The Hofstra University softball team dropped both games in their doubleheader against the Bucknell University Bison on Friday, Feb. 23, 5-4 and 4-0, respectively. The Pride’s record worsened to 1-4, while Bucknell’s improved to 4-5.
Hofstra led 4-2 heading into the sixth inning of game one, until Bucknell’s Shea Malone singled to center field, scoring Brooke Popella from second base. Bucknell tied the game with a RBI groundout to second base off the bat of Elena Horn, scoring Noelle Gardon from third.
In the top of the seventh inning, Zoie Smith homered to right center to give the Bison a 5-4 lead. The Pride failed to score in the bottom of the seventh, resulting in their third straight loss.
Bucknell’s Savannah Jones took control as early as the bottom of the first in game two with a two-out two-run ribee single.
Two errors from Hofstra’s defense led to two more runs for the Bison in the bottom of the fifth. Horn led off the inning by reaching base safely on an error by the Pride’s Kayla Wilson in left field. A single off the bat of Smith scored Horn from second, increasing the team’s lead to 3-0. MaKenzie Hilling reached base on a fielding error by Aliya Catanzarita at first base. An RBI groundout off the bat of Jones scored Horn from third, make the score 4-0.
Annabella Pisapia got the nod from Coach Clarke in game one, eating up a majority of the innings for the Pride. Pisapia allowed three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out six Bucknell batters, over 6.2 innings. Haley Venturini entered the game in hopes of earning a save with one out to go in the seventh inning, but she surrendered two runs on one hit and three walks, which cost Hofstra the game.
Marisa Ogden started for the Pride in game two, allowing four runs, two of them earned, four hits and three walks in 4.1 innings of work. Ogden also fanned two Bucknell batters. Venturini relieved Ogden in the middle of the fifth inning and pitched 1.2 shutout innings.
Chelsea Manto and Lily Yepez were the only two hitters for Hofstra to record a multi-hit day. While they both didn’t record hits in both games, they both went two-for-three at the dish in game two. Yepez added an RBI to her credit in game two, while Manto stole her 77th and 78th career bases during the doubleheader. Manto is five stolen bases away from passing Kristin Hallam for the most stolen bases in program history. Hallam played for Hofstra from 2017-2021 and accumulated 83 stolen bases over that span.
Hofstra concludes their three-game series with Bucknell in the Fairleigh Dickinson Univeristy (FDU) Classic on Sunday, Feb. 25, with first pitch at 1:15 p.m. The Pride have a date with FDU to close out the weekend later that afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Chris Henry
