PHILADELPHIA – The Hartford softball team dropped its midweek doubleheader this afternoon against Drexel. The Hawks lost game one, 11-7, after going nine innings to declare a winner and fell in game two, 12-4. Hartford drops to 11-10 on the season, while Drexel moves to 13-7.
 
DREXEL 11, HARTFORD 7 (9 inn.)
Drexel got off to hot start in game one, putting four runs up on the board in the first three innings while holding Hartford scoreless up until the fifth. In the fifth, Paige Fedak got the scoring started for the Hawks, lacing an RBI double to bring home Olivia Wolk and Isabella Therrien. A single to left field from Chandler Mitchell and a drawn walk by Haley Cassidy kept the Hawks momentum going as Samantha Ganaden stepped up to bat. Ganaden singled through the right side of the infield and brought home two more runs for the Hawks to tie the game up at four a piece. Fedak etched her name on the score book once again in the sixth where she lined another RBI double out to left field to give Hartford its first lead of the game at 5-4. Caylee English stifled the Drexel bats in the bottom half as the Hawks would enter the final frame with a one run lead. Hartford tacked on one more in the seventh after Ganaden lined an RBI double out to right field. However, the Dragons found a way to mount a comeback with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings tied at six. English reentered in the eighth and kept Drexel off the board after setting down the side in order to send the game into the ninth. The Hawks regained the lead off of an RBI bloop single from Mitchell which brought across the plate Therrien, bringing the score to 7-6. In the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Drexel was able to close the gap and take game one over Hartford, 11-7.
 
DREXEL 12, HARTFORD 4 (5 inn.)
Hartford was the team to light up the scoreboard first in game two, taking an early 1-0 lead after the first inning. After a hit by pitch drawn by Ganaden and a single up the middle from Kelsey Galevich, Emma Curry capitalized on the scoring opportunity and hit an RBI single into right field. In the bottom of the second, Drexel took the lead over the Hawks after putting six runs up on the board in the half inning. Immediately after in the top half of the third, Hartford was able to claw back and bring three runs across the plate. Cassidy and Wolk got the inning started off right with back-to-back base knocks putting to runners on board with Curry stepping up to the plate. Curry was able to capitalize on the scoring chance once again, lacing an RBI double over the right fielder's head to bring the score to 6-3. Julianna Kocenski helped herself out at the plate with an RBI single up the middle to bring home Curry from second, closing the gap to just two runs heading into the bottom half. Over the next couple innings, Drexel continued pouring on the runs extending its lead to 12-4. Despite valiant efforts to mount a comeback and close the gap the lead grew to be too much for Hartford to overcome, as the Hawks dropped game two, 12-4. 
 
NEWS AND NOTES

• English (5-2) got the start in game one, taking the loss after allowing 11 runs on 13 hits, two walks and tallying six strikeouts over 8.2 innings of work
• Fedak and Mitchell led the Hawks at the plate in game one
• Fedak went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI
• Mitchell went 3-for-4 with one RBI, one run scored and two stolen bases
• Cassidy continued her outstanding discipline at the plate, drawing three walks on the day to total 14 on the season, leading the America East
• Kocenski (6-4) received the start game two, allowing nine runs on 13 hits and one walk, picking up the loss
• Lauren Card entered the game in relief in the fourth, allowing three earned runs on three hits
• Curry was the Hawks main source of offense in game two, going 2-for-3 at the plate with one double and three RBI

 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks open up America East play against UMass Lowell this weekend. First pitch of Saturday's doubleheader from the River View Field is set for 1 p.m.