The Hofstra University baseball team was victorious against the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks 12-10 on Wednesday, March 27, at University Field.
It was a grind from the very start for the Pride, as both teams provided an offensive showcase early on, combining for 20 runs in the first four innings alone. The bout was then followed up with five scoreless frames from the Hofstra bullpen as the momentum shifted back and forth the whole way.
Dylan Palmer broke a 10-10 tie in the seventh inning, squeaking a single past the LIU infield to drive in Michael Florides, who began the inning with a bunt single that put him on third base after two errors on the play.
Russell Hunter came on in the eighth inning and shut the door on the Sharks, retiring all six batters he faced for his first save of the year.
“The offense battled, didn’t get down, and continued to score runs,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “We had some relievers come in like [Ryan] McLaughlin, Hunter and Cade Henry who did an outstanding job.”
The entire Hofstra lineup got involved, with each member reaching base throughout the game, and eight of the nine batters recorded at least one hit.
Alex McCoy led the squad with three hits in the afternoon, driving in two runs. Santino Rosso, Penn Sealey and Florides had two hits and three RBIs each. The only member of the Pride to not get a hit was Sean Lane, who instead found his way on base through strong plate discipline, walking four times in the contest.
“It’s huge when those guys can give us production,” Catalanotto said. “We did a good job at the plate with our approach. Lane walked four times and had some good at-bats. Sometimes you’re not going to get hits, but you put together long at-bats and make the pitcher work.”
Joseph Curreri got the start on the mound for Hofstra, only lasting two innings. He gave up five earned runs on three hits and three walks, punching out a trio of hitters along the way.
The Sharks got on Curreri early. Seth Surrett led off the game with a triple, scoring on a sacrifice fly two batters later to give LIU a 1-0 lead. Curreri settled down striking out the next two batters to escape the inning only allowing the one run but struggled with his control in the second.
A walk to Surrett gave LIU the lead back before a wild pitch and a double off the wall cleared the bases, giving the Sharks a 5-1 advantage.
The Pride were quick to respond in the bottom frame, getting two runners on with one out. Dom Camera’s first extra-base hit of the season was a one-hopper off the right field wall to bring in Will Kennedy. Florides followed up with a sac fly, chipping away as Hofstra brought the score to 5-3.
The Pride sent 10 batters to the plate for five runs in the next inning, taking advantage of some poor defensive play from the Sharks. Three straight singles from Rosso, McCoy and Luke Masiuk got the offense rolling. A Kennedy sacrifice knotted up the score at 5 runs apiece.
Hofstra eventually grabbed the lead when shortstop Benjamin Fierenzi wasn’t able to field Sealey’s infield single cleanly, allowing Masiuk to cross home plate. Florides knocked in his second and third runs with a 2-RBI single as Hofstra looked in complete control.
JC Navarro, Jake Mastillo and Bentley Boekhout all got to Steven Kaenzig as the Sharks wouldn’t go down easily, coming right back to steal the lead with five runs of their own in the fourth.
After a lead-off walk and double from Masiuk and Kennedy, Sealey hit a rocket back up the middle to tie up the game.
Cade Henry did give up a lead-off double and a walk, but a stellar over-the-shoulder catch from Rosso in foul territory and two clutch strikeouts kept LIU off the board in the seventh inning. Henry earned the decision, picking up the win in his one inning of work.
Hofstra improved to 9-15 with their second straight win as they move on to conference play this weekend. LIU falls to 7-14, snapping a three-game winning streak.
The Pride improved every inning as the game went along, and the ability to remain in the game and fight back did not go unnoticed.
“It’s huge because it gives the whole team confidence, particularly the offense,” Catalanotto said. “Going into the weekend, our offense is running on all cylinders. It’s good for team morale to know even if we get behind, we have a chance to win.”
Hofstra started a three-game road series over the weekend against Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponent, the Towson University Tigers. The first pitch of game one was set for 3 p.m. on Friday, March 29, from John B. Schuerholz Park.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Rob Cuni
