The Hofstra Pride softball team kicked off their season with a 1-1 record on Sunday, March 7 when they split a doubleheader with the Villanova University Wildcats at Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ. The Pride exploded for a 15-4 win in the season-opening game before falling 5-4 in game two.
Chelsea Manto led the Pride in game one, garnering three hits on four at-bats, scoring four runs and batting in four of her teammates. Meghan Giordano had another four RBIs in the dominating game one performance, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Alexis Goeke smashed a home run of her own in the Pride’s first inning of the season to give Hofstra a 3-0 advantage in a game in which the Wildcats never held a lead.
The Wildcats scored three runs across the first two innings to knot up the game, but a Giordano single batted in Manto in the third inning, and in the fourth inning the Pride opened up a seven-point lead. It started with a single from Angelina Ioppolo that sent Lindsey Hay to home plate, and she was followed up on by singles from Devyn Losco and Kasey Collins. Kristin Hallam reached first on a fielder’s choice, but Ioppolo was unable to make it to home base, leaving the bases loaded for Manto, who tripled to send in all three baserunners and give the Pride an 8-5 lead.
With Manto on third, Jaycee Ruberti got herself to second base, setting the stage for yet another three-run score for the Pride when Giordano knocked one out of the field. In the fifth inning, runs were batted in by Hallam, Manto and Hay, while Collins scored on a wild pitch, all part of a four-run inning to give the Pride a commanding 15-4 victory.
Nikki Mullin got the win for the Pride, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing four runs while striking out one Wildcat. Madison Burns pitched 1.2 innings in relief, giving up just one hit in seven batters faced.
The second game of the day looked to be going the Pride’s way once again, but Hofstra gave up four runs in the final four innings, allowing the Wildcats to squeak out a one-point advantage to walk off with the win.
The scoring in the game was kicked off early, as Hallam was batted in by a flyout from Ruberti. Hallam’s run was unearned as she initially reached base on a fielding error. In the Wildcats’ second at-bat of the game, pitcher Paige Rauch homered to tie the score at one apiece. The Pride tallied three more runs in the fourth with Ruberti batting in yet another runner in Manto, which was followed up by Giordano’s second home run of the day, this time a two-run connection.
The Wildcats did not go down lightly though, beginning a tear at home plate that featured three solo home runs across the fourth and fifth innings. Ryan Henry, Victoria Sebastian and Julia DaCosta all homered to bring the score to 4-4.
In the game-deciding seventh inning, the Pride led off with Kayla Wilson pinch hitting, and she started the inning on a great note for the Pride with a single. It proved to be Hofstra’s only hit of the inning, however. After Ioppolo was caught out, Wilson stole second, but Aliya Catanzarita was struck out by Rauch, and Collins grounding out set the stage for the Wildcats’ walk-off.
After Megan Kern reached base on a fielding error, a walk from DaCosta sent Sara Kennedy to second as a pinch runner. On the next at-bat, Ally Jones singled for the game-winning RBI that sent Kennedy home for an unearned run to put the Wildcats up 5-4.
Annabella Pisapia pitched 4.1 innings and gave up four runs, but Madison Burns took the loss in relief after pitching two innings. She allowed just one hit with nine batters faced, but the one hit was the one that ended the game.
The Pride, now 1-1, will return to action on Saturday, March 13 for yet another doubleheader with the Villanova Wildcats, this time on Villanova’s home turf.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
