TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) baseball team fell to Hartford, 13-2, in its home-opener this afternoon at the Robison Baseball Field.

The Engineers received strong early work on the mound and kept the Hawks off the board through three innings, but Hartford struck first in the fourth after a double and an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.

RPI answered in the bottom of the fifth to even the game. Danny Nayvelt worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a Hartford throwing error before Walker Abdallah laid down a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Jack Mullins then drove a single through the right side to bring Nayvelt home and tie the contest, 1-1.

The game remained knotted into the seventh, when Hartford capitalized on a pair of RPI defensive miscues to ignite a four-run inning, highlighted by a two-run home run that pushed the Hawks in front, 5-1.

Hartford continued to pour it on in the eighth, sending 10 to the plate in a six-run frame that featured multiple extra-base hits and extended the margin to 11-1. Two more runs in the ninth made it 13-1 heading to the bottom half.
RPI scratched across its second run in the ninth, when Dylan Shawver singled and eventually came around to score to round out the scoring at 13-2.

RPI totaled six hits, led by singles from Matt Chotiner, Michael Lebenson, Abdallah, and Mullins, along with a double from Ben Belliss. Shawver added a pinch-hit single and scored a run, while Nayvelt scored the Engineers' first run after reaching base in the fifth.

On the mound, Julian Fong-McAdams and Mike Nelson combined for three scoreless innings to start, with Nelson striking out three in his one-inning stint. Dutch Hamilton followed with two scoreless frames out of the bullpen.

RPI will next gear up for a Saturday doubleheader against VTSU Castleton on Robison Field.