Orono, ME ? The University of Hartford baseball team dropped the series finale 7-4 at Maine on Monday night, making up a rained out game from Sunday afternoon. Simon Kudernatsch led the Hawks with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate, including an RBI and scoring three runs. The Hawks fall to 16-26 overall and an even 8-8 in conference play.
Hartford scored the first run of the game, a single run in the top of the third, before the Black Bears took a three run lead on four runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking a lead they would not relinquish. Hartford's first run was setup with a single to left field from Kudernatsch. He took second on an infield single from Brady Stouffer and third on a wild pitch, before scoring on an Adam Bowser fielder's choice.
The Black Bears took advantage of a Hartford error to begin the bottom of the third. Joe Mercurio lead off the inning reaching on the Hawks miscue. Danny Menendez followed that with a bunt single to put runners on the corner, allowing Billy Cather to sacrifice himself for the first Black Bear run. Tony Patane then singled to center, advancing Menendez to third. Curt Smith followed with an RBI single through the left side, scoring Menendez and putting runners on first and second. After a Myckie Lugbauer walk loaded the bases, Hartford's pitching gave up a wild pitch and a passed ball, scoring Patane and Smith before ending the inning.
Maine added a single run in the fourth inning after Menendez worked a one out walk to reach base. He took second on a wild pitch and then scored on a single up the middle from Cather. The Hawks chipped away at the lead with a solo home run in the fifth inning. The long ball came from Kudernatsch, the first collegiate home run for the Czech Republic native.
Hartford added another run in the second inning after Drexel worked a one out walk. He then scored, from first, on a two out double to center field from Stouffer. Maine took the run right back in the bottom of the inning and added one more to their lead. Lugbauer sacrificed himself to score Smith who reached base on a double down the left field line. The second run came from a solo home run from Mark Ostrander.
Hartford added one more run in the ninth inning. Kudernatsch again provided the first runner on a one out walk. He advanced to third on back-to-back hit batters and then scored on a walk to Ben Sobocinski. Stouffer and Kudernatsch both finished with two hits and an RBI, while Bowser and Sobocinsk each recorded RBI's. Bowser also finished with a hit.
Zack Tarner suffered his third loss of the season, starting his sixth game of the season. Tarner pitched 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and four runs, three of them earned. He also walked three batters and struck out one. Marc Toomey, Justin DiConzo and Kyle Perry all saw time in a relief role for Hartford. Toomey pitched the longest, a four inning outing. He allowed two earned runs on two hits, while striking out three batters. DiConzo pitched one third of an inning and gave up one run, while Perry pitched the final inning and one-third allowing no hits and giving up one walk.
Hartford returns home for the final eight games of the regular season. The first four come as a four-game series against the Binghamton Bearcats, beginning with a single game on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at the Hartford Baseball field.
