A four-run seventh inning for the College of Charleston lifted the Cougars to a 6-2 victory over the Hofstra University baseball team on Friday, May 16. The loss marks the Pride’s 11th series defeat of the season and moves them to an overall record of 17-36. Charleston secured a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) tournament spot in Thursday’s victory and continued to rise in the CAA rankings with a record of 15-11 in conference play.
Nick Gallello hit his first career home run over the center field fence to tie the game at two apiece. Gallello scored both of Hofstra’s runs that day.
Landon Penfield and Dylan Johnson broke open the tied ball game in the seventh inning with back-to-back RBI doubles.
Both starters kept the scoring at bay, allowing no earned runs through the first three innings. Daniel Brooks took the bump for the Cougars and allowed one earned run on four hits through six innings of work. Brooks notched five strikeouts and shut out the Pride through his first five innings. Sean Hamilton was tagged with the loss, allowing three earned runs on eight hits through six innings.
The Cougars drew the first blood in the fourth inning, after Hamilton stranded five Charleston baserunners through the first three innings. Avery Neaves started the rally with a leadoff base knock to right field. Tyler Sorrentino brought in the first run of the game with an RBI double to left field. Charleston continued to string together hits with Alex LaCoste’s single to left field. Sorrentino scored the second run of the inning on a wild pitch. Hamilton stopped the bleeding with just one out, forcing two consecutive pop-outs.
Hofstra answered in the top of the fifth with three base hits and situational hitting. Gallello kickstarted the inning with a single up the middle, followed by an infield single from Dom Camera. Nick Biddle advanced both runners into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, setting up Dylan Palmer for an RBI infield single. Palmer swiped his 31st bag of the year, but the Pride were unable to manufacture another run. Brooks forced a pop out and a foul out to get out of a one-out, two-men-on situation.
The Pride tied the game in the seventh when Aidan Hunter took the bump. Gallello hit his first career home run, a solo shot to center field, to start the inning. Hunter got two quick outs, but Palmer kept the Hofstra offense alive with his seventh triple of the season. Michael Brown ended the inning with a groundout to shortstop.
Ethan Plyler started the explosive seventh inning for the Cougars with a leadoff double that forced Hamilton off the mound. Tanner Sanderoff came out of the bullpen for the Pride, and the Cougars took immediate advantage of the southpaw. Back-to-back RBI doubles from Penfield and Johnson gave the Cougars the lead. Sorrentino and Will Baumhofer worked walks and came home to score on a throwing error by Palmer. Ben Venables kept the inning alive with a hit by pitch, but Sanderoff got out of the inning, forcing Dariyan Pendergrass to roll over to second to retire the side.
The Pride tried to rally late with back-to-back singles from Tyler Castrataro and Trent Jenks in the eighth, but both runners were left stranded. Hunter finished his day with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the series victory over the Pride.
The Pride looked to avoid the series sweep on Saturday, May 17, for the final game of the season. The first pitch was scheduled for noon.
