The Hofstra University baseball team fell to Monmouth University 19-9 in seven innings on Sunday, March 15. The mercy rule loss moved the Pride to 3-10 on the season and 2-4 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play.
Command was an issue for both teams. The Pride pitching staff allowed seven walks and hit five batters by pitch, while the Hawks issued five free passes and plunked three members of the Pride. The Monmouth offense produced 12 hits and punished the Pride on their three fielding errors.
Just five pitches into the game, Monmouth turned to Brendan Kenneally, who tossed just 1.1 innings and gave up three earned runs on three walks and two hits. Kenneally worked a clean first inning.
Nick Reese got the start for Hofstra. Reese hit Wyatt Hunt by pitch and walked Chris Walsh. The baserunners advanced on a passed ball, and a run scored on a high fly ball single that dropped in the middle of the left side of the outfield. Simmi Whitehill advanced to third on a wild pitch, and RJ Mustaro worked a walk.
The Pride took the lead in the second inning thanks to patience at the plate. Nick Gallello led off the inning with a single through the right side. A pitch plunked Gabriel Melara, and Daniel Escalante and Michael Brown worked back-to-back walks to bring home the first Hofstra run. Kenneally continued to give up free passes, hitting JJ DeVito by pitch and walking CJ Griggs. Stefan Swee came out of the Hawks’ bullpen, but the Pride continued to pour on. Tyler Cox brought home Brown on a fielder’s choice, while DeVito crossed home plate on a wild pitch. Gallello knocked his second hit of the inning, a two RBI single to center field for the seventh Hofstra run of the frame.
The Hawks put up a 10-spot in the bottom of the second to retake the lead. Nick Lovarco singled to center field, Jimmy Bruno and Hunt each worked walks and Brendan Buecker wore a pitch to bring home a run. Reese’s day ended with a walk to Walsh, which brought Maddon McArthur into the game for the Pride. McArthur hit two consecutive batters by pitch, and Lovarco tied the game with his second single of the frame. The Pride turned to their third pitcher of the inning, Michael D’Ambrosio, who allowed a grand slam to Colin Richter.
The Pride got back two runs in the third. Escalante and Brown singled, while DeVito and Griggs brought home a run on back-to-back walks. Tyler Castrataro drove home the second run of the inning on a fielder’s choice.
Joseph Curreri took the rubber in the bottom of the third for Hofstra. Buecker worked a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Walsh knocked an infield single to shortstop, and both baserunners advanced on a double steal attempt. Mustaro singled, and Jake Howlett doubled for a combined three RBIs. Lovarco kept the rally alive with a single to put runners on the corners. Bruno ripped a sacrifice fly to right field to extend the Hawks’ lead to six. Nick Biddle got the Pride out of trouble, catching Lovarco stealing second.
After clean fourth and fifth frames, the Hawks struck again in the sixth inning. Brayden Gregg took the mound for the Pride and brought Lovarco aboard on an error. Gregg hit Bruno by pitch and Richter followed with a bunt for a hit. Hunt drove two runs in on a double to left field, and Whitehill brought another two runs home on a single up the middle.
Despite a leadoff single from Biddle in the seventh, it was not enough to keep the Pride above the mercy rule threshold.
The Pride took a pitstop from CAA play for two midweek battles against out-of-conference foes. Hofstra first hosted the University of New Haven on Tuesday, March 17, then traveled to Connecticut to face Fairfield University on Wednesday, March 18.
