BOX SCORE
Norman, Okla. – First year Hawks head coach Justin Blood and the Hartford baseball team opened the 2012 season with the first of a three game series at Oklahoma on Friday, dropping a 9-6 decision. The Hawks were led by two impressive outings at the plate as sophomore Ryan Lukach finished 2-of-3 with three RBI and senior Simon Kudernatsch finished 4-of-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Overall, the Hawks finished with 10 hits in 27 at bats against a top-25 opponent. Three Hawks finished with multiple hits in the season opener as sophomore Brian Estevez opened the season 2-of-4 in the lead off position. Sophomore Catcher James Alfonso and senior Andy Drexel also finished with hits for the Hawks. Kudernatsch's four hits ties a career high for the Czech Republic native.
On the mound, Mike Thatcher suffered the loss for the visiting team. Thatcher worked 3.1 innings allowing seven hits and five rounds, three earned. Hunter Englehart (3.2 innings) and Alex Fiste (1.0 inning) also saw time on the mound. Englehart allowed two runs on three hits, while Fiste allowed two runs on a single hit. Thatcher led the trio with three strikeouts and Fiste added two. Englehart finished his outing allowing three walks, while striking out one batter.
Oklahoma put the first runs on the board in their home opener with Evan Mistich starting the offense off when he reached on an error. A sacrifice attempt from Dustin Dishman turned into a single for the short stop putting two runners on with no outs. Two successful sacrifices and a single through the left side and the Sooners had an early 2-0 edge following the second inning.
The Hawks came right back in the top half of the third inning to tie the game at three with Kudernatsch and Lukach recording the RBI's. Estevez began the inning with a double to right center, the first extra base hit of the game. He would be driven in on the next at bat as Kudernatsch struck his second single in as many at bats into left center. Kudernatsch after making his way to third on a single form Alfonso and a fielder's choice from Brady Sheetz, Lukach provided the game-tying run on a single down the left field line driving Kudernatsch in.
The momentum wouldn't last long as the Sooners answered right back with two runs on a single hit when Hunter Lockwood struck the first long ball of the season for Oklahoma, a two run blast to the opposite field. The Sooners added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth, the last of which again came off the bat of Lockwood when he sent his second hit of the game over the outfield against the wind.
Trailing by five runs, the Hawks would chip into that lead in the top of the seventh inning with two runs. Kudernatsch would begin the offense when he led off the inning with his fourth hit in the game, his first extra base hit, a double to right center. Alfonso would work a walk on the next at bat and following a pair of putouts for Oklahoma, Lukach came to the plate and smacked his first extra base hit a double up the middle scoring Kudernatsch and Alfonso.
Oklahoma matched those two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning with a triple from Mistich driving in Ty Taylor and Matt Oberste. The Hawks would get those two runs back in the top of the ninth, but it wouldn't be enough in the end. Both of the Hawks ninth inning runs came on wild pitches, with the only hit in the inning coming off the bat of Drexel.
The Hawks and Sooners continue their three-game series with another single game on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT (3:00 p.m. ET) at Dale Mitchell Park.
