Hartford Halts Baseball’s Streak in Game 1, 7-5

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Suffolk baseball saw its nine-game win streak come to an end Saturday afternoon as the Rams fell to Hartford, 7-5, in game one of a twinbill at Fiondella Field.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 5 | Hartford 7 
RECORDS: Suffolk (24-14) | Hartford  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk started the scoring in the top of the second. Cole Hilliard produced a bases loaded sac fly to center to open the scoring before a wild pitch allowed Sam Armbruster to score. All the ducks got in the pond as Max Iorio and Max Martin sandwiched singles around a hit by pitch by Armbruster.  

A bases clearing double by Jackson Ciccone in the home half of the second allowed Hartford to sneak in front, 3-2. 

Doubles helped Hartford extend its advantage in the top of the fourth. Jake Santiago led off with a double down the left field line and Jeremy Mangiamel traded places with him with a two-bagger of his own.  

Another Hartford double helped the host extend its advantage in the top of the fourth.  

Suffolk leveled the playing field in the top of the fifth. Jack Mihalchik led off with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on an error by the Hawks catcher. Alex Sorenti-Burns brought Roberts in a single to left. Sorenti-Burns worked his way around the bags on a productive ground out by Iorio, wild pitch and scored on a back to lock things at 4-all.  

Hartford wasted little time to regain the lead as the host used extra base hits to put the blue-and-gold in gold in a 7-4 hole with five frames in the books.  

Harry Painter helped trim the distance down to two in the top of the sixth as the starting pitcher's barreled a bases loaded single to center. Max Martin scored on the play after wearing a pitch to get the frame underway.  

Suffolk had chances in the seventh, eighth and ninth to make up the ground but stranded four runners over those three innings to suffer the setback.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Painter took the loss, his first of the season, after giving up seven runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 5.0 innings. 
• Brett Bucklin put together 3.0 innings of scoreless relief with two hits and two strikeouts his credit. 
• Luke Rier started and let up four runs, three earned, on six hits and two walks with one strikeout in 4.1 innings of action. 
• Anthony Bubba picked up the save with a one-run, five-hit, two-walk, one-strikeout effort in 4.2 innings of relief.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Sorenti-Burns went 2-for-4 with one RBI, one run and one walk. 
• Max Martin also put together a 2-for-4 plate performance with one run scored. 
• Mihalchick supplied one hit, a double, one run and one walk. 
• Iorio and Armbruster added one hit and one run each. 
• Hilliard logged one hit and one RBI on a sac fly. 
• Flynn rounded out the Rams with one hits one, double.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Hartford met for the first time.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk caps off the regular-season with game two against the Hawks.