LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Hofstra softball team fell in the final game of the Liberty Spring Classic to the East Carolina Pirates 5-1 on Sunday, March 1 at Kamphius Field at Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Pride started with Madison Burns in the circle as she was looking for just her second win of the season.
It did not take long for the Pirates to plate a run. Leadoff batter Olivia Narron started off the game with a single to left field. It was quickly followed up by a double to right-center off the bat of Ashleigh Inae that scored Narron.
Inae moved over to third on a fielder choice and easily scored when Chandley Garner singled through the right side. The Pirates went up 2-0 in the top of the first inning off of three hits.
Hofstra got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second off of a double to left-center field from Lindsey Hay that scored Jaycee Ruberti, cutting the deficit in half. The second inning also saw freshman Alia Catanzarita’s first collegiate hit.
In the top of the second inning, the Pride changed pitchers as Nikki Mullins came in for relief.
After two scoreless innings, Bailey Ledvina knocked in an RBI single to center field to score Tate McClellan and Chandley Garner as the Pirates went up 4-1 in the top of the fourth.
The Pirates added yet another insurance run in the top of sixth inning to put the game out of reach for the Pride.
The Pride was only able to record three hits on the day. Only one was for extra bases off the bat from Hay with an RBI double in the second.
Burns moves to 1-6 on the season after throwing just one inning. She allowed two runs on three hits while Mullin allowed three runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts through 26 batters faced.
Alexis Goeke led Hofstra with a .308 batting average during the tournament while Jordan Pietrzykoski tallied a team-high five hits this weekend and recorded her first collegiate career home run against Yale on Saturday.
The Pride are 2-11 on the season after dropping all five games of the Liberty Spring Classic. Hofstra will look to rebound in the Manson Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia when they open up against Canisius on Friday with first pitch slated for 3:15 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
