A trio of multi-run home runs propelled Hofstra University’s baseball team over Long Island rival Stony Brook University and to an 11-5 victory on Friday, April 10.
“I thought it was a really good game,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “Carlos [Martinez] pitched well. we got some big home runs, and I thought the guys swung the bats well. Defensively, we played, well, a really nice, clean game.”
With the crucial Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) victory, Hofstra improved to 11-16 overall and 6-7 in CAA play. Stony Brook dropped to 9-21 overall and 6-10 in conference play.
The Pride took no time to fight the Seawolves starter Hunter Colagrande. With one out, JJ DeVito and Tyler Cox each walked, leading Nick Gallello to plate DeVito on an RBI single to center field. Gabriel Melara followed with his own RBI single, sending Cox home. Then, Danny Corona extended the Pride’s lead to five on a three-run monster home run to deep right field.
Martinez pitched a 1-2-3 opening frame, but Stony Brook got on the board in the second inning. Martinez gave up a single to Chanz Doughty to open the inning, who came home on a double by Scott Gell. Gell came home on a single from Aidyn Coffey, narrowing the Pride’s lead 5-2.
Martinez pitched the first quality start since missing the 2025 season due to recovery from Tommy John surgery. In six innings pitched, Martinez only gave up three runs on six hits, striking out seven batters for the second straight week.
“I think [Martinez] is close [to being 100%],” Catalanotto said. “He’s getting there. Each time out, he’s feeling better [and] he’s making better pitches. We’ll just continue to see him get stronger and better as the season moves on.”
Hofstra’s lead increased to six runs in the third inning, when Tyler Castrataro hit the team’s second three-run home run of the day, sending the first pitch of his second at-bat of the game to deep left field.
“[Castrataro] has been working hard,” Catalanotto said. “He got off to a slow start, but we’ve seen him with a better approach now.”
In the bottom of the sixth, Michael Brown launched a home run to deep right field, in a similar spot as Corona’s home run, plating himself and Michael Craig for a 10-3 lead. In the next inning, Craig got his own RBI double after sending Castrataro home from first base.
Maddon McArthur relieved Martinez in the seventh inning. McArthur successfully struck out two batters before working through the top of the Seawolves’ order; however, he struggled against some pinch hitters and defensive replacements in the eighth inning. Without any outs recorded, McArthur gave up an RBI triple to Paul Dulanto for his first triple of the season. Mike Cervoni came up to hit a sacrificial groundout that sent Dulanto home.
A game like the series opener against the Seawolves shows just how much potential the Pride has for team synergy in both halves of an inning. Six Hofstra batters recorded an RBI, and all but one batter in the Pride’s starting lineup scored a run. Defensively, the Pride put together a successful double play in the fourth inning between Melara at third base, Castrataro at second base and Craig at first base.
A large portion of Hofstra’s offensive production came from the bottom-of-the-lineup batters, but – as per Catalanotto’s philosophy on building a lineup – someone must be in the lower portion of the lineup.
“We got some production out of [our bottom-of-the-lineup hitters],” Catalanotto said. “Every game, it’s not going to be the top of the order. There are some times that the bottom of the order has to chip in, and they did today. I think the lineup is pretty balanced all the way through, and we’ve been trying to get everyone hitting at the same time.”
The Pride played the Seawolves again on Saturday, April 11. First pitch was set for 1 p.m.
