Will Kennedy’s five RBI day drove the Hofstra University baseball team to an exciting 7-3 win over the Monmouth University Hawks on Thursday, May 16.
“It was a really good game,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “[Michael] O’Hanlon pitched great after giving up two in the first. I thought he recovered well and showed some composure. And we got some really big hits from Will Kennedy; I was happy with how the guys played today.”
Kennedy had a phenomenal game from the plate, going 2-4 with five RBIs and shooting his batting average up to .303 on the season. Penn Sealey also contributed from the bottom of the lineup, going 2-4 with one RBI.
“[Sealey’s] been outstanding,” Catalanotto said. “He’s given us some power too at the bottom of the lineup as he’s hit quite a few home runs in the past few weeks. So, we’ve been happy with his approach at the plate.
With a spot in the playoffs on the line for Hofstra in their last season series, the Pride sent out their ace, O’Hanlon, to start the series with a bang.
“In that first inning he didn’t look well,” Catalanotto said. “But then he went back out there and threw strike one, getting ahead of hitters since his slider was working very well. He’s a bulldog out there; he wants the ball all the time, and it was nice to see that we were able to rally back.”
O’Hanlon stumbled in the first inning, giving up a two-RBI double and an RBI single and allowing Monmouth to take a 2-0 lead out of the gate. However, he settled in after the first and delivered once again for the Pride.
He finished the day with three runs on just four hits in 8.0 innings pitched with four strikeouts.
Hofstra answered Monmouth’s lead in the third, with Kennedy lacing a double down the right-field line scoring two runs, tying the game. Sealey opened the fourth inning with a home run, giving the Pride a 3-2 lead off a good starting pitcher in Drew Helmstetter.
Helmstetter lasted 6.2 innings, allowing seven runs off 12 hits with only three strikeouts. His effort from the mound awarded him the loss.
“Helmstetter is a tough pitcher,” Catalanotto said. “He doesn’t throw hard, but he has good control. He mixes pitches up well and is a tough pitcher for our guys to hit. Our guys’ approach was good, especially after the first couple of innings, and it produced some big hits for us.”
Monmouth’s James Harmstead knocked the last run out of O’Hanlon with a solo shot toward left field, tying the game at three in the sixth.
Immediately in the seventh, Kennedy rose to the occasion and hammered a three-run home run just over the left-field wall to take a quick 6-3 lead. Santino Rosso continued the inning with an RBI single up the middle to cap their scoring at seven runs.
Rosso also went 2-4 in this game with one RBI and Dylan Palmer got himself on base with three hits against the Hawks.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Alexis Friedman
