By Daniel Powell
After a rocky 0-6 start against two national powerhouses, some old-fashioned home-cooking proved to be just what the Pride needed to get back on track. Despite being emphatically swept by both Clemson and Florida State in their first two series, the Pride returned to Hempstead and took care of business by sweeping Coppin State in convincing fashion to improve to 3-6 on the season.
The Eagles were slated to host the three game set, but the field conditions in Baltimore were deemed unplayable on Friday and the series was moved to Hofstra with a doubleheader on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday.
Freshman third baseman Matt Prokopowicz led Hofstra to a sweep of the doubleheader going a combined 5-for-8 on the day with four runs batted in and another three runs scored. The Pride came out strong, putting up nine runs in both the second and third innings of their home opener. They went on to win the first game 20-2 as the 10-run mercy rule went into effect after just four and a half innings. The blowout set the tone for the day as five Pride pitchers would combine for a two-hit shutout as the Pride won 9-0 in Game 2.
The Pride was not done yet as they came out swinging yet again in the final game of the series and came away with another rout, this time by a score of 17-2. While the offensive performance was a terrific sign for a team that had scored just 17 runs combined against Florida State and Clemson, the story on Sunday was pitcher Patrick Rogers. The senior from Centereach, Long Island struck out 10 batters in five innings of work. Though he allowed a run on three hits to the first four batters of the game, Rogers was untouchable the rest of the way as he retired the last 14 batters he faced.
The game was interesting until Hofstra put things out of reach with a 10-run outburst in the sixth inning. Sophomore Nick Panzarella led the way for the Pride line-up, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
Talented underclassmen were on display all weekend for the Pride. Aside from Panzarella and Prokopowicz, freshman shortstop Dion Pouncil hit .500 for the series with four RBIs, freshman catcher George Carroll hit .600 with four RBIs, and sophomore Chris Mentrasti was 3 for 7 with three runs scored and two batted in. Hofstra will need its young players to contribute all season long as they have few upperclassmen in their everyday line-up. The Pride is yet to hit a home run this season, but if they can keep stringing together productive innings as they did against winless Coppin State, they should be able to stay competitive in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Still, the key to Hofstra’s season will undoubtedly be their veteran pitching staff. The staff, which features six seniors, finally got on track this weekend. After failing to hold the Tigers and Seminoles under 10 runs in any of their first six outings, the Pride pitchers looked strong this weekend, as they allowed just four runs in three games. Even more impressive, Coppin State managed just eight hits against Hofstra’s staff all weekend. Such dominance on the mound could prove crucial to the Pride’s season. Collegiate sports are all about senior leadership and Hofstra is a team with an inexperience line-up that will likely lean heavily on its senior pitching staff.
With the toughest part of its non-conference schedule out of the way, the Pride should look forward to some more victories before opening up CAA play in March. The Pride will return to action as they host St. Peter’s College (1-5) for a three game series.
