THE BASICS:

GAME 1 RESULT: Maine 7, Hartford 6
GAME 2 RESULT: Maine 6, Hartford 2
LOCATION: Hartford Softball Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
RECORDS: Maine (7-17, 2-0 AE); Hartford (3-28, 0-4)

THE LEAD:
Bianca Ross hit two home runs and tossed six strong innings on the day, but the Hartford softball team was edged in a pair of games against defending America East champion Maine on Saturday.

GAME 1: MAINE 7, HARTFORD 6
Ross hit a pair of two-run homers and an RBI double, but the Hawks came up short in heartbreaking fashion, 7-6, in game one. Hartford had the tying run on third base when the final out was recorded.
 
Danielle DeMarco went 2-for-3 and scored three times in a losing effort for the Hawks. Annie Kennedy picked up the win out of the bullpen for Maine, allowing three runs in two innings.
 
Rachel Carlson, Alyssa Derrick and Laurine German each had two hits in the win for Maine. Melissa Pereira was carded with a tough-luck loss, allowing seven runs, but only four earned.

HOW THEY SCORED, GAME 1:
• The Hawks got on the board in the top of the first, when Kylie Dazalla reached on a wild pitch, advanced on a sacrifice and raced around to score on an error.
• Maine got an unearned run back in the bottom of the third to tie things up going to the fourth.
• Hartford got its first hit of the game in a big way, with DeMarco walking and then Ross sending a frozen rope over the center-field wall for a 3-1 lead.
• The Black Bears came back in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of unearned runs to knot the score at 3-3.
• Maine added a pair of runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth to push the advantage to 5-3.
• Ross struck again in the top of the sixth, following a DeMarco double with a shot over the fence in left field to knot the game up at 5-5.
• The Black Bears came through with another two spot in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-5 advantage.
• In the top of the seventh, DeMarco delivered a two-out double and Ross followed with a double of her own to trim it to 7-6, but the Hawks were unable to push another run across.
 
GAME 2: MAINE 6, HARTFORD 2
Maine got out to an early lead and held off a solid effort from the Hawks late in game two to finish off the doubleheader sweep. Derrick went 2-for-2 with four RBI, including a three-run homer, in the win for the Black Bears.
 
Elizabeth Newkirk had two hits, including a home run, in a losing effort. Molly Flowers held the Hawks to four hits and one earned run in going the full seven innings to collect the win. Ross was tagged with the loss after giving up eight hits, but just an infield single from the fourth inning on.
 
HOW THEY SCORED, GAME 2:
• The Hawks got off to a strong start in the top of the first, with Newkirk ripping a homer to left, the first of her career, to make it 1-0.
• Maine countered with a pair of longballs in the bottom of the frame, a solo shot for German and a three-run homer for Derrick.
• The Hawks cut into the advantage in the top of the second with Ross coming home on a double steal attempt to make it 4-2.
• The Black Bears added two more in the bottom of the third on three hits and an error to push the advantage to 6-2.
• The score remained that way for the rest of the contest, as both pitchers settled in at the circle.
 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks and Maine will close out their weekend series on Sunday at noon at the Hartford Softball Field. Live stats will be available on HartfordHawks.com.