By Dave Gibb
After two weeks of inactivity spent sitting on an 0-6 record, the Hofstra Pride Baseball Team was finally able to open their conference schedule last Friday in North Carolina against the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington. Unfortunately for the Pride, the Seahawks presented a perhaps unreasonably strong opponent, as they soared into CAA play with a conference-leading 11-2 record and had nearly twice as many wins as Hofstra did games played.
Despite Hofstra being seemingly over-matched, the first game of Friday’s doubleheader started as so many of the Pride’s contests have this season: with cause for optimism. Right fielder and leadoff man Mark Stuckless opened the game with a double down the right field line off Wilmington starter Daniel Cropper. Stuckless’ double added to his already-impressive early-season resume, during which he has already eclipsed his 2008 season for Hofstra in which he batted .235 with only three doubles and 12 RBI. In the young 2009 season, Stuckless has become Hofstra’s everyday right fielder and leadoff man. He already has three doubles, a triple, a homerun, two stolen bases, and four runs batted in this year, and has emerged as the leader in three major offensive categories for the Pride: batting average (.390), hits (16), and runs (12).
Hofstra’s hot start continued when second baseman Tom Legregni bunted in an attempt to move Stuckless to third and wound up safe at first with a single. Both men would ultimately score, as Matt Prokopowicz singled to drive in Stuckless, and later gave himself up on the basepaths, being thrown out at second as Legregni scored on the back end of the play, giving the Pride an early 2-0 lead.
Not wanting to rest on their laurels, the Hofstra offense added to their lead in the second inning, with Mark Stuckless doubling for the second time in two innings to drive in Adam Perlo, who had coaxed a walk. The 3-0 lead hardly seemed comfortable, however, as Seahawks outfielder Bobby Leeper touched up starter Nick Panzarella for a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning, cutting the lead to only one run.
In the bottom of the third, the lead disappeared for good as the Seahawks turned three singles and a fielders choice into a 2-run lead over the Pride, and never looked back. UNC Wilmington continued to crush Hofstra pitching, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning and six runs in the seventh inning en route to a 19-6 final in the doubleheader’s first game.
The second game of the twin bill followed an eerily similar formula to first, as the Pride jumped out to an early 3-0 lead fueled by (who else but) Mark Stuckless’ leadoff home run and a two-run shot by Nick Panzarella, who was playing outfield, but had started the first game of the day on the mound.
The Pride cruised through the fifth inning of the seven-inning game, adding several runs to their lead, but the bottom of the inning saw the Seahawks score six runs, claiming an 8-4 lead.
Hofstra attempted a comeback in the sixth, and got some help from Wilmington, who allowed Panzarella to reach base on a passed ball after he had struck out to lead off the inning. He then received second base on another passed ball shortly thereafter. Adam Perlo then singled, moving the runner to third, and got to second base on a wild pitch, the third free base of the inning from the Seahawk battery. Tom Legregni continued his strong day at the plate, making Wilmington pay for their defensive miscues with a single up the middle that plated both Panzarella and Perlo. Unfortunately, the late comeback attempt fell just short, with the Pride losing 8-6.
Friday’s doubleheader was certainly a disappointing opening to CAA conference play for the Pride in the sense that they failed to win a game. However, there were tremendous signs of life offensively for the Pride, with several players posting impressive and promising individual numbers.
Saturday’s series finale proved once and for all that things tend to come in threes. For the third time in two days, the Pride jumped out to a 3-0 advantage over the Seahawks built largely by Panzarella and Perlo, along with junior outfielder John Kenny and catcher Elliot Hagburg. For the second time in the series, the fifth inning proved fatal for Hofstra as the Seahawks used their three outs to turn 4 hits and 2 walks into 5 runs. The Pride scored two runs in the 7th inning, but once again, could not mount a comeback, falling for the third time in three games, this time by a score of 11-8.
While the series sweep at the hands of UNC Wilmington hardly represented an ideal start to conference play for the Hofstra Pride, it was promising enough. Several players shone throughout the weekend, suggesting the core of a competitive offense that with a little help from the pitching staff could have a productive season in the CAA.