The Hofstra Pride softball team is still searching for their first win of the season after dropping another doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the University of Georgia Classic at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, Georgia. They were shutout 5-0 by the University of Georgia (UGA) Bulldogs in the first game, before dropping the second game to the Lipscomb University Bisons 7-1.
The Pride are now 0-9 to begin the season and are 0-4 in the Classic with one game left to play.
Nikki Mullin opened the pitching for Hofstra. She struggled early on, allowing two runs in the first inning thanks to a double from Sara Mosely and a sacrifice fly from Sydney Kuma, which gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage.
UGA scored again in the bottom of the third after a sacrifice fly from Lyndi Rae Davis right off the heels of a Jayda Kearney double. 3-0 was the new score.
The bottom of the fourth did not go particularly well for the Pride either. A single from Dallas Goodnight and a double from Sydney Chambley got runners on second and third with only one out. Mosely was issued an intentional walk, as Hofstra opted to pitch to Kearney instead with bases loaded. She flew out, scoring Goodnight and Chambley advanced to third, giving UGA runners on corners. To add insult to injury, Chambley stole home to put the Bulldogs up 5-0.
The Pride’s offense was simply no match for Madison Kerpics’ pitching. She allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out 11 over five scoreless innings to earn the win. Destin Howard pitched two scoreless frames in relief, showing how dominant the Bulldogs are on both fronts of the diamond.
Despite allowing five runs, Mullin pitched all six innings for the Pride. She gave up five hits, walked six, struck out two and got charged with the loss.
The second half of the doubleheader saw Hofstra play against Lipscomb, in which the Pride tried to get on the board early. While the first two batters were walked, the team recorded three straight outs from there, unable to capitalize.
In the top of the second Lipscomb got two on base before Hofstra third baseman Alanna Morse made a throwing error on a bunt. This allowed both runners to come around to score, giving the Bisons a 2-0 lead. They tacked on another run in the same inning following a run-scoring groundout.
Hofstra got on the board in the bottom of the third thanks to a Meghan Giordano home run. That was the only offensive production that the Pride produced all day.
Lipscomb was far from finished on the offensive side. After Presley Leebrick and Katelyn Belding each singled for the Bisons in the top of the fifth, Leebrick scored after Josey Polk reached on a fielder’s choice to make it 4-1. That would be it for Hofstra starter Haley Venturini, who gave way to Emma Brennan. Then, Belding scored on a wild pitch, and Polk advanced to second. Following a walk, Joie Giarrizzo drove in Polk on a single up the middle. Next up was Maci Cunconan who doubled home another run. By the time the inning was over, the Bisons had a 7-1 lead.
Haley Venturini took the loss for the Pride. She allowed six runs, three of them earned, on six hits, three walks and struck out five across 4.1 of an inning of work. Emma Brennan gave up one run in her two and two thirds of an inning.
The Pride will wrap up the University of Georgia Classic against California Baptist University on Sunday, Feb. 26.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
