WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – UMBC freshman catcher Taylor Hall (Cosby, Va./Cosby) hit her sixth homerun of the season and reached base in all three trips to the plate but the UMBC softball team lost to Hartford, 3-2, in the series finale Saturday afternoon at the Hartford Softball Complex.

Siera Sheehan pitched a complete game for the Hawks giving up only the homerun to Hall to earn her third win of the series and seventh of the season.

Sophomore Kayla Martinez (Odenton, Md./Arundel) took the loss for the Retrievers after giving up three runs, only one of them earned, on seven hits in 4.1 innings of work.

UMBC, who was looking to salvage the series after dropping both games yesterday, opened Saturday  brightly as sophomore Jessica Warner (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) hit a lead-off double.  Two batters later Hall stepped up and drilled her sixth homerun of the year to dead centerfield giving UMBC the lead, 2-0.

After giving up a lead-off single in the bottom half of the inning, Martinez worked out of a jam to strand two runners on base.

Neither team scored in the second inning, but Hartford cut the Retriever lead to one, 2-1, on an RBI double Jordan Haines in the bottom of the third.

The next inning, the hosts took the lead as Peyton Fisher hit a triple to knot the game at two and then came home with the eventual game-winner on a wild pitch.

UMBC now returns home to host LaSalle for a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.  First pitch between the Retrievers and the Explorers is scheduled for 2 p.m.