The Hofstra University softball team lost 8-6 in the rubber match of its three-game series against the Towson University Tigers on Saturday, April 8, at Bill Edwards Stadium. Towson took the series two games to one, dropping the Pride’s record in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) to 7-5 and 14-22 overall. 

It was a back-and-forth affair as both teams were doing work at the plate. After Towson pushed across the game’s first run in the top of the second, Hofstra struck back in the next half inning when freshman Alanna Morse turned on a pitch and drove it to left field for her first career home run, putting the Pride ahead 2-1.

“When they punch, we punch back,” said Hofstra head coach Adrienne Clark. “When they have quality at-bats, we work to get quality at-bats and continue to compete from start to finish.” 

The rally continued as Towson starter Maddie Gardner issued back-to-back walks to Gianna Iaquinto and Kayla Wilson before Kasey Collins ripped a double to left to bring in another run. Gardner lasted just 1.2 innings for the Tigers, surrendering three runs, two earned, striking out one and allowing two free passes. 

Alanna Morse kept up her production in the third inning with an RBI single to make it 4-1 Hofstra, as she finished the afternoon 3-4 at the plate with three RBIs.  

Towson got its bats going when Elizabeth Yoskowitz and Briana Ramirez hit a pair of singles with one out in the top of the fourth, setting up runners on first and second. Soon enough, the Tigers were right back in the game after Mackenzie Lake cleared the bases with another single, cutting the Pride’s lead down to one before she scored on a game-tying double off the bat of Madyson Peters.

The Tigers kept mashing in the fifth and took a 6-4 lead as Addie Ferguson and Ally Hickman hit back-to-back homers off of Hofstra starter Julia Apsel, who finished her outing giving up six runs, all earned, with two walks and one punch out in 4.1 innings of work.

That lead didn’t hold as Towson began to struggle defensively. After Ioppolo led off the bottom of the fifth with a triple, she scored when Kristin Toland couldn’t handle a ball off the bat of Brianna Morse. Another Towson error set up runners on the corners with nobody out, but the Pride could only manage to tie the game.

That was all for Hofstra’s offense and their hopes of winning as Towson tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh off of reliever Nikki Mullin. 

The series loss is Hofstra’s second straight in conference as the Pride has now fallen back to fifth place in the CAA standings after leading the pack just two weeks ago. With Villanova University coming to Hempstead on Thursday, April 13, Clark spoke about what the team can do to get back on track. 

“If we can continue to show up every day the way we did today, I think that’s all we’re looking for and asking [the team],”  Clark said. “We have to just come out and compete from the minute we start to the minute we end.”

Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/The Hofstra Chronicle