The Hofstra Pride’s pitching staff continues to struggle as they dropped a Wednesday contest 11-7 to the St. John’s University Red Storm on March 8. The Hofstra baseball team is now on a four-game losing streak, dating back to Feb. 26.
While hitting has been a strong suit for Hofstra, their pitchers have been lagging behind. Against St. John’s, Pride pitchers combined to give up 16 hits, 11 runs and six walks, while only striking out two batters.
Cade Henry made his fourth start of the season for Hofstra and pitched three innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while walking two. He was relieved by sophomore Brian Hart, who gave up five runs on five hits in 1.2 innings. Hart struggled in just his third collegiate appearance, as he gave up two runs in his first inning and was asked to go out for a second for the first time in his career.
The risk by Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto did not pay off as Hart allowed a single on the second pitch of the inning. After he got the next batter out, he hit the following one on an 0-2 count. Next in line to bat, Paul Orbon sent the ball into the right-field corner, scoring two and advancing to third on a high throw from Matt Pelcher. Hart gave up one more single before he was taken out of the game with the score at 8-3.
Mario Pesca toed the rubber for the Red Storm and was shaky in the first inning before settling in. He walked Dylan Palmer to start the game and then gifted him second base with a pickoff attempt that got away from the first baseman Aaron Mann. Palmer advanced to third on a ground out and then scored on a wild pitch. A Will Kennedy walk and a Steve Harrington double down the left field line gave the Pride their second run of the day.
The bats stayed quiet until the top of the fifth when Kennedy singled, scoring Michael Florides.
After that, the game did not see a single baserunner until the eighth, when the Pride managed to reach base five times on one hit. Ryan Morash led the inning off with a single and Kennedy followed by reaching on a fielder’s choice on the next pitch. Harrington worked a full count walk, and a wild pitch set up second and third base with just one out. After Jake Liberatore struck out, St. John’s pitcher, Vincent Bianchi, lost sight of the strikezone. He issued Dom Camera a four-pitch walk, with the last going in the dirt to allow Kennedy to score. Four pitches later, the same happened. A pitch in the dirt let Harrington cross the plate to make it an 8-5 game. Bianchi walked one more batter before striking out Sammy Burman to end the inning, although he started with three consecutive balls.
After Michael O’Hanlon threw a scoreless seventh for Hofstra, Ryan Rue made his third appearance of the season, and it did not go as planned. He walked the first batter but rebounded with a flyout, the only batter he retired. Rue then followed with a wild pitch, before surrendering a single and a two-run triple. Garrett Sullivan came in relief and immediately gave up a sacrifice fly, raising the deficit to six.
Hofstra plated two in the top of the ninth, but it was too late as the game ended 11-7. The Pride falls to 3-8 and now heads to the University of Delaware to open Colonial Athletic Association play. The three-game series starts Friday, March 10, in Newark, Delaware.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
