The Hofstra softball team may not have struck first, but they bounced back from an early deficit to beat Stony Brook University 6-1. The win snaps a two-game losing streak and gives the Pride their 16th win of the season, one game above .500. Mackenzie Suto got the starting nod for the Pride, pitching a complete game and earning the win.
Though she was eventually able to gain control of the strike zone later in the game, Suto’s struggle with control got her into multiple jams early on. Despite striking out two batters in the first inning, she walked two and hit two. This allowed Stony Brook to jump out to an early 1-0 lead despite not registering a hit in the inning. Suto wasn’t able to settle down early in the second inning either, walking a batter to load the bases with one out. Fortunately for the Pride, Suto was able to get a groundout and a flyout to escape the inning unscathed.
From there she managed to settle down, only walking two more batters for the remainder of the game. She was able to strand 11 runners on base, and after the third inning, she let only one runner reach scoring position.
“I thought [Suto] settled down well and finished strong. That’s a good sign,” said head coach Jay Miller. “Hopefully she … realizes that she’s the one that has control over [her command] and it’s not some strange, magical potion that makes her throw strikes.”
The Pride’s offense was able to recover quickly from their deficit, as Kasey Collins led off their half of the inning with a walk. She almost stole second but the catcher’s throw bounced off of Kristin Hallam’s bat, sending Collins back to first base and getting Hallam out on batter’s interference.
However, Collins ended up on second anyway, advancing on a single from Meghan Giordano. Both scored on a double by Courtney Scarpato, the 100th hit of her career. Later in the inning, Angelina Loppolo pushed Hofstra’s lead to 3-1 on a single that drove in Scarpato.
The Pride tagged on more insurance runs in the sixth inning. Imani Myint singled and got into scoring position with her second steal of the game. Collins drove her in with a double, pushing the Pride lead to 5-1. Before the inning ended, the Pride tacked on one more run on a throwing error from Hallam’s bunt single.
The Pride played aggressively at the plate, gathering 12 hits. While their strategy typically relies on drawing walks and making pitchers work hard for their outs, the Pride jumped early, often swinging within the first three pitches of the at-bat.
Myint played one of her best games of the year, having both the first three-hit and two-steal game of her season. This performance continues her hot streak, raising her batting average to .351. Her ability to generate scoring opportunities from the bottom of the lineup has proven to be invaluable for the team.
“We’ve got our top hitters at the top of the lineup, and having somebody get [on base] in the bottom half and give you an opportunity to score runs, it makes a world of difference,” Miller said. “[Myint’s] at the point where we probably could move her around, but she’s pretty valuable there in that nine-hole.”
The Pride’s next game is on Saturday, April 6 against No. 20/18 James Madison University. The conference showdown will be their first matchup against a ranked opponent since they faced Oklahoma State University on Saturday, Feb. 16.
Image Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
