AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 17, 2026) - No. 4 Salve Regina's offense erupted early and never let up Tuesday, powering the nationally ranked Seahawks to a decisive 13–3, seven-inning victory over Hartford at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida.
From the outset, Salve Regina seized control. In the first inning,
Elliot Hamilton (Glastonbury, Conn.) delivered the game's first big swing, ripping a two-run triple to right-center to plate
Evan O'Rourke (Arlington, Mass.) and
Shane Williams (Georgetown, Mass.). Moments later,
Matt Stokes (Summit, N.J.) followed with an RBI single, extending the lead to 3–0 before Hartford had recorded an out in the field.
The Seahawks widened the gap in the second, capitalizing on both timely hitting and Hartford miscues.
Shea Donovan (Milton, Mass.) reached on an error that brought home a run, and O'Rourke added a sacrifice fly. Stokes struck again later in the inning with a two-run single, capping a four-run frame that pushed the advantage to 7–0.
Hartford showed brief life in the third inning, stringing together three consecutive RBI singles from Alek Popovich, Jackson Ciccone, and Ryan Knight to trim the deficit to 7–3. But that would be the Hawks' only sustained offensive push of the afternoon.
After several quiet innings, Salve Regina put the game out of reach with a six-run explosion in the seventh. Donovan's two-run double keyed the rally, followed by RBI hits from
Shane Williams and
Dylan Cimini (Stonington, Conn.), and a run-scoring double from Stokes, who finished as one of the game's standout performers with multiple hits and RBIs.
In total, Salve Regina scored in three separate innings and took advantage of defensive errors that led to multiple unearned runs, maintaining steady pressure throughout. Hartford, meanwhile, was limited to its third-inning surge and could not keep pace against the Seahawks' relentless lineup.
The 13–3 final, shortened to seven innings, underscored Salve Regina's offensive depth and efficiency as the Seahawks continued their strong spring showing, while Hartford was left searching for answers after an early deficit proved too large to overcome.
The fourth-ranked Seahawks, among five teams receiving at least one first-place vote, face SUNY Brockport tomorrow at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex with a 1:30 p.m. first pitch.
