Junior third baseman Ricky Caputo (Miller Place, NY) slammed his team-leading 11th home run of the season and added two other hits as Hofstra earned its 20th victory of the season with a 9-5 win over James Madison in the final game of a Colonial Athletic Association series, Monday afternoon at Long Field/Mauck Stadium. With the win, Hofstra improves to 20-29 and 7-14 in the CAA, while James Madison falls to 19-29 and 7-11 in the CAA.
Hofstra got on the board first as leadoff hitter centerfielder Josh Stewart (Bloomsburg, PA) doubled down the right field line, advanced to third as Matt Kougasian (Rochelle Park, NJ) flied out, and scored as first baseman Mike Walsh (Norfolk, MA) grounded out to short. Caputo (pictured) followed that up with the home run to left, a two-run shot that brought shortstop Josh Stern (Millwood, NY) around the bases with him.
The Pride upped the lead to 5-0 in the third as Walsh and Caputo hit back-to-back singles and both scored on freshman right fielder David Cole's (Teaneck, NJ) two-run single to left.
JMU chipped away with two runs in the fourth, a run in the sixth and two in the eighth to tie the score at 5-5. Second baseman Michael Cowgill slammed his first home run of the game in the fourth, a two-run shot to left field that scored Skylar Doom, who reached on an error. In the sixth, Doom doubled to right center and scored two batters later as Kellen Kulbacki hit a sacrifice fly to center. In the eighth, it was Doom and Cowgill again as Doom walked and came home on Cowgill's second home run of the game, a shot to right field.
The Pride roared back in the ninth, scoring four runs to take a 9-5 lead. Stewart walked, reached second as Stern reached on a fielder's choice, got to third on a throwing error by Dukes pitcher Clay McKim and scored as Kougasian hit a long sacrifice fly to left. Stern then scored as Caputo singled through the left side. After Walsh was hit by a pitch and stole second, he came home with Caputo as catcher Steve Oliveri (Huntington Station, NY) smacked a single up the middle.
Pride reliever Jeff Denlea (Oyster Bay, NY) (2-2), who came on in the eighth, earned the win going 1.1 innings with three strikeouts. Denlea did make it interesting in the ninth issuing two walks and a single to load the bases. He then struck out Doom and Cowgill, and induced a Davis Stoneburner ground out to end the threat and the game. Clay McKim (1-2) came away with the loss after allowing three runs in six innings of work.
Caputo went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs for the Pride.
The Pride is next in action tomorrow, when they host Long Island University at University Field at 3:30 p.m.
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