the Informer

The Hartford softball team earned a pair of much needed victories this Tuesday, defeating Sacred Heart 10-6 and 5-2 on the road and snapping a five game losing streak.

In the first contest, the Hawks (15-16) set the tone for a dominant afternoon in the first inning as they quickly claimed a 2-0 lead. Jessica Oliveira singled to second base early in the inning and later scored off of an RBI from Amanda Dilworth. Ann Kyzer would then send home Dilworth when she singled to right field.

Sacred Heart would tie things up heading into the fourth inning, but Hartford exploded for seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings to put things out of reach. Two of these runs came from an RBI double from Nicole Springer. Kate Wacyk also came up big with two RBIs in the fourth off of a double to left field and another in the fifth.

The Pioneers wouldn’t go down without a fight however, as they managed to score four more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to make the score 9-6, but Dilworth would single up the middle in the sixth inning to send home another insurance run and help the Hawks hang on for victory.

Freshman Nicole Springer earned the win for the Hawks, improving to 2-4 from the mound while earning three strikeouts. Sophomore Siera Sheehan took the mound for Hartford in the second game and after giving up two runs in the first inning she was stellar in her performance by not allowing another Sacred Heart run in the contest.

Hartford erased their early deficit in the third inning when Springer doubled to center field and brought home two runners to tie the score. Another double by Olivia Piacentini saw the Hawks take a lead they would never relinquish.

Hartford, who entered the week in last place in the America East conference standings with a 2-10 record, dropped three games on the road this past weekend in Binghamton.

The Hawks face two more teams, Fairfield and Central Connecticut State before hosting UMBC in a pivotal conference showdown at their home-field, on May 1 and May 2, 2010.