The Hofstra softball team visited Villanova University on Sunday, March 14., dropping their contest 8-6 at VU Softball Complex.

When the game started at high noon, the sun shined on Hofstra, as they quickly tallied two runs, taking a 2-0 lead. Kristin Hallam led off with a single to the right side and Hallam and Kayla Wilson scored on utility infielder Meghan Giordano’s two-run double.

There was no action in the scoring column for either squad in the second inning, and Madison Burns retired her first six batters.

In the top of the third, Hofstra gave the native New Yorker a cushion. After a trifecta of stomps on the plate, the Pride led 5-0. Two of the three crossed after routine plays were not made behind Anissa Amarillas. The third came across when Angelina Ioppolo got herself caught between first and second, allowing Alexis Goeke to score.

The Wildcats helped out Amarillas in the fourth inning, cutting the deficit to 5-2. The first of the three came when Chloe Smith plated Ryan Henry, the Wildcat backstop. In that same inning, Ally Jones helped the Wildcats’ cause, hitting a two-run blast to left-center.

In the sixth, the Cats leapt over the Pride, plating five runs home. First, Smith cracked one down the right field line for a home run. Three at-bats later, Dani Dabroski reached first to send another run home. The Wildcats did not stop there, adding three more runs to give them an 8-5 lead.

Hofstra was held to goose eggs until the seventh inning when they inched back with a solo rocket by junior Jaycee Ruberti. Villanova got the final two outs unscathed, ending the high scoring affair at 8-6 in the Wildcats’ favor.

Burns got the loss for the Pride while Amarillas got the win. Hofstra dropped all three games of the weekend to Villanova, and the Pride’s record sits at 1-4 after five-consecutive games facing the Wildcats.

Hofstra does not have to travel far for their next match, as they will play St. John’s University on Wednesday, March 16 in Queens at 3 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics