The Hofstra University baseball team continued an early-season skid with a narrow 7-5 road defeat against No. 23 University of Kentucky on Feb. 28. The Wildcats are Hofstra’s second ranked opponent and the second Southeastern Conference team the Pride have faced during the first two weeks of the season. Hofstra fell to a 3-5 record while Kentucky improved to 7-1.
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, Tyler Castrataro scored the Pride’s first run in the second with a single to right field on the third pitch he saw. After CJ Griggs got hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second, Luke Masiuk hit an RBI single to drive in Castrataro.
Hofstra starter Jackson Bauer gave up a first-pitch home run to Luke Lawrence to tie the game in the bottom of the third. Kentucky’s Cole Hage then hit a two-out double, advancing to third on a wild pitch. After a walk to Tyler Bell, a throwing error from Dom Camera advanced both runners to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.
The Pride tied up the game the next half-inning. Nic McCay walked Griggs and Sean Lane before committing a throwing error of his own as Dom Camera loaded the bases for Masiuk. The sloppy defense continued for Kentucky with another error as Griggs scored to tie the game 2-2.
Bauer’s pitching fatigue started to show in the bottom of the fifth as he gave up an RBI double to Lawrence, who went 2-4 with two RBIs.
Grady Lacourciere came in for innings of relief, beginning with an RBI groundout to Hage, but he pitched a clean sixth inning before giving up a two-RBI double to Hage on a 3-1 count, retiring the next two batters to end the seventh.
Kentucky finished their offensive outburst in the bottom of the eighth when Lacourciere gave up an RBI ground-rule double to Dylan Koontz, giving the Wildcats their final run total of seven runs over eight innings.
Hofstra’s offense woke up in the top of the ninth, but fell short of coming back, facing a five-run deficit. After Masiuk doubled to left field and Trent Jenks singled to center field, Dylan Palmer tripled to left field, driving in both runners to narrow Kentucky’s lead to 7-4. Following Palmer’s triple, Jake Harring hit a single on an 0-1 count to drive in Palmer for the final game score.
The Pride played game two of three against the Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, March 1. First pitch was set for 1 p.m. Hofstra’s Tristan Nemjo went into the game with a 0-1 record and was slated to pitch against Kentucky’s Ben Cleaver.
