Fairfax, VA - Freshman pitcher Dave Jesch threw five innings
of one-hit ball, allowing one run and striking out five, and junior shortstop
Dalton Rouleau went 2-for-5 with four RBIs as Hofstra salvaged the final game
of a three-game set against George Mason, 8-3, Sunday afternoon.
Hofstra improves to 5-9, 1-2 in CAA action with the win
while George Mason drops to 10-5, 2-1 in league play.
The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning as Dan
Schafferman was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and promptly stole
second. After a strikeout, Josh Leemhuis singled up the middle to plate the
first run of the game.
But Hofstra went ahead for good in the top of the fifth,
batting around in a five-run frame. Senior third baseman T.J. Thomas started
the rally with a single. Sophomore designated hitter Bryan Verbitsky walked and
sophomore catcher Matt Reistetter followed with a single to load the bases.
Junior centerfielder Austin Nyman then reached on an error by pitcher A.J.
Johnson to score Thomas and tie the score. Rouleau followed with a two-run
double that gave Hofstra a 3-1 lead. Senior right fielder Danny Poma reached on
a fielder's choice to drive in Nyman with the fourth run and junior second
baseman Matt Ford closed out the scoring with an RBI single to make it 5-1.
George Mason got a run back in the sixth as Brig Tison
scored on a wild pitch, but the Pride returned the favor with a run in the
seventh as Nyman singled, moved to second on an infield out, stole third and
came home on a fielding error. Hofstra would tack on two more runs in the
eighth as Rouleau laced a bases-loaded single that scored Thomas and
Reistetter.
The Patriots pushed a run across in the bottom of the ninth
on a Chris Cook RBI groundout, but Hofstra reliever Jared Rogers was able to
escape any further damage.
In addition to Rouleau's two hits on the day, the Pride
offense also got a pair of hits from Ford, Thomas and junior first baseman
Jared Hammer.
Jesch won his second consecutive start to improve to 2-0 on
the season. Johnson took the loss for the Patriots and slips to 1-3 on the
year.
Hofstra is back in action on Friday when it celebrates its
home opener against Virginia Commonwealth in the first game of a three-game
series. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
