THE BASICS:
 
RESULT:  UMBC 13, Hartford 12
LOCATION: Fiondella Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
RECORDS:  UMBC (11-16, 5-4 AE), Hartford (11-18, 3-6 America East)
W: Mitchell Wilson (3-1) L: Nathan Florence (0-2)
 
 
THE LEAD: 
The University of Hartford baseball team spotted UMBC an n 11-run lead in Saturday's series final before roaring back in the late innings. The Hawks (11-18, 3-6 AE) scored 11 of the game's next 12 runs and managed to send the potential game-tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but Hartford's comeback fell short as the Retrievers (11-16, 5-4 AE) narrowly held on for a 13-12 series-clinching victory at Fiondella Field.
 
Trailing 12-1 in the fifth inning, shortstop Ben Bengtson and left fielder Chris Sullivan hit back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches as the Hawks began to chip away at their deficit. Hartford added two runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and five more in the eighth, highlighted by a two-run triple from center fielder Ashton Bardzell. The Hawks went into the bottom of the ninth down 13-11 and Bardzell made it a one-run game with a two-out solo shot to the deepest part of the park, before UMBC was able to close it out.
 
The Hawks set a new season record, out-hitting UMBC 20-12, with Sullivan's four hits leading the way. Bengtson, first baseman David MacKinnon and Nick Campana each had three hits, setting another Hawks 2017 record for the most players to record at least three hits in a contest. Bardzell had a triple and a home run in each of the final two games of the series against the Retrievers.
 
Starting pitcher Mitchell Wilson (3-1) picked up the win for UMBC, allowing three runs on eight hits in five innings. Catcher Hunter Dolshun, first baseman Jamie Switalski and pinch hitter Zack Bright each homered for the Retrievers.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Dolshun got the Retrievers on the board with a solo home run to left field in the top of the first inning.
• Hartford evened the score in the bottom half of the inning when Campana reached on a leadoff single and came around to score on an RBI single through the left side by Bengtson.
• UMBC broke loose for 10 runs on 7 hits in the third inning. Switalski and Bright each connected for three-run home runs during the rally.
• The Retrievers tacked on a run in the fifth to make it 12-1 when third baseman Christian Torres led off with a single and eventually scored on a fielder's choice.
• Bengtson and Sullivan connected for back-to-back solo home runs on consecutive pitches in the fifth inning. Bengtson's cleared the netting in left-center field while Sullivan's exited the deepest park of the ballpark, just to the right of the batter's eye in center.
• Hartford scored two runs in the sixth inning, cutting the Hawks' deficit to 12-5. Campana singled, MacKinnon doubled and both came home on a two-run single to right field by Bengtson.
• UMBC's Owen Schneider plated Collin Stack with a ground rule double to left-center in the seventh to make it 13-5. It stood as the game-winning run.
• Sullivan led off the seventh with a solo home run to straightaway center field, trimming UMBC's lead to 13-6.
• The Hawks scored five runs on six hits in the eighth, pulling within two at 13-11. The first seven Hawks to bat reached safely to begin the inning, with Bardzell connecting for a two-run triple before Sullivan, TJ Ward and Bryce Walker came through with consecutive RBI singles during the rally.
• Bardzell smashed a two-out home run to deep center field in the bottom of the ninth but Hartford's comeback stopped there, as UMBC's Cory Callahan struck out Bengtson to end the game.

 
 
BY THE NUMBERS:

• Bengtson went 7-for-14, Bardzell went 6-for-10 and MacKinnon went 6-for-14 in the series.
• Sullivan's four hits on Sunday set a new season-high and were one off tying his career best, set on April 26, 2016 against Quinnipiac.
• Bardzell leads the team in triples (four) and is now tied with catcher Erik Ostberg for the team lead in home runs (six).
• Bardzell has 13 hits in the past seven games, including two doubles, three triples and a pair of home runs.
• MacKinnon extended his hitting streak to 20 games. He has 13 multi-hit games during that stretch, raising his batting average from .146 to .354.
• Hartford's 20 hits set a new season-best, eclipsing the 17 hits they recorded in the series-opener against the Retrievers on Saturday.
• Hartford piled up 31 runs on 44 hits in the series.
• The Hawks out-hit UMBC, 44-39, and outscored the Retrievers, 31-27, but lost two out of three games.

 
 
NEXT UP:
The Hawks will remain at home for a midweek non-conference matchup against Rhode Island on Wednesday, April 19, at 3:00 p.m. Hartford is 11-17 all-time against the Rams and the Hawks are riding a four-game winning streak against Rhode Island, which ties for the program's longest win streak in the series history. URI won six consecutive games from 2008-'13. Live stats will be available at HartfordHawks.com and Twitter updates will be provided by @HartfordBASE.