The Hofstra Softball team took one of two games against the University of Delaware Blue Hens on Saturday, March 30 at Bill Edwards Stadium. The Pride won the first game 1-0 before dropping the second game 11-8.
Madison Burns was dominant on the mound in game one as she recorded her third complete-game shutout of the season while striking out a season-high eight batters. The freshman starter allowed just four hits while retiring 17 of the first 18 batters she faced en route to her ninth win of the season.
Delaware’s Maddi Marsh was solid in her six innings, only allowing one run on six hits while stranding seven Pride runners on base.
Jaycee Ruberti’s RBI single in the bottom of the second was the deciding factor as she drove in Meghan Giordano following her single to start the inning, before a fielder’s choice and throwing error would put her on third base setting up Ruberti’s ninth RBI of the season.
Hofstra totaled 18 hits across both games but left 16 runners on base.
“[It is] a little frustrating with our offense not able to drive in runs,” said Hofstra head coach Jay Miller. “We’ve been leaving a lot of people on base, and both games we did the same thing.”
Although the bats were rather quiet in the first game, the Pride made plenty of noise in the field.
In the top of the seventh inning Delaware’s Anna Steinmetz crushed a hit off the right field wall, seemingly putting the tying run into scoring position, but sophomore Imani Myint threw out the runner at second base after a perfect throw from the warning track stopping any momentum the Blue Hens might have built up.
Game two was vastly different from the opener as runs came in bunches for both squads.
Mackenzie Suto got the start in the rematch and was shaky giving up four runs on only two hits but was wild throughout the outing, walking six batters.
The Pride saw themselves trailing by two runs after the third inning, but the team rallied off five runs to take the lead. After a leadoff walk from Giordano back-to-back hits from Ioppolo and Ruberti loaded the bases. Madison McKevitt was hit by a pitch and Myint, who already had a highlight play in the outfield during game one, came through with the bat driving in two with a single. Kasey Collins drove Myint in with an RBI double later in the inning.
Suto’s day came to an end after allowing a home run and a walk to start off the sixth inning. Burns entered the game in relief, but did not have the same success as earlier in the day, allowing seven runs on five hits in just two innings of work.
“As pitchers we’ve got to do a better job of throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters and not giving them free passes,” Miller said. “You can’t win ball games doing that.”
Burns and Suto combined for nine walks in game two.
Facing a 10-5 deficit, Hofstra cut the Delaware lead to two runs after a sacrifice fly from Collins and a 2 RBI single from Giordano, but an insurance run in the top of the seventh would put the game out of reach and prove to be too much for a Pride comeback.
Hofstra comes out of the double header with a 15-14 record and 3-2 in conference play. Hofstra finishes the series against the Blue Hens on Sunday March 31 at Bill Edwards Stadium.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
