Greensboro, NC – The Hofstra softball team dropped its Sunday doubleheader to North Carolina A&T, losing its first Colonial Athletic Association series of the season. The Pride fell in game one, 5-2, before suffering an 8-7 defeat in game two from Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
Hofstra drops to 13-19 overall and 6-3 in the CAA following the doubleheader losses. Meanwhile, North Carolina A&T improves to 8-23 overall and 3-6 in league play.
Game #1: North Carolina A&T 5, Hofstra 2
The Aggies jumped on Hofstra in the first inning, scoring a pair on back-to-back RBI doubles to lead by two, followed by an RBI single through the middle to lead the Pride 3-0. Hofstra responded in the top of the third inning with two runs to make it a one-run contest.
Gianna Iaquinto lead off the inning with a single, and she eventually advanced to third on a
Chelsea Manto single. Iaquinto would later score on an errant throw by the Aggies catcher, and Manto would later score on a sacrifice fly by
Kasey Collins to make it a 3-2 score.
The Aggies added a run in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run, and they plated their fifth and final run of the contest with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth. Aggies pitcher Megan Ellis shut out the Pride the rest of the way for the win in game one.
Collins recorded the lone RBI of the game for Hofstra, while Iaquinto, Manto, and
Madison McKevitt tallied hits for the visitors.
Nikki Mullin was credited with the loss after pitching just 0.1 innings and allowing three runs on three hits while striking out one, and Annaballa Pisapia pitched the remaining 5.2 innings and recorded two strikeouts against four hits and two runs allowed.
Game #2: North Carolina A&T 8, Hofstra 7
A&T jumped out to an early lead again on the Pride with an RBI double in the first inning, followed by a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning, to lead 3-0. After two scoreless innings for either side, Hofstra's offense came alive in the fifth inning to go ahead by one. After a lead-off triple by Manto and a fielding error benefiting Collins, Giordano plated the first Hofstra run of the inning with a sacrifice bunt to score Manto from third. After the Aggies loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch of
Angelina Ioppolo,
Brianna Morse earned a six-pitch walk to drive in the second run, and the game was tied when
Becca Vaillancourt grounded out to first, allowing Giordano to beat the throw home and make it a 3-3 ballgame. McKevitt continued the rally with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Ioppolo to give Hofstra its first lead of the day.
Giordano belted a first-pitch home run to right center for her 11th homer of the season, bringing two runs across the plate to give Hofstra a 6-3 lead in the top of the sixth inning. The Pride added another run with a two-out double by the older Morse, plating Ioppolo all the way from first for the 7-3 lead. The Aggies clawed back into the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, putting the score at 7-6 in favor of the visiting Pride.
After Hofstra went scoreless in the top of the seventh, North Carolina A&T quickly loaded the bases with one out left in the game. On a 3-1 pitch, Sierra Baldwin drove in the tying run on a single into center field, and the Aggies won the game on a throwing error by
Julia Apsel in the ensuing at bat.
Ioppolo and Manto tallied two hits each on the day, while Giordano batted in three runs for the Pride.
Julia Apsel threw 127 pitched in a complete game outing for the junior pitcher, tallying six strikeouts for Hofstra against nine hits and eight runs allowed.
Hofstra returns to the diamond on Wednesday, April 5, with a non-conference road game against Fordham. First-pitch against the Rams is scheduled for 3 p.m.
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 1-2 all-time against North Carolina A&T.
-Manto stole her 14th base of the season in the second game.
-Hofstra left 12 runners on base across both games, while North Carolina A&T stranded 10 in the doubleheader.
