four games. Ardito also made his first start at second.
• The Wildcats left 12 runners on base while the Hawks stranded two.

 
NEXT UP:
The Hawks will conclude their North Carolina trip with a 10 a.m. matchup against Bucknell on Sunday. The Bison are 3-5 on the season and 1-1 so far this weekend, with an 8-0 victory against Davidson on Friday and a 4-3 loss against Butler on Saturday.
 
Sophomore right-hander John Mormile is scheduled to start for the Hawks, while sophomore righty Jeff Gottesman will take the hill for Bucknell. Live stats will be available at DavidsonWildcats.com and Twitter updates will be available from @HartfordBASE.