The Hofstra baseball team was not up to task in their matinee against the Manhattan College Jaspers on Tuesday, March 8, falling 9-4 on a frigid Tuesday afternoon.
With the loss, the Pride finished their five-game homestand with a 3-2 record, while their total record this season is now 4-4. Manhattan improved to 4-7 with the win.
“Ugly game,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “We’ve got to be better. Eleven walks, four hit batters is not acceptable, so we’ve got to do a better job throwing strikes, and we’ll get to work on it.”
The win was credited to Manhattan starter Connor O’Neill, with the loss being credited to Hofstra starter Steven Kaenzig.
“I’m not going to blame it on the cold, but it’s definitely a control issue that may be coming from lack of confidence,” Catalanotto said of his pitchers. “Whatever it is, it’s unacceptable, and it needs to be better. We’ll try to work out some of the flaws, and hopefully this doesn’t happen again.”
The Jaspers got started right away in the top of the first inning, with Harrison Treble hitting an RBI single. Jack Lynch then followed with one of his own, giving his team a 2-0 advantage. A two-run single by Peter Durocher and an error by Hofstra extended the Jaspers’ lead to 5-0 in the top of the fourth.
Hofstra got the first half of its four runs on a Will Kennedy ground out and a sacrifice fly by Brian Morrell in the bottom of the fourth inning, making it a 5-2 ballgame. Morrell also got a hit in this game, extending his hitting streak to five games.
The Jaspers struck once again in the sixth and seventh innings, scoring two runs in each frame. The Pride showed some life in the bottom of the ninth inning on a Kennedy triple and a groundout by Luke Napolitano.
Kennedy and Jake Liberatore led the Pride with two hits each, while Lynch was unstoppable, as he went 4-5 in the game for Manhattan. Liberatore reached base safely in three out of four at-bats.
“[Liberatore] is a guy that’s got to be in the lineup, because he’s always putting up a good at-bat,” Catalanotto said. “He’s a kid that has a good idea at the plate. So that’s why you’re going to see him in the lineup a lot because he is definitely going to help our offense.”
Despite Hofstra not getting a lot of baserunners, they were only struck out once the entire game.
The Pride will head to Queens for a mid-day affair with St. John’s University on Wednesday, March 9. The game at Jack Kaiser Stadium begins at 3 p.m.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
