WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The Harford baseball team opened its 2021 slate with a doubleheader split with Binghamton, defeating the Bearcats 5-2 in game one before dropping game two, 11-7, on Saturday afternoon at Fiondella Field.
 
Sophomore Derek Tenney led the offense, finishing the day with three runs scored, a double and a homer, as the Hawks open the season at 1-1. Alex Baratta led Binghamton with two homers and four RBIs in two games, as the Bearcats moved to 1-1 on the season. 
 
GAME ONE: HARTFORD 5, BINGHAMTON 2
Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the second inning, Hartford tied the game after an RBI groundout by Tremayne Cobb Jr. plated Kyle Hawes. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, Zachary Ardito lined a two-run single to left to give Hartford a 3-1 advantage. 

The Hawks added to their lead in the fourth after Derek Tenney launched a solo home run for his first collegiate homer of his career to increase Hartford's lead to 4-1. The Bearcats tacked on another run in the top sixth, but Nik Pagan's pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the inning gave Hartford the three-run advantage.

James Judenis took to the mound in the seventh and picked up the save to secure the 5-3 win for the Hawks.
 
GAME TWO: BINGHAMTON 11, HARTFORD 7
Harford struck first in the opening inning after Tenney lined a two-run double to left to score John Thrasher and Drew DeMartino to give the Hawks an early 2-0 lead. Hartford added to its lead in the second inning when DeMartino plated Tim Dickson with an RBI groundout to push the Hawks ahead 3-0.

Trailing 3-1 in the fifth, Binghamton's Baratta hit a two-run homer over the fence in left to knot the contest at 3-3. The Bearcats didn't stop there, as they added five runs in the seventh to push ahead 8-3.

Trailing by five runs with the bases loaded in the seventh, DeMartino and Nik Pagan drew back-to-back walks for the Hawks to cut the deficit to 8-5. After Binghamton added a run in the eighth, the Hawks responded with two in the bottom of the inning. However, Binghamton would add two more runs and hold on for the 11-7 win.
 
NEWS AND NOTES

• Senior Nicholas Dombkowski (1-0) got the start and earned the win in game one, tossing six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out 10
• Tenney's homer in game one was the first of his career
• Sophomore Ken Turner (0-0) got the start and took the no-decision, logging six innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits and striking out a career-high 11 batters in the process
• In game two, senior Pete Myers (0-1) entered the game in the seventh in relief for the Hawks, going .1 innings and allowing five earned runs on five hits 
• DeMartino went 1-for-3 with two walks and three RBI in game two

 
NEXT ON TAP
Hartford will be back in action tomorrow, when it closes the weekend series against Binghamton with a doubleheader. First pitch from Fiondella Field is set for noon.

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