By Christian Heimall, Staff Writer
The Hofstra Pride baseball team kept the wheels turning this past week taking two of three from conference foe Towson and winning a close mid-week contest against local rival Long Island University. Along the way, senior second baseman Matt Prokopowicz cemented his spot in the Hofstra record books and the Pride stayed within striking distance of a postseason berth.
After dropping game one of a three game set to the Towson Tigers, Hofstra rebounded with two powerhouse efforts to win its second consecutive CAA series. On Friday, Prokopowicz gave Hofstra an early 1-0 lead with his fifth homerun of the season to lead off the game.
However, the Tigers responded quickly taking a 3-1 advantage after three frames. The contest would go back and forth with Hofstra tying the game at three before giving up two more runs to Towson in the fifth. The Pride continued to fight, pulling to 5-4 in the ninth inning. However, with the tying and go-ahead runs on base, freshman shortstop Matt Ford struck out swinging to end the game. The loss snapped Hofstra’s six game unbeaten streak.
The arrival of the weekend brought out the bats for head coach Patrick Anderson’s squad. Hofstra scored four runs in the opening frame and took an 8-2 lead into the fourth. Seniors John Kenny and Ethan Paquette each knocked in five runs while Paquette blasted his team-leading tenth homerun in the 17-8 slugfest over Towson. “It was more of a quality ballgame,” said Anderson. “We had some more energy going into every inning unlike before.”
Freshman pitcher Jared Rogers logged yet another solid outing pitching six full innings giving up four runs on seven hits while fanning four Tiger hitters. Prokopowicz was 1-4 at the plate but did tie the record for most hits in a career held by Ricky Caputo (2003-06) with 248.
That record would be bested by the senior in the series finale as Prokopowicz laced a double in the second inning to stand alone as Hofstra’s hit king. Hofstra dominated Towson pitching yet again in another offensive onslaught. Seniors Kenny and Elliot Hagburg each hit homeruns while Ford and junior catcher Kevin Flynn did the same en route to a 13-7 Hofstra Pride victory. With Hofstra nursing a 4-2 lead after two innings and chasing Tigers starter Michael Trionfo, the Pride delivered a devastating blow in the third.
Towson reliever Tyler Austin got Paquette to fly out to lead off the inning before giving up back-to-back shots to Kenny and Flynn. Two batters later, Hagburg hit a two-run shot followed by a three run blast from Ford, his second of the year. Hofstra utilized a rotation of relievers in this game to secure the win. Freshman Andrew Barbarino pitched the first three innings before Joe Burg took control of the next three frames. Then freshman Drew Libert, junior Jeff Guthridge and freshman Matt Watkins handled the seventh, eigth and ninth to give Hofstra its seventh win in nine games.
Prokopowicz finished the contest with four hits to finish the weekend solely atop the records list with 252 career hits. “He’s consistent,” Anderson said of his senior. “He’s been a great player for us and a great role model.”
The Pride returned home on Tuesday and amidst a half-hour lightning delay the Pride was able to hold off a late LIU comeback for an 11-10 victory. Hofstra again used a series of relievers beginning with freshman Greg Lettini who made his first collegiate start. Lettini gave up five runs in two and one third innings while LIU freshman Emerson Marillo did the same in just two innings. The game was tied at five as they entered the bottom of the third. Hofstra plated four against Blackbird reliever Joe Murphy and took an 11-6 advantage to the sixth.
After pitching a solid fifth, Pride freshman reliever Gregg Sarra gave up four runs in the sixth. With Hofstra clinging to a one run lead, freshman Joe Burg and Guthridge pitched a combined four shutout innings for the win. Guthridge recorded his first save of 2010 after being removed from the closers role earlier in the season. “We lost our momentum but those guys came in and shut the door,” said assistant coach Kelly Haynes.
Hofstra now travels down to Newark, Delaware to take on the Fightin’ Blue Hens in its last road conference series. Delaware currently sits at 5-10 in the CAA and with Hofstra just half a game out of the playoffs (top four teams qualify) the Pride are looking to make it three straight series wins. “As [Coach John] Russo pointed out each weekend now becomes our own personal regional,” said Haynes. “For a team that was picked dead last at the start of the season, to even be in the mix now, we’re ecstatic about that.”
