WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – In the opening weekend of America East baseball play, Hartford split with UAlbany, 6-8 and 6-5, Saturday afternoon.
PHOTO GALLERY
Senior
Chris Sullivan went a combined 6-8 with a home run and four RBI, as the Hawks scored its first win of the season, improving to 1-10 overall and 1-1 in America East play. Redshirt junior Kevin Donati went a combined 5-8 with six RBI, as the Great Danes moved to 4-7 on the year and 1-1 in the conference.
GAME ONE: UALBANY 8 HARTFORD 6
After the Great Danes opened the game with two runs in the top of the first inning, the Hawks answered with three runs of their own to take a 3-2 lead heading into the fourth. Highlighting the run was home runs by Sullivan and junior
Nik Pagan.
UAlbany, however, responded in the top of the sixth with five runs to take the 8-3 lead. Hartford began to rally in the seventh, as Sullivan hit a two-RBI single up the middle, plating sophomore
John Thrasher and junior Brian Walker to make the score 8-5. The comeback continued into the ninth inning, as sophomore
Drew DeMartino doubled to left-center field, scoring senior Ashton Bardzel to cut the Great Danes lead to two (8-6). That would however be the final run of the game for Hartford as UAlbany managed to get out a bases loaded jam and score its first America East win of the season, 8-6.
GAME TWO: HARTFORD 6 UALBANY 5
The Great Danes controlled the first five innings of game two, jumping out to a 5-2 lead. Senior
Drew Holtgrieve provided the only offense in the early going, lacing a two run home run to right field in the fourth inning.
After a RBI single by Pagan in the fifth inning, the Hawks continued to chip away at UAlbany's lead, scoring two more runs in the sixth to tie the game at five. Freshman
Will Nowak then entered in the seventh and worked out of a bases loaded jam, striking out sophomore Josh Gurnack looking to keep the score level at five.
Hartford avoided extras in the seventh inning as junior
Zachary Ardito forced a bases loaded walk and Hartford walked off in game two. 6-5 for square the series at one game apiece.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Senior Billy DeVito pitched 5.1 innings with a season-high seven strikeouts in game one, but did not factor into the decision
- Nowak (1-1) earned his first win of the season in relief in game two, pitching a scoreless sixth inning and striking out one
- Holtgrieve's home run was his first in a Hartford uniform
- Hartford's win today was the first of the season, snapping a 10-game losing streak to start the year
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford wraps up the three-game series with UAlbany tomorrow. First pitch is set noon.