The Hofstra University softball team split their doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 16, by winning game one against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and losing game two against Boston College at the Fonseca Memorial Tournament, hosted by the University of Southern Florida. The Pride beat UIC in extra innings, 1-0, but fell to Boston College 4-1.
Hofstra’s ace Julia Apsel tossed a complete shutout in game one. Apsel picked up where she left off from a season ago, as she fanned seven UIC batters, surrendered five hits and walked none.
The Pride’s Tyler Douglas pinch ran for Mackenzie Fitzgerald in the top of the eighth inning, to start on second base in extra innings. Alanna Morse grounded out to second base, advancing Douglas to third with one out in the top half of the frame. Gabriella Sultan pinch-hit for Nicole Cancel and reached first base on a fielder’s choice. Sultan then advanced to second base on a fielding error by UIC third baseman Cameran Rios. Scoring on the play was Douglas from third, giving Hofstra their first lead of the game, 1-0.
Game two didn’t go as planned for the Pride, as Boston College got out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning. Back-to-back fielding errors for Hofstra, one from Morse and the other from Anna Butler, set up first and second with nobody out. Jordan Stephens of Boston College blasted a three-run home run to left center to take a 3-0 lead.
A single down the left line off the bat of Kali Case scored Zoe Hines from third, extending the Boston College lead to 4-0.
The Pride recorded their first hit and run in the third inning. Chelsea Manto singled to shortstop with two outs in the inning and then later scored on a throwing error from Boston College shortstop Gator Robinson . It was Lily Yepez reaching base safely on a fielder’s choice that created the throwing error, which cut the deficit to 4-1.
Butler got the nod from Coach Adrienne Clark in game two, but her outing ended after she surrendered two earned runs and four total runs in 0.2 innings of work. Two out of the first three runs that were scored were unearned, due to two fielding errors that were responsible for those runs crossing the plate.
Haley Venturini came in to relieve Butler in the first, and over the course of 4.1 innings, she surrendered one unearned run, five hits and one walk and recorded two strikeouts. This was Venturini’s first game back after suffering a season-ending injury in April 2023.
Manto picked up right where she left off from a season ago, as she went 3-for-6 during the double-header. Manto was the only player with multiple hits on the day for the Pride, but Cancel, Fitzgerald, Morse, Vaillancourt and Yepez all recorded hits.
Hofstra will get right back to it Saturday, Feb. 17, for another doubleheader. The first pitch of game one is at 10:30 a.m. against UIC, while game two starts at 3:30 p.m. against Purdue University.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Chris Henry
