By Mike Rudin – Sports Editor
After needing just one more win to advance to the super nationals, the Hofstra Pride was knocked out of the NCAA tournament on Saturday after two consecutive losses.
The #2 Florida Gators shut the Pride down in a 7-0 shutout in game one, then the Florida Atlantic Owls got revenge in game two, winning 3-2 in extras.
Hofstra’s 2015 season came to an end after the Owls spoiled their tournament run and the team finished the season at 38-14-1 with their 11th CAA title.
“Overall, just very proud of our team and the way we compete all year long,” said head coach Larissa Anderson. “No one thought we’d be here [at the NCAA tournament.] I’m just unbelievably proud of how this team competed to get us to this position we were in.”
Hofstra initially had a 1-0 start in their respective regional slot in the NCAA tournament after their win against FAU the first time around. The NCAA’s double-elimination format had the Pride put in a flavorful situation to advance to the next round, the super-regionals of the tournament.
Yet back-to-back losses quickly put a dagger in the Pride’s contention within the NCAA tournament, as well as the colligate careers of Seniors Morgan Lashley, Taylor Pirone, and Erin Trippi.
“It’s so hard for these players because they go into this not expecting to lose, in any way” said Anderson about the team. “They go into the game thinking that they’re going to win the national championship…so it’s devastating for me to see that three seniors here that will never be able to step on the field again.”
She passionately spoke about her first senior class as head coach of the team and how much she appreciated their dedication.
“It’s tough because they work so hard for four years to get an opportunity,” said Anderson.
Hofstra’s first game on Saturday against University of Florida began with Taylor Pirone starting for the Pride.
She went up against Gators’ starter Lauren Haeger and the Florida Gator dismantled Hofstra’s offense.
She limited the Pride to three total hits and for base runners were left on in seven innings of work.
Haeger single-handedly pulled off a three-hit complete-game shutout while striking out eight Pride batters.
University of Florida got off to an early start in the bottom of the first inning. Haeger provided herself with the only run support she needed, an RBI base hit to left field for the lead.
Followed by a three-run homer by Taylore Fuller to put Hofstra in a bind, down 4-0 in the first.
Haeger’s stellar outing killed Hofstra’s chances inning by inning and the Gators eventually put the game out of reach.
Leadoff hitter Kelsey Stewart hit a two-run single in the fifth and Bailey Castro belted a solo shot in the sixth for the seventh run.
Haeger improved to 25-1 on the season with the win over the Pride.
Pirone pitched all six innings for the Pride as she endured 15 hits, seven earned runs, one walk while striking out three batters on 119 pitches.
She dropped to 19-11 on the season after the game, the last outing for Pirone in a Pride uniform.
The second game of the day for Hofstra had their tournament run on the line and they went up to face the Florida Atlantic Owls for the second time in postseason play.
Things seemed flavorful for the Pride since they recently beat them before and the game was as competitive as ever.
Hofstra’s Morgan Lashley got the start and the Pride got an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to an RBI single by Erin Trippi and an RBI double by Megan Patierno.
Florid Atlantic fired back in the bottom of the third to tie the game a two runs a piece with an RBI triple by Christina Martinez. Later on, a wild pitch by Lashley allowed Martinez to swipe home and tie the game.
The game stay tied at 2-2 throughout regulation and until the game went into extra in the eighth.
For the Owls, Kylee Hanson relived the starter Amanda Wilson for the remainder of the game by the start of the eighth.
At this point, Hofstra left three runners in scoring position throughout the first seven innings that became key down the road.
Morgan Lashley continued to pitch into extra innings through the eighth but by the ninth was then things fell apart.
She gave up the game-winning hit to Alex Miller, an RBI double to push the Owls ahead 3-2 and win the game in the ninth.
“There’s nothing else we can do, sometimes the ball doesn’t roll our way,” said Lashley.
Thus, the Owls eliminated the Pride from the NCAA tournament and concluded Hofstra’s 2015 season.
Morgan Lashley received her third loss of the year, dropping to 19-3 on 8.1 innings pitched while surrendering nine hits, three runs, one walk while striking out four on 130 pitches in her last outing in a Pride uniform.
