In the start of a three game America East series, the Maine baseball team split with Hartford on Friday in a doubleheader at Mahaney Diamond. It is the start of the final three regular season games, before the conference tournament begins Wednesday in Orono.
In the opener, TJ Ward had three hits and four RBI for Hartford to lead the Hawks to a 9-2 win. Chris Sullivan added a two run triple as the visitors jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead.
Danny Casals and Cody Pasic both had sacrifice RBI flyouts for Maine. John Arel (5-3) took the loss on the hill for the Bears, allowing six runs, five hits, four walks, with one strikeout in 3.0 innings. Nathan Florence (3-5) earned the win for the Hawks, allowing two runs, four hits, one walk, with eight strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
In game two, Cody Laweryson pitched a strong six innings to help the Bears earn the afternoon split with a 3-1 win.
Hartford grabbed the lead in the second inning when Ward drove in his fifth run of the day with a solo homerun to left field to make it 1-0. Maine came right back in bottom half of that second inning, as Jeremy Pena hit a solo shot to left center. The difference in game was in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded for Maine, when Kevin Doody was awarded home plate after a balk by Hawks pitcher Tyler Coopo to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. Casals hit an RBI double for an insurance run in bottom of sixth.
Laweryson (3-3) allowed just one run, two hits, no walks, with two strikeouts in the 6.0 innings of work. Connor Johnson earned his second save, allowing two hits and also registering a strikeout in the seventh. Coopo (1-1) took the loss for the Hawks allowing one run, one hit, one walk, and the balk in 0.2 innings. Nicholas Dombkowski started and allowing just one run, two hits, with two strikeouts over first four innings. Hartford is now 22-29 overall, 15-8 America East.
Maine is 18-31, 12-11 and will host the Hawks again Saturday in final regular season game and senior day at Mahaney with first pitch scheduled for 12 noon.
