Hempstead, NY -- Hofstra mounted a comeback in its
last at-bat and capitalized on back-to-back errors to post a 3-2 Game 2 victory
in salvaging a split of a doubleheader against Vermont Sunday afternoon at
University Field.
Sophomore pitcher Jeff Guthridge (Bel
Air, MD), who was charged with the loss in Hofstra's 4-2 extra-inning defeat in
the first game, improved his record to 1-1 in the series finale by escaping a
bases-loaded, none-out jam in the top of the ninth and pitching a flawless 10th
inning, setting up senior Chris Mentrasti's (Hartsdale, NY) winning run as
Hofstra improved to 2-12. Vermont's record stands at 3-12.
Both games were originally scheduled
for seven innings but went into extras. Vermont took an early 1-0 lead in the second
game when Ethan Paquette lined a RBI double to right. Jeff Nolet added a
run-scoring single to make it 2-0 in the fifth.
Starting pitcher Tom Kelly nearly
made that stand up for the Catamounts, holding Hofstra hitless until the sixth.
But the Pride finally got to Kelly in the seventh when Elliot Hagburg
(East Hanover, NJ) worked a leadoff walk and Scott A'Hara (Downingtown, PA) singled. Keith Rakus relieved Kelly and induced a
fielder's choice before giving up a single to load the bases.
Mark Stuckless (Kanata, Ontario) followed by smashing a RBI single
to right that kept the bases loaded. Tom Legregni (Paramus, NJ) followed Stuckless' at-bat by
lifting a sacrifice fly, sending the game into extras.
Vermont threatened in the ninth, working a
leadoff walk before Hagburg's throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put two
runners in scoring position. Kevin Rigopoulos (Athol, MA) issued an intentional walk to load
the bases before giving way for Gutridge, who forced a ground out a home and
then got Matt Duffy to ground into a double play at short, ending the
threat.
After both teams exchanged zeros in
the ninth, Guthridge recorded a 1-2-3 top of the 10th. Mentrasti then
started the game-winning rally with a leadoff single off Rakus. Following a
strikeout and a sacrifice bunt, A'Hara hit a routine grounder to short that was
bobbled, putting runners on the corners.
Adam Perlo came up next and his
grounder went under third baseman Dave Soltis' glove, allowing Mentrasti to
cross the plate. Rakus fell to 0-1.
In the first game, Rob Kumbatovic
pitched a strong seven innings on three days rest. The Hillsborough, NJ native
limited the Catamounts to just two runs on seven hits, striking out four while
walking one in the no-decision.
Hofstra jumped out to a 2-0 lead
entering the third off Justin Albert. Legregni belted his first home of the
season, taking Albert deep over the centerfield fence for a solo shot in the
first. Perlo extended the edge in the second, following John Kenny's one-out
double with a RBI single to center.
Albert would settle down and not
allow any more runs, improving to 1-3 in the complete-game
effort. Vermont scored in the fifth and sixth when
Mark Micowski added a run-scoring single and Paquette homered to tie it at 2 off
Kumbatovic.
Guthridge came into the game in the
eighth, which was the first extra inning under the shortened-game rule. Brad
Currier, who worked a leadoff walk, scored the go-ahead run off a wild pitch and
Paquette added a sacrifice fly to center to make it 4-2. Albert closed out the
game with a perfect eighth inning to earn the victory.
Hofstra will be back at University
Field Tuesday when it hosts Siena. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
