ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The Hofstra Pride baseball team was swept in a doubleheader by the University of New Mexico Lobos on Saturday, March 7. In both games, Hofstra lost in the final at-bat of the game.
Hofstra fell in game one by a score of 14-13 in a back-and-forth affair. After a tremendous ninth-inning rally scoring seven runs, Hofstra lost 11-10 in game two. Following the pair of heartbreaking losses, the Pride are 3-10 on the season.
In game one, both teams’ bats woke in the third inning, with Vinnie Costello hitting a towering shot over the centerfield fence. The Pride scored three in the top half of the inning. However, New Mexico responded with two runs of their own, capped off by a Kyler Castillo RBI double. Castillo finished the first game with a strong performance, hitting 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
New Mexico had three consecutive run-scoring hits off of sophomore southpaw Ryan Rue, giving them a 5-3 lead after four innings. Rue pitched four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with two walks.
Hofstra scored four unanswered, featuring an Austin Gauthier home run, to take the lead 7-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. New Mexico cut into the Hofstra lead with a Castillo RBI single, making the game 7-6 after seven innings.
Hofstra tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning. New Mexico responded yet again, breaking through for five runs on four hits and an error. New Mexico led 11-9 heading to the ninth inning.
Hofstra stormed back with two two-run hits from Kevin Bruggeman and Gauthier to recapture the lead, 13-11. New Mexico scored three in the bottom of the ninth inning, including a walk-off walk, to defeat the Pride 14-13.
The teams exchanged leads on six occasions in game one of the doubleheader.
Costello opened the scoring in game two with his second home run of the day, putting the Pride ahead 2-0. Rob Weissheier added a home run in the third inning, extending Hofstra’s lead to 3-0.
New Mexico responded later in the third with a Kyle Landers RBI single, cutting Hofstra’s lead to 3-1.
The Lobos took the lead in the fifth inning by scoring four runs on a two-out HBP and back-to-back run-scoring hits from Ediberto Reyes and Lance Russell to take the lead 5-3.
Jack Anderson replaced Jimmy Joyce for the Pride in the bottom of the sixth inning and gave up four runs. Joyce needed 83 pitches to get through five innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs.
Trailing 10-3 after the Lobos pushed one across in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Pride rallied back in the ninth inning. The Pride stormed back to tie the game at 10. Ryan Morash had the game-tying two-run double.
Yet again, the Pride’s pitching woes ailed them as the Lobos were able to strike back on Kemuel Thomas-Rivera’s walk-off RBI single.
Hofstra lost in walk-off fashion in all three games of the series despite scoring double digits in each contest.
Hofstra will resume action on Wednesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. in the team’s home opener against Long Island University.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
