The Hofstra University softball team was walked off by Yale University on Tuesday, March 17, with a 5-4 final score. Hofstra fell to 9-13 on the season, while Yale moved to 8-12.
Elena Ohe was the hero for the Bulldogs, delivering the two-RBI walk-off single. Ohe went 2-4 on the afternoon.
Emma Falen started in the circle for the Pride and looked stellar through the first five frames, allowing one run. Falen struggled toward the tail end of her outing, though, tossing 123 pitches and allowing eight hits on the day. Falen allowed four earned runs across 6.2 innings, walking just one batter and fanning four.
Yale’s Emma Taylor tossed five innings and held the Pride to just two earned runs on four hits while striking out nine.
On the fourth pitch of the afternoon, Hofstra’s Alanna Morse drilled a ball over the fence in center field to give the Pride an early 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs tied in the bottom of the first frame. Ohe knocked an infield single to third base but was replaced at first by Ava Kainrath on a fielder’s choice. Libby Peoples scored Kainrath on a double to left field.
Lily Yepez got things started in the third inning for Hofstra. Yepez got a base hit on a knock to shortstop, and Dahlia Palacio scored Yepez on a double to center field. Gabby Sultan moved Palacio to third on a groundout, but Taylor stranded Palacio, striking out Gemma D’Orazio to end the inning.
Hofstra increased the gap in the top of the sixth inning. Sultan led off the inning with a gapper to right-center field. Freshman Kimmya Sims came into the game as a pinch runner for Sultan, which paid off for the Pride as D’Orazio knocked Sims home on a double to left field. The Pride’s two-baggers continued; Chelsea Villar ripped an RBI double through the right-center field gap to put Hofstra up 4-1.
The Bulldogs capitalized on two hits and a Hofstra error to start a late comeback attempt. Ella Gandolfo led off the sixth inning with an infield single. Falen forced back-to-back fly outs before tossing a wild pitch that allowed Gandolfo to move into scoring position. Ava Kang reached first base on an error by Morse that put runners on the corners. Grace Westmoreland knocked a groundball to shortstop for an infield single that scored Gandolfo. Kang tried to take an extra base but was gunned down by Palacio from first to third, ending the inning.
Yale’s theatrics in the final frame pushed them above the Pride. After Ellie Joseph – the Bulldogs’ bullpen arm – retired the Pride in order, Joseph got things going on offense, drawing a full count walk to lead off the seventh. Demi Donahoe singled up the middle to put runners on first and second. Isabella Fortini doubled down the left field line to cut the deficit to one. Despite tiring in the final two frames, it was Falen’s game to finish in the circle. Ohe stepped up to the plate and on a 1-1 pitch, drove a ball out to left field to score Donahoe and Fortini and walk off the Pride.
Hofstra returned to conference play with a road series against Hampton University on Friday, March 20. First pitch was set for 3 p.m.
