Another seventh-inning comeback from Stony Brook University led to back-to-back losses for the Hofstra University softball team, as the Seawolves beat the Pride 4-3 on Saturday, April 13. The Pride fell to 13-20 overall and 11-6 in the Coastal Athletic Association, while the Seawolves improved to 23-13 overall and 11-6 in the CAA.
Stony Brook trailed Hofstra 3-2 heading into the final frame of the play. With the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Stony Brook’s Catherine Anne Kupinski singled to right field, scoring both Alyssa Costello and Madelyn Stepski to give the Seawolves a 4-3 lead.
With a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Pride was threatening to score. Chelsea Manto reached base safely with a bunt single, Becca Vaillancourt doubled to center and Aliya Catanzarita worked a walk to load the bases with two outs. Hofstra failed to capitalize on this opportunity and ultimately lost the game.
“I think we had opportunities to put ourselves in a different position, from a control of the game standpoint and we didn’t take advantage of those,” said Hofstra softball head coach Adrienne Clark. “When the game is close when it shouldn’t be, that means we have to be a little bit sharper.”
After falling behind 2-0 early after a Corinne Badger two-run shot to left field in the top of the first, Vaillancourt led off the bottom half for the Pride with a solo home run to left field. An inning later, Alanna Morse doubled to left field, scoring Gianna Iaquinto from third to knot the game up at two runs apiece.
Hofstra scored in the third inning on a bases-loaded pinch-hit walk by Gabriella Sultan, which gave the team a 3-2 lead.
“We talked to [the team] about being aggressive at hittable pitches and not putting it in essentially in the hands of an umpire or anyone else,” Clark said. “[The team has] good enough hitters to be able to know that if they get up there and they see a ball they can hit, they should be hitting it, and we’re going to stay behind it.”
For the first time in a CAA play this season, Julia Apsel surrendered more than three runs in a game, and for only the second time in a CAA play, she allowed a run in the first inning. Apsel allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks and one hit by pitch, but fanned four in seven innings of work. Apsel fell to 12-7 after the loss.
After sweeping the past two CAA series against UNC-Wilmington and North Carolina A&T State University, the Pride has their backs against the wall and a potential sweep on the horizon.
“The message to the team was we are putting ourselves in a position to have success, but we’re not shutting the door and we’re not keeping our foot on the gas, and we’ve got to be able to shut the door,” Clark said. “We’ve got to be able to manufacture more runs so that it’s not a tight ballgame, so if [Apsel] does give up a hit, it’s not a big deal. When we’re in a one-nothing ball game, every little thing then matters. So I don’t think it should have been that close of a game. I think we should have been in a different position having been able to execute a little bit more throughout the game.”
Hofstra was back in action on Sunday, April 14, for the final game of this three-game series against the Seawolves. First pitch was set for noon.
Photo courtesy of Rob Cuni
