The Pride pulled off a ninth-inning comeback and won their home opener in a walk-off fashion on Wednesday, March 2. They scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and beat the Sharks of Long Island University (LIU) 6-5.
With this win, the Pride is now 2-2 for the season, while LIU dropped down to 3-6 on the young campaign.
Sophomore Cullen SantaMaria earned his first win of both the season and his Hofstra career. The loss went to Nick Torres, who gave up all three runs in the bottom of the ninth. This win was also Hofstra’s sixth-straight home-opening win.
“It was nice to see that the guys kept battling and believed that we could win all the way through the end,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto.
The Pride began this game from behind and was down 3-0 in the bottom of the third, until Brian Morrell singled in Will Kennedy to make it a 3-1 game.
LIU then went back up by three with one run in the top of the fourth, but it didn’t take long for the Pride to get right back in it. Senior Nick Marrero hit a two-run home run, the first of his Hofstra career, to make it a 4-3 game in the bottom of the fourth.
The Sharks had a 9-5 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. The comeback began with Santino Rosso walking, and Kennedy hitting a single to move him up to second. Morrell then hit a single into left-center field to score Rosso. Right after that, Kevin Bruggeman hit a pinch-hit single up the middle to score Kennedy and tie the game. After Torres intentionally walked Jake Liberatore to set up a double play, Anthony D’Onfrio hit a towering fly ball that hit the left field wall, allowing Morrell to score and the Pride to win the ballgame.
Pinch-hitters have already been making huge impacts for the Pride, and Bruggeman and D’Onofrio were no exception in this game.
“I tell these guys to be ready at all times because I’m going to use a lot of guys,” Catalanotto said. “I’ve been telling them to be aggressive as a pinch hitter. You don’t want to take a lot of pitches. That’s what these guys were doing. I’ve been very happy with how these guys have swung the bat off the bench.”
The Pride was led in hitting by Morrell, who went 3-5, continuing his strong start as he has hit for a .385 average (5-13) in the first four games of the season.
“[Morrell]’s a kid who just finds the barrel of the bat,” Catalanotto said. “There were some times, especially in that last at-bat, he didn’t look great early in that at-bat, and then all of a sudden he’s able to square one up. He’s a good hitter, always been a good hitter. Good hitters find a way. And we’re happy to have him, because he’s going to be a guy who’s going to be hitting in the middle of the lineup the whole season.”
Hofstra returns to action on Saturday, March 5, with the Peacocks of Saint Peter’s University coming to town. The game begins at 11 a.m. at University Field.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
