The Hofstra University baseball team took their first extra-innings loss of the season, falling 12-11 in 10 innings against Stony Brook University on Sunday, April 12.
After falling in a back-and-forth series finale, Hofstra dropped to 11-18 on the season and 6-9 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play. Stony Brook improved to 11-21 overall with an 8-10 record in CAA play, overtaking the Pride for the third seed in the CAA North division.
Freshman Nick Reese made his fourth start of his collegiate career, earning five runs on three hits in 4.0 innings pitched.
After easily recording two outs, Reese walked Chanz Doughty and gave up a base hit to Chris Carson, setting up Scott Gell for a three-run home run to left field.Â
Hofstra took no time to respond to the Seawolves’ early attack, quickly pushing Stony Brook starter Nicholas Rizzo to his limit in the bottom of the first. Rizzo stayed in the game only to walk Michael Brown, Gabriel Melara and CJ Griggs to load the bases. Tyler Castrataro gave the Pride their first run of the game on a fielder’s choice to send Brown home and get Griggs out at second base, then Melara came home on a first-pitch single from Tyler Cox. Nick Gallello loaded the bases again, then a wild pitch by Stony Brook’s Christian Martinez allowed Castrataro to come home for the tying run. Daniel Escalante hit an RBI groundout to put the Pride up 4-3.
Hofstra extended their lead to 5-3 when Cox hit a sacrifice fly to left fielder Nicholas Dromboski in the bottom of the third. But the Pride lost the lead again when Brayden Gregg gave up a three-run double to Carson with two outs in the top of the fifth. Carson then came home on a single from Gell to make the game 7-5.
Like Reese, Gregg got the first two outs of his outing easily but gave up multiple runs before a third out, a pattern seen throughout the Pride’s pitching staff.
Hofstra brought the Seawolves’ lead down to one run and reclaimed a lead within the next two innings. Cox hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Nick Zampieron to send Brown home for a 7-6 score in the sixth, then back-to-back RBI singles from Melara and Griggs in the seventh inning gave the Pride an 8-7 lead
Gallello hit his first of two solo homers in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game 9-9. However, with runners on the corners in the top of the eighth, Tanner Sanderoff gave up a single to Dromboski, giving Maddon McArthur a run via an inherited runner.
The score came back to a tie in the bottom of the ninth after Gallello hit his second home run of the day, and Danny Corona drove in the game-tying run with two outs.
In the top of the 10th inning, with Stony Brook runners on the corners, Chris Bedford gave up ultimately the game-winning base hit to Dromboski.
Like Saturday’s game, the Pride staged an albeit unsuccessful comeback in the bottom of the 10th. Brown strongly opened the inning with a triple, then Melara and Griggs joined the basepath after each getting hit by pitches. Castrataro hit into a crucial fielder’s choice in which Brown, the tying run, was gunned down at home. Cox flied out to shortstop Aidyn Coffey, and the Seawolves’ infield barely beat out Castrataro at first base to end the game.
The Pride will play a non-conference game this week, traveling to St. John’s University on Tuesday, April 14.
