An eighth-inning rally on Friday, March 1, propelled the Hofstra University baseball team to a 10-9 game-one victory against the University of New Mexico Lobos.
While Hofstra was down 6-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Lobos had a pitching change with Wyatt Hardy coming in for Daxton Purser. The change was all the Pride needed for their comeback.
Hofstra started the inning with back-to-back singles from Matt Pelcher and Michael Brown. Sean Lane came in to pinch hit and made a double through the right-center gap adding two runs on the board now behind one run, 6-5. With a man on, Santino Rosso swung his hot bat and drilled a single to left field to tie the game 6-6.
A Steve Harrington single set up a huge Alex McCoy double into the left-center gap, securing the 8-6 lead. Hofstra kept their foot on the gas with another pitching change for New Mexico. The Pride’s Luke Masiuk hit a single up the middle, adding some insurance including an error on the Lobos as the Pride now led 10-6.
A five-run eighth and a seven-run deficit overall could not stop Hofstra from stealing the first game from New Mexico. Four players had two hits each for Hofstra, which included Pelcher, Brown and Michael Florides, as the team relied on the bottom of the order to get the rally going.
Rosso also had two hits on the day while McCoy, Lane and Will Kennedy all contributed with a two RBI game.
Michael O’Hanlon started the game and struck out five batters, collecting his 100th strikeout as a member of the Pride. He is the 25th player in program history to reach the 100-strikeout mark and now has 104 in his career for Hofstra. He stretched his way through 5.2 innings, allowing four earned runs off five hits. He did not get the win, as it was given to Mike McKenna who closed out the game.
David Lopez started for the Lobos and pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three runs and picking up five strikeouts. Lopez gave up the first run of the game in the first inning when Kennedy ripped an extra-base hit down the left-field line to allow Hofstra to take a quick 2-0 lead.
Hofstra extended their lead to three runs in the third as New Mexico slugged behind with two runs, 3-2. It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Lobos caught fire. Three singles from Khalil Walker, Sean Stephens and Konner Kinkade turned the game on its head with New Mexico leading 5-3 over the Pride. An Ethan Ott double in the seventh extended the score to 6-3 before the Pride’s rally in the eighth.
New Mexico made Hofstra skip a beat in the bottom half of the eighth and ninth as Will Asby slugged a two-run home run. Another Walker RBI put the Lobos within one run, 10-9, but McKenna locked the game down for the Pride.
New Mexico’s Hardy received the loss, being the third of four relievers in the game. Hardy only survived 0.2 innings and allowed six runs off of six hits and one strikeout.
Hofstra now has a 3-4 record on the season.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Tim March
