West Hartford, Conn.—UMBC took the first game of the double dip with Hawks, thanks to a masterful performance by Joe Vanderplas. The Retrievers would drop the second game to move to 2-6, 1-1 AE on the year.

GAME ONE:

UMBC got on the board early thanks to two runs in the top of the first inning. Kevin Lachance (Clifton, Va./Centreville) got the Retrievers on the board off a double steal, followed up with a Hunter Dolshun (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) RBI ground out. The Retrievers made it 3-0 off a Jake Barnes (Annandale, Va./Annandale) RBI single, that plated Jamie Switalski (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland).

The Hawks got on the board, followed by a pair of UMBC errors to cut into the Retriever lead. However, Vince Corbi (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) would get the run right back, blasting a home run to left field in the top of the sixth. Mark Esposito (Bethanny, Conn./Amity Regional) provided the insurance, scoring Nick Naumann (Essex, Md./John Carroll/Chestnut Hill) and Anthony Gatto (Hauppauge, N.Y./Smithtown West) in the ninth.

Joe Vanderplas (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax/Tenneesse) pitched a masterful game on the hill for UMBC. He went the whole way, giving up just five hits and one run to move to 1-2 on the year.

GAME TWO:

Hartford jumped on the Retrievers early, scoring five runs early. Hawks hurler Sam McKay kept the UMBC bats quiet until the sixth inning, when Dolshun broke through with an RBI single up the gut.

The Retrievers would threaten late, but would fall, 5-2 in the nightcap.

UMBC hurler Kevin Little (Weldon, Calif./Kern Valley/Taft College) went 3.2 innings giving up four runs and seven hits. Dolshun led the way in the nightcap, going 2-3 with a double and one run batted in.

The Retrievers and Hawks will play the rubber match tomorrow, March 16 at noon. Conrad Wozniak and Brian Murphy will take the hill in the getaway game.