The Hofstra baseball team defeated Towson 11-0 in a shutout victory to open the series on Friday in Maryland. With the win, the Pride improves to 12-6 on the season, while Towson falls to 4-9.

Backed by a stellar start from junior John Rooney, who allowed just two hits over seven innings, the offense provided more than enough insurance to capture the opener.

Hofstra’s offensive surge came in the fifth inning with a seven-run rally that broke open the score 8-0. The team picked up four of its 11 hits in the inning, sparked by junior Matt Siedem’s two-run double.

He would eventually come around to score on a double by Steven Foster. Teddy Cillis blasted a solo home run in the inning to tack onto the lead. In regards to the team’s preparation to take on Towson, head coach John Russo said that his team needed to step up offensively.

“If we get the offense going this week at some point I think that’ll help us in the Towson series,” he said.

The offense was certainly at its best, as the seven-run fifth inning set the record for the highest scored inning this season.

Towson’s miscues also played a part in padding the scoreboard, as freshman Austin Gauthier scored the team’s first run on a fielding error in the fourth, followed by a passed ball and a wild pitch in the fifth inning to plate two more runs.

With plenty of run support from his teammates, Rooney improved to 4-0 on the season, with sophomore Seamus Brazill tossing two innings of scoreless relief to complete the team’s fourth shutout victory of the season. Rooney’s performance highlights the improvement he’s made this season, sporting a 1.58 earned run average in six starts in comparison to an ERA over five in 14 starts last season.

Towson’s offense struggled to get anything going against him, with Andrew Cassard notching two of the team’s four hits.

Opposing pitcher Gavin Weyman took the loss, moving to 0-6 after allowing five runs on three hits over four innings.