Hempstead, NY- Senior Matt Prokopowicz drove in two runs for Hofstra but the Pride failed to complete its comeback attempt, falling 10-4 to first-place Virginia Commonwealth University in a conference game on Saturday afternoon at University Field.
Freshman Michael Beers (Danbury, CT) and sophomore Matt Hancock (Old Lyme, CT) also added RBIs for the Pride. Hofstra still lost its sixth in a row in dropping to 10-19 and 3-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Brent Mikionis hit a home run for a second straight day and VCU starter Michael Graham pitched eight strong innings in lifting the Rams to 20-15 and 10-1 in conference play. Joe Van Meter scored four runs in going 2-for-3.
VCU raced to a 2-0 second-inning lead against freshman starter David D'Errico (North Kingstown, RI). Van Meter hit the first of his two triples of the game to lead off the inning, scoring on John Lenherr's RBI ground out. Mikionis doubled and scored on Paul Nice's single-up-the-middle.
The Rams would tag D'Errico (3-2) for another pair of runs in the third. Hofstra's first-year right-hander allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning but induced a double-play grounder to leave Matt Leskiw on third with two outs.
Van Meter then drilled a pitch into the right-centerfield gap for his second triple in as many at-bats, extending the lead to 3-0. VCU capitalized on a fielding error at third, scoring Van Meter with an unearned run to build a four-run cushion.
The Rams continued its torrid offensive hitting in the fourth, getting a single and a double to start the inning. D'Errico got his first out on Michael Cheatham's RBI ground out before Leskiw followed with a RBI single through the right side. Richie Gonzalez then rocketed a run-scoring single back up the mound, forcing a pitching change with a seven-run lead.
D'Errico was charged with seven runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings. Graham (4-3) took advantage of the run-support, which was extended to 8-0 in the top of the seventh.
Before coming out for the seventh, Graham had allowed just two hits with seven strikeouts through his first six innings. Hofstra then made a late run against the 6-7 left-hander, scoring all four of its runs in the inning.
Graham retired the first two batters in the seventh before giving up a single. Beers delivered a RBI double to right-center for Hofstra's first run. A single and a walk loaded the bases and Hancock, who entered as a defensive replacement, lined a run-scoring to right.
Prokopowicz (Massapequa, NY) ripped a two-run single to center to extend the rally, cutting the deficit in half while putting two men on. Kyle Pelchy entered in relief to face senior Ethan Paquette (West Burke, VT). Paquette nearly made it a one-run game, lofting a shot to deep center that Leskiw caught a few feet in front of the warning track to retire the side and keep VCU ahead, 8-4.
VCU scored two ninth-inning insurance runs and Pelchy threw two more scoreless innings to pick up his second save. Mikionis, who hit a two-run homer in Friday's win, duplicated the feat in the ninth for his fifth homer of the season.
The Pride will look to avoid the three-game sweep with a Sunday matchup starting at 1 p.m. Before the game, Hofstra will formally open the Quinn Family Grandstand, which includes new chair-back seats for University field. Bruce Quinn, a former Hofstra baseball player and 1986 graduate, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to celebrate the grand opening.
Freshman Jared Rogers (Flemington, NJ) will get the start for the Pride. Rogers is 2-5 and will be making his Hofstra-leading eighth start.
