The Hofstra University baseball team suffered its ninth loss in ten games and its fifth straight defeat to Elon University. The Pride fell to their Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) foe in a 10-8 loss at home on Sunday, May 4.
The Pride fell to 14-34 overall with a 4-17 conference record. The Phoenix improved to 23-25 overall with a 12-9 record against CAA teams.
Hofstra starter Tristan Nemjo failed to pitch a scoreless opening inning, walking Jackson Alford and giving up a hit to Tank Yaghoubi before he could record an out. Nemjo followed with a pair of flyouts, the second a sacrifice fly to left fielder Trent Jenks to bring Alford home.
Jenks was one of six freshmen to appear in the Pride’s lineup, the most of any Hofstra lineup this season.
The Pride found the lead in the bottom half of the inning, when Michael Brown sent Dylan Palmer home on an RBI triple, the first of two three-baggers for Hofstra on Sunday. Tyler Castrataro appeared later in the lineup and made an immediate impact, walking and then letting himself get caught in a pickoff, which allowed Brown to score, giving the Pride a 2-1 lead.
Nemjo struggled in the third inning, giving up five runs on eight batters faced. After giving up consecutive base hits to Yaghoubi and Ryan Sprock, Nemjo induced a foul-out and struck out Charlie Granatell. Nemjo’s at-bat to Kenny Mallory Jr. ended in an error from Castrataro that sent both baserunners home, then he gave up back-to-back RBI extra-base hits, first a triple to Will Vergantino and then a two-run home run to Justin Szestowicki. All of Elon’s runs in the third came atop two outs,
In three innings, Nemjo recorded six runs, only one earned, on six hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
Hofstra’s next scoring play also happened to come from a two-out, two-run home run, when Nick Biddle hit his first career home run on the first pitch to score Nick Gallello along with himself.
Elon extended their lead to 7-4 in the sixth inning, when Tanner Sanderoff gave up a one-out single up the third base line to Granatell, driving in Sprock.
Jenks responded in the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer to cut the Elon lead back to two runs. Hofstra then reclaimed the lead in the seventh. Hank Krift relieved Phoenix starter Declan Lavelle and gave up a triple to Luke Masiuk to send Palmer home. Masiuk then scored on a game-tying RBI single from Castrataro. Jenks put Hofstra on top by ripping a ball up the middle and into the outfield, scoring Castrataro.
Jenks also came into the game on the mound for the Pride, recording a strikeout.
Masiuk went 3-5 with a single, double and triple, and was only a home run away from a cycle.
After entering the game in the eighth inning and escaping a jam, Grady Lacourciere was touched for a run in the ninth, giving up an RBI single to Sprock, which gave Elon a much-needed insurance run and a 10-8 lead.
The Pride attempted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded and two outs, pinch hitter Bryce Curry hit into a game-ending fielder’s choice which saw Jack Fanning thrown out at home.
The Pride plays their final home CAA series when they host Towson University this upcoming weekend. The first pitch of the three-game series is set for Friday, May 9, at 2 p.m. at University Field.
