The Hofstra University baseball team took the series opener, losing 7-2 to Liberty University on Friday, Feb. 27. Hofstra remains winless this season, going 0-4 thus far, while Liberty improved to 5-3.
With Carlos Martinez earning a rare off day, Sean Hamilton filled in Hofstra’s ace spot. He took his second loss of the season after giving up four runs on three hits in 3.2 innings. Hamilton also struggled to center the strike zone, allowing three walks and hitting four batters.
Hofstra continued their trend of scoring first. Michael Brown led the Pride with a walk, then stole second base with two outs. CJ Griggs hit an RBI double to right field to send Brown home for the first run of the game.
Hamilton’s struggles were present in his opening inning on the mound. Hamilton gave up a base hit to Riley DeCandido and hit Dylan Grabowski with one out. He forced a fly out to Nick Barone, then loaded the bases with two outs by walking Jaxon Sorensen. Hamilton got out of early trouble, striking out Kyle Hvidsten.
Hamilton’s strikeout of Hvidsten was one of only two punchouts dealt by the starter.
After a pair of 1-2-3 half-innings, Hofstra continued their slow but steady offensive production in the top of the third inning. JJ DeVito was hit by a pitch from Liberty starter Ben Blair. Then, Tyler Cox doubled down the left field line to send DeVito home. The Pride held on to two runs for the rest of the game and were unable to tack on more as the game progressed
The Flames quickly responded to the Pride’s early scoring by driving in a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning. Hamilton walked Tanner Marsh, then hit DeCandido and Barone to load the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly by Sorensen drove Marsh in, and a throwing error from catcher Griggs cost the Pride an unearned run, tying the game up 2-2.
Liberty’s lineup did not stop exhausting Hamilton. The Flames saw the Hofstra starter for another 0.2 innings. While Hamilton successfully got the first two batters of the inning out on fly balls to left fielder DeVito, Hamilton hit Josh Campos and gave up back-to-back RBI doubles to Marsh and DeCandido. After walking Grabowski, Hamilton’s time on the mound was up.
Maddon McArthur, a sophomore transfer from Division III Beloit College, came in to relieve Hamilton and struck out Barone to end a lengthy fourth inning.
The bottom of the fifth opened with Sorensen singling to right field but taking an additional two bases on Hofstra fielding errors. The fifth run for the Flames came in to score when Easton Swafford hit a sacrifice fly to DeVito, but a rare 1-2-5 double play ended the inning.
Michael D’Ambrosio relieved McArthur. In his two innings pitching, he allowed one hit and no earned runs.
Russell Hunter made his season debut on the mound for the Pride after missing the entire 2025 season due to injury. In one inning of work, Hunter gave up two runs – one on a dropped ball from center fielder Michael Craig and another unearned run on a double from DeCandido.
Hofstra played the middle game of their series at Liberty on Saturday, Feb. 28. First pitch was slated for 2 p.m. at Liberty Baseball Stadium.
