The Hofstra softball team got off to a hot start, but one rough inning made all the difference in their 6-3 loss to the Long Island University Brooklyn Blackbirds. Mackenzie Suto got the starting nod for the Pride, taking the loss in 3.1 innings of work.

The Pride got started early on offense, as Kristin Hallam hit a single in the first at-bat of the game. One batter later, she found herself on third base after stealing second and advancing to third on a passed ball. From there, Courtney Scarpato drove her in with a single to second base. 

Hallam was able to spark another rally with a leadoff single later in the third inning. She advanced to third by way of sacrifice groundouts from Kasey Collins and Scarpato.  

However, she would have scored regardless of what base she was on, as Meghan Giordano hit her ninth home run of the season, pushing Hofstra’s lead to 3-0.

Through the first three innings of the game, Suto looked solid. She only allowed three hits and struck out two batters, getting out of some early jams with ease. 

However, she started to lose her command of the strike zone in the fourth inning, walking the leadoff batter. That quickly came back to bite her as the next batter she faced hit a two-run home run, cutting Hofstra’s lead to one. Suto couldn’t recover, allowing two more walks and a single before being replaced by Madison Burns.

Coming in with the bases loaded, Burns allowed a run on a groundout before she walked a batter of her own. With the bases loaded again, Burns allowed two more singles before forcing another groundout to end the inning.  

In total, the Pride gave up six runs in the fourth inning, going from a three-run lead to a three-run deficit. Since the three runners inherited by Burns scored, Suto was tagged with five earned runs, while Burns gave up one earned run.

In the fifth inning, the Pride had their best chance to get back into the game. Collins led off the inning with a single, and after flyouts from Scarpato and Giordano, Angelina Ioppolo walked and Jaycee Ruberti was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Lydia Witkowski. 

The Blackbirds brought in a new pitcher, Elena Valenzuela, who struck out Witkowski, leaving the Pride empty-handed.

The Pride was unable to string together another rally over the next two innings, only getting two hits in. The closest they got was after Ioppolo hit a two-out triple in the seventh inning. She was stranded at third after Ruberti grounded out to end the game.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics