West Hartford, Conn.—The Retrievers took an lead in the seventh inning, but Hartford responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to win 6-4 in the rubber match. UMBC falls to 2-7, 1-2 AE on the year.

Hartford got things started in the second, scoring off a lead-off double by Trey Stover. It would take the Retrievers a couple of innings before the bats were awakened.

Kevin Lachance (Clifton, Va./Centreville) got the first hit for the Retrievers in the fourth, with a lead-off single. Just pitches later, Murphy would pick him off, ending the rally. UMBC would find the answer in the sixth inning, getting a single by Jake Barnes (Annandale, Va./Annandale), followed by one by Lachance to put runners on first and second. Vince Corbi (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) followed him up with a single of his own to plate Barnes.

UMBC would load the bases just an inning later, looking to take the lead. Ryan Sliwak (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh/Nassau CC) would come on to pinch hit for Barnes, and it would pay off. Ryan smacked a bases clearing double, and would be gunned down stretching for a triple. The hit gave UMBC a 4-1 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Hartford would answer with four runs in the seventh. After a hit by pitch, a Joe Roberti home run cut the lead to just one. The Hawks would load the bases, and score two off an RBI single to take a 5-4 lead. They would add a run off a throwing error by Denis Mikush (Burke, Va./Robinson) to take a 6-4 lead into the eighth.

The Retrievers would get runners on second and third in the ninth, but the Hawks closed the door to win 6-4.

Wozniak went 6.0 innings surrendering one earned run and five hits, while striking out three. Lachance led the offense going 2-4 with a pair of singles. Sliwak cashed in on his only at-bat, driving in three runs.

The Retriever will return to the diamond tomorrow, March 17 againt NJIT. The game with the Highlanders will begin at 4:00 p.m. from Alumni Field.