The Hofstra University baseball team dropped the series opener to the University at Albany in a 4-2 loss at University Field on Friday, March 7.
Dylan Banner was dominant on the mound for the Great Danes, going 8.0 innings and only allowing two runs on six hits and one walk.
“Tough one – we could not figure out Banner,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “He pitched really well, and they played clean baseball. When you can’t score runs, you can’t win a lot of games.”
Dom Camera was the only member of the Pride to have a two-hit day, with a double and a single. He came up big for the Pride to help score the first Pride run of the game.
“[Camera’s] been great. He’s been hitting really, really well this season and is great behind the plate,” Catalanotto said. “He’s gained a lot of confidence from two years ago, so it is nice to see that he is hitting because we always knew that he could hit, he has a good swing, and now he’s putting it together.”
Tristan Menjo started on the mound for the Pride after missing last season due to injury. He pitched a clean 3.1 innings, striking out three.
Dylan Palmer extended his hit streak to nine games with a leadoff single in the first inning. Despite the early action on the basepath for the Pride, they were not able to break open the scoring until the bottom of the third inning. Camera smacked a double to right field and advanced to third base on a ground out from Micheal Brown. Palmer knocked in the run on a ground out to shortstop.
Nemjo finished his start with a strikeout and was replaced by freshman Brayden Gregg in the fourth. Gregg pitched 3.0 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits, and was given the loss.
The Great Danes tied it up at one a piece in the fifth as Gregg struggled to find the strike zone, walking the first two batters of the inning. A successful double steal from Micheal Maggio and John Vitucci put two runners in scoring position.
Cooper Loyal rolled over to the shortstop, bringing home the run, but Greggs limited the damage in the fifth to just the one run.
The Great Danes put up a three spot in the seventh inning to give them the lead. Maggio hit a double into the left center field gap that rolled out to the wall. Greggs then dealt a walk to Vitucci to put runners on first and second.
A perfectly placed bunt single from Loyal loaded the bases and Ryan Ferremi drove in two runs on a diving single out to center field.
The Pride brought in graduate pitcher Danny Kelleher who hit the first batter to load the bases for the second time in the inning.
A long sacrifice fly from Logan Morris put Albany up 4-1.
A Tyler Castrataro RBI single in the eighth brought the Pride within two but they were unable to rally late in the game.
The Pride looked to bounce back in the middle game of the three-game set with the Great Danes on Saturday, March 8, at University Field. First pitch was scheduled for 1 p.m.
