On Sunday, May 2, the Hofstra Pride softball team hosted the Drexel University Dragons at Bill Edwards Stadium in Hempstead. The Pride lost the contest to the Dragons by a score of 6-5 in eight innings.
Although the result did not go their way, the Pride put up a valiant effort, as their record moved to .500 at 14-14 while Drexel improved to 24-9. The game was the Pride’s last of conference play.
The Pride’s defense came out hot, ending the top of the first with a double-play to shut down the Dragons. In the bottom of the first, the Pride had players on base and could not bring them home. Kristin Hallam, the leadoff hitter for the Pride, got a base knock to left, and two plays later, the attempt to turn a double play to end the inning was not completed by the Dragons. They got an out at second, but the throw to first was high by Drexel shortstop, allowing Hofstra’s Jaycee Ruberti to advance into scoring position. Out number three was recorded on Meghan Giordano, ending the bottom of the first and the scoring opportunity for the Pride.
“We had a lot of opportunities, [and] we left a lot of runners in scoring position,” said Hofstra head coach Jay Miller.
In the top of the second, Drexel scored a trifecta of runs. Megan Trivelpiece got a base hit for the Dragons, and one out was recorded by Hofstra’s starter Nikki Mullin when Savaanah Garcia walked, advancing Trivelpiece 90 feet further. After a flyout left the Dragons with one out remaining, their first tally came when Holly Bridgman hit one on the button for a two-bagger, plating Trivelpiece and sending Garcia to third. The run made it 1-0 in the Dragons’ favor.
Drexel furthered their advantage when Ashley Errico replaced Garcia at second with her own two-bagger. This scored Garcia and Bridgman, making it 3-0 for the Dragons. The damage was done to Hofstra’s Nikki Mullin, and so was her day. Mullin pitched two full innings, giving up four hits and three runs.
“To have it over, I would start with Maddy [Burns] over Nikki [Mullin],” Miller said.
In the bottom of the inning, Hofstra got on the board. After a groundout by Angelina Ioppolo started the inning, Devyn Losco hit one back up the gut for a single. After a fielding mistake by Drexel’s third baseman, Aliya Catanzarita reached for the Pride, moving Losco into scoring position. Brianna Morse got on base with a single to left. Ioppolo singled up the middle and Ruberti touched home for Hofstra’s first run of the day. Losco rounded home and Catanzarita advanced to second, making the score 3-2. That’s as far as Catanzarita got, though, as on the next play, Drexel’s third baseman ended the inning with a throw to first.
After no runs crossed home in the fourth, the Dragons struck once again in the fifth. Elena Woulfe found grass in left field, and Grace Abbonizio was sent out to pinch run for Woulfe. Burns got the first out of the inning on a flyout to center. After a fielding error, a fielder’s choice and another fielding error, the Dragons made their way around the bases, allowing Abbonizio to increase the Drexel lead to 4-2 with an unearned run. The Dragons tacked on another when Garcia hit one to second and the play was made by Morse, but DiMeo reached home to make the score 5-2.
To lead off the bottom of the fifth, Ruberti hustled for a three-bagger. Giordano cracked one to right field that was caught by the Dragons’ right fielder, bringing in Ruberti to make the score 5-3. Alexis Goeke was struck out to end the inning, leaving Losco on second.
In the bottom of the sixth, Hofstra scored a pair of runs. Manto stole second and then reached third off an error in the infield. With two outs, Ruberti hit one out of the park, garnering two RBIs on the play as she brought in Manto to tie up the score at 5-5.
Both teams stranded runners in scoring position in the seventh inning, setting up extra innings to decide the contest.
In the top of the eighth, Hannah Walker found her way to first with a hit to right field. Woulfe reached on a mistake by Hallam at shortstop, moving Woulfe to second. Rush hit one over the mound to bring in Walker, putting the Pride in a must-score scenario heading into the bottom of the inning.
With their last chance to tie the game, the Pride sent three batters up and watched all three step down, as Hallam fouled out to first before Manto and Ruberti grounded out.
“The coach didn’t do too good of a job making out the lineup,” Miller said.
The Pride will travel for a doubleheader with Fairleigh Dickinson University on Sunday, May 9, at 12 p.m. as they look to keep their postseason chances alive.
Photo Courtesy of Jacob Lewis/The Hofstra Chronicle
