Having won five of their last six games, the Hofstra Pride entered their weekend series with the Boston College Eagles on fire. However, the Eagles mimicked the rainy weather and managed to douse the flames, holding Hofstra scoreless through both games of a Friday doubleheader and picking up a pair of wins at Bill Edwards Stadium. Boston College improved their record to 14-7 on the season with the pair of victories, while the Pride fell to 5-12 on the year. “We have to figure out how we’re going to be able to make adjustments in order for us to get different outcomes,” said Hofstra head coach Adrienne Clark. “If we continue to have the same approach and continue to do the same things we’re going to yield the same outcomes.”
Friday’s first game was far more tightly contested than the second, as Boston College’s Abby Dunning and Hofstra’s Nikki Mullin treated fans to a memorable pitching duel that saw the Eagles win by a narrow 1-0 margin. Dunning picked up the win by way of a complete game shutout, striking out seven and giving up just six hits in the contest. Mullin went the distance as well, giving up one earned run and throwing 73 of her 119 pitches for strikes. “Nikki had a very good performance, she’s been so consistent for us on the mound,” Clark said. “She has such a level of confidence and presence on the mound.” After giving up the game’s lone run in the first inning, Mullin fired six consecutive scoreless frames to keep Hofstra within striking distance, but the offense simply could not break through. Hofstra threatened to tie the game multiple times in the loss, but ultimately stranded runners in scoring position on three separate occasions. “We had tons of opportunities to get some run production, but we couldn’t quite get it done,” Clark said. “We weren’t as focused and locked in as we’ve been.”
The second game of Friday’s doubleheader saw the Eagles assert their dominance early and come away with a convincing 8-0 win in six innings. Boston College scored runs in each of the first three innings, quickly putting the game out of reach with a massive power surge. Hannah Silke clobbered a pair of home runs while Meghan Schouten added one of her own, as the Eagles jumped on Julia Apsel early and gave the left-hander her third loss of the season. The Hofstra offense managed just two hits in the loss, as Susannah Anderson twirled six shutout innings and struck out four.
The Pride will attempt to avoid the sweep on Saturday, March 11th at noon. After their series with Boston College wraps up, Hofstra will then make the short trip down the road to face the Stony Brook Seawolves to open CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) play the following weekend.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman / The Hofstra Chronicle
