Video Highlights: Game 1 | Game 2

BALTIMORE-- UMBC baseball picked up a pair of wins on Sunday against the Hawks for their first America East series win since April 20-21, 2019 when they also defeated Hartford. Drew Roberts (Matthews, N.C.) led the way in game one with Ryan Brown (Hagerstown, Md./St. James) providing the power in game two.

UMBC improves to 12-8, 7-8 AE on the year while Hartford falls to 7-8, 7-8 AE.

Game One:

Hartford wasted little time getting things going with a run in their half of the first to take an early lead. However, it was all Retrievers from that point on. The Retrievers responded with a four-spot in their half of the second. After UMBC loaded the bases, Christian Easley (Collinsville, Va.) unloaded them with a grand slam to left to make it 4-1 UMBC. 

That lead would extend to an 8-1 advantage with another four runs in the fourth on an Ian Diaz (Philadelphia, Pa.) RBI single, Christian Torres (Miami, Fla.) RBI sacrifice fly, and Christian Maceda (Oradell, N.J.) two-RBI triple. Hartford would answer with a pair of solo home runs the next half inning to cut it to 8-3. 

Hartford would make it as close as 9-6 in the sixth, but the Retrievers put up five runs in their half to take a commanding 14-6 lead, winning by the same score. 

Easley and Drew Roberts each drove in four runs with Roberts the lone Retriever with double-digit hits. Joe Nestel (Drexel Hill, Pa.) picked up the win in relief after starter Luke Johnson (Lewes, Del.) went 4.0 innings. 

Game Two: 

The Hawks started game two the same as game one, this time with a pair of solo home runs, totaling five runs to open the game. That lead would be short-lived as UMBC responded with a five-spot of their own. 

Christian Easley opened the inning with a solo home run. Christian Torres added a run on an RBI triple to make it 5-2. After the Retrievers put a pair on, Ryan Brown belted a two-run home run to tie the game 5-5.

The runs would not end there with the Retrievers putting up four runs in third and fourth to take a commanding 13-5 lead. The third inning saw Brown once again smashed a home run, this time a three-run shot, and Jack Ryan (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) with an RBI double. UMBC got a pair of RBI singles and an RBI walk to take the commanding lead. 

Hartford would cut into the deficit in the sixth and seventh, but UMBC held on for a 13-7 win. 

Luke Wootten (Middletown, Del.) picked up the win going 5.0 innings with six strikeouts. Brown had two home runs and five total RBI. Nolan Charlton (Atlantic City, N.J.) had three hits to lead the way.

UMBC will open Division B play at Stony Brook next Saturday and Sunday, April 17-18.