The day after St. Patrick’s Day seemed to give the Hofstra Pride softball team a lot of luck on Saturday, March 18. The Pride started Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play on the road, sweeping archrival Stony Brook University Seawolves in a doubleheader. Hofstra won game one 7-6 and came out victorious in game two by a 9-1 score.
Hofstra is now 7-13 overall this season and is 2-0 in CAA play. The Seawolves are 8-12 and drop down to 0-5 in their first five conference games.
The Pride got the scoring started in game one in the top of the second inning from University Field at Stony Brook. With two outs and runners on first and third base, Kayla Wilson scored after Stony Brook starting pitcher Mia Haynes threw a wild pitch to Kasey Collins. Collins then proceeded to single into the outfield, advancing on a throwing error by Haynes. This brought Chelsea Manto in to score. The Pride then made it 3-0 on a double to left center field by Meghan Giordano.
Stony Brook responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the second inning. It started with Corinne Badger getting hit by a pitch, followed by her moving up to second base on a sacrifice bunt and then to third base on a single by Naiah Ackerman. Badger came in to score on another sacrifice bunt.
Hofstra made its two-run lead a five-run lead in the top of the third inning. Wilson hit a double down the right field line that scored one run, followed up by a two-run double by Alanna Morse. The Seawolves responded with a three-run inning of their own, as Badger hit a three-run bomb off Nikki Mullin into right field.
Stony Brook cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Catherine Anne Kupinski took Mullin deep, making it 6-5 Hofstra still in front. The Seawolves eventually tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Sofia Chambers hit a two-out RBI single to tie the game
It took extra innings, more specifically the ninth inning, for any team to take the lead. With the score 6-6 in the top of the ninth, Becca Vaillancourt hit a single to right field with two outs, scoring Meghan Giordano unearned.
Julia Apsel took the win for Hofstra after pitching out of the bullpen for five innings. This was her second win of the season. The loss was handed to Ashton Melaas, dropping her to 1-4 on the season.
Game two went much smoother for the Pride. Adrienne Clark’s team began the attack right away, as Vaillancourt hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, scoring Collins to give Hofstra a 1-0 lead. Stony Brook tied the game in the bottom of the second inning when Chambers hit a single into left field that brought in the runner Brooke Dye. This however was the only run that the Seawolves wound up scoring.
The Pride took control in the top of the fourth inning and never looked back. Morse began the inning with a single, followed up by Madison McKevitt getting hit by a pitch. Hofstra then took the lead on an RBI single by Gianna Iaquinto. Alanna Morse then hit a single that brought in McKevitt, which was then backed up by an RBI single by Manto. This made the score 4-1. The score then became 6-1 after a two-run double by Collins. Hofstra ended the inning with two more RBI singles by Angelina Ioppolo and Brianna Morse.
The final run came in the top of the seventh when Manto scored on a Giordano groundout to the shortstop.
Haley Venturini earned her second win of the season. The sophomore from Rhode Island had a season-high ten strikeouts in six innings pitched. The loss went to Haynes.
Hofstra looks to sweep their archrivals on the road again in Suffolk County on Sunday, March 19. Game three begins at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Stephen Galvin
