Just one day after a narrow 7-5 defeat against No. 23 University of Kentucky, the Hofstra University baseball team struggled to score against the Wildcats, taking a 6-1 defeat in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday, March 1. The Pride fall to a 3-6 record while the Wildcats improve to 8-1.
After his second loss of the season, Tristan Nemjo is still finding his pitching groove after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. The graduate starter recorded four earned runs on five hits over six innings, opening the game facing seven batters in the bottom of the first. Nemjo gave up a single to Shaun Montoya, who eventually stole two bases. Cole Hage walked after Montoya’s at-bat and stole second while Montoya stole third, then Tyler Bell walked to load the bases as Carson Hansen hit a line drive to right field to drive in Montoya for the Wildcats’ first run.
Immediately following Hansen’s RBI single, Ethan Hindle hit a sacrifice fly to right fielder Luke Masiuk to drive in Hage for Kentucky’s second of two runs scored in the first inning.
Hofstra and Kentucky pitched 1-2-3 innings for the next three innings. Most notably, Kentucky starter Ben Cleaver pitched a perfect game for but broke the streak when Michael Brown hit a single to center field, getting ruled out on a fielder’s choice hit to Masiuk.
Nemjo’s final inning resulted in the Wildcats scoring two more runs. Hage singled up the middle on a full count and stole second base, then Hansen found RBIs number two and three when he hit a two-run homer to improve Kentucky’s score to 4-0. After the offensive damage caused by the Wildcats, Nemjo was pulled out of the game at the end of the inning.
Hofstra batters faced another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, but the half of the inning backed by new Pride pitcher Nick Gallello. The two-way player made his second pitching appearance in his collegiate career, but gave up another pair of runs. Patrick Herrera and Luke Lawrence hit back-to-back singles to center field, then Montoya reached on a no-out fielder’s choice to score Herrera. Hage walked and then Bell hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Tyler Cox for the Wildcats’ sixth and final run of the game.
Aidan Gallagher came into the top of the eighth to pinch hit for designated hitter CJ Griggs. He walked on a four-pitch at-bat and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch to start a late-game rally and score at least one run against a ranked opponent. Nick Biddle, sharing the catching duty with Dom Camera, also walked on a four-pitch at-bat, but with runners on first and second, Michael Brown hit into a fielder’s choice to get Biddle out at second base.
Hofstra eventually scored on Kentucky closer Bradley Ferrell. Bryce Curry hit a sacrifice fly to Montoya, who had shifted from center field to right field, driving in Dylan Palmer to give the final score of 6-1.
The Pride concluded their series against the Wildcats on Sunday, March 2. First pitch was slated for 12 p.m.
