The Hofstra University baseball team’s comeback attempt against Villanova University fell short in a 9-8 defeat on Wednesday, March 25. The Pride dropped to 6-13 while the Wildcats improved to an even 10-10.
Hofstra opened the scoring in the second inning when CJ Griggs hit a solo home run to left field. The opposite field blast was his third homer of the year and his first since Feb. 14 on the match against Mississippi State University.
The next time the Pride picked up their bats, they were behind 4-1. Collin Quintano led off the bottom of the second with a homer, and JoJo Montgomery hit a two-run shot two batters later. From there, Hofstra’s Russell Hunter gave up only one more run in the inning on a sacrifice fly from Austin Lemon.
Both teams got through the third inning and Hofstra stranded men on the corners in the fourth. Villanova loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth on a single, an error and a hit batter. Hunter’s day ended after that, as he gave up seven hits in three innings pitched, struck out one player and allowed six runs. The final two of those runs came after he exited the game. Grady Lacourciere induced a double play from Lemon that scored a run, and after bringing Brayden Leonard to two strikes, Lacourciere allowed a base hit up the middle to increase Villanova’s lead to 6-1.
The Pride responded immediately, plating three runs in the top of the fifth inning. RBI singles from Michael Brown, Nick Gallello and a groundout from JJ DeVito brought the score to 6-4, but a wild pitch from Lacourciere gave Villanova an insurance run and a 7-4 lead.
Hofstra put up three runs once again in the sixth: Brown brought a run home for the second inning in a row, and DeVito launched his first homer in a Hofstra jersey to tie the game at seven.
The rally looked complete in the top of the seventh when Danny Corona left the planet, launching a two-out, two-strike pitch over the right field fence and giving the Pride their first lead.
The Wildcats had other plans. Larry Hotaling ripped a triple: Villanova’s fifth two-strike hit of the afternoon. Hotaling scored on an error by Sam Leonard, and Brayden Gregg loaded the bases before being pulled for Joseph Curreri. Michael Whooley was the first hitter Curreri saw. Whooley delivered the game-winning RBI single up the middle. Gregg was handed the loss, giving up one earned run in 0.2 innings, walking a batter and striking another out.
Hofstra reached base only once more, on a single from Griggs, which gave him his third multi-hit game of the season. Giovanni Bausone pinch ran for Griggs, but Gallello ran into a double play in the next at bat, spoiling Hofstra’s final rally attempt.
The Pride returned to Coastal Athletic Association play on Friday, March 27, when they welcomed Northeastern University for the first game of a three-game weekend series. First pitch was set for 2 p.m. from University Field.
