The Hofstra University softball team dropped both of their games on Saturday, Feb. 22, in Lynchburg, Virginia, to open the Liberty Softball Classic. They fell 4-0 against Charleston Southern University (CSU) and 5-4 against Radford University. The Pride dropped to 0-7 on the young season.
The squad opened the classic against CSU. The Pride were left scoreless in the contest, with a 4-0 loss led largely by early scoring from the Buccaneers.
CSU sophomore infielder Carsten Sandvig started the scoring on the opposing end with a double to left center that brought in two runs in the top of the third. Sophomore outfielder Blakley Kingsmore added to the lead with a double down the left-field line, scoring one in the top of the fifth. Sandvig brought home another to top it off with an additional double to center field in the top of the fifth.
On the mound for the Pride was junior pitcher Emma Falen who went 5.0 IP, letting up four earned runs on eight hits, with one walk and three strikeouts. Coming in for relief was senior pitcher Haley Venturini who added 2.0 IP with a walk and a strikeout.
The Buccaneers held off the Pride with the help of starting pitcher Kinsey Clopton. Clopton threw a complete game, letting up five hits, five walks and 10 strikeouts. Clopton now moves to 2-3 on the year.
The Pride were held to five hits: Mackenzie Fitzgerald, Anna Butler, Olivia Malinowski, Tyler Douglas and Alanna Morse all chipped in.
The second game of the doubleheader led to a hard-fought effort against Radford.
The Highlanders jumped on top early 1- 0, after giving up a run in the bottom of the first on a two-out single up the middle by the Highlanders’ sophomore catcher Kelley Feigen. This was followed by a single and a hit-by-pitch, which left two runners on.
The Pride stopped the damage early and had a productive top of the second, scoring four runs. Malinowski started the party with a leadoff single down the right field line. Douglas followed with her own single, followed by a walk from Nicole Cancel, which led the bases. Gemma D’Orazio came up to the plate with an opportunity and came through, taking one for the team by getting hit by a pitch, bringing Malinowski home to score their first run of the game, tying the Highlanders early.
The effort didn’t stop there: Chelsea Villar contributed with a single to shortstop, scoring Douglas, with the Pride taking a 2-1 lead. Dahlia Palacio opened it up with a damaging triple to left center, scoring Villar and D’Orazio, which gave the Pride a three-run lead.
Radford quickly jumped back into the scoring, with two more runs added in the bottom of the second, on an error and two singles.
The Pride were unable to score again after their four-run top of the second and fell to the Highlanders in the bottom of the seventh, with a walk-off single to center field from Cassi Barbato.
In the circle for the Pride was Carley Ernst, who went 6.1 IP, letting up five runs on eight hits, with four strikeouts. Ernst now drops to 0-3 on the year.
For the Highlanders, it was Dakota Redmon, who went 7.0 IP, letting up four runs on eight hits and 10 strikeouts. Redmon improved to 3-1 on the year.
The Pride looked to bounce back in the final two games of the Liberty Softball Classic, with a doubleheader Sunday, Feb. 23. They once again faced CSU and ended their weekend against Liberty University.
There are live statistics of every game at the Liberty Softball Classic, with links available at GoHofstra.com.
