Austin, TX – The Hofstra softball team opened its time in Texas with a pair of close defeats on the first day of the Longhorn Invitational from Austin, Texas. The Pride lost 1-0 in eight innings against Northwestern State before dropping a 6-4 decision against Tarleton State, putting their record at 2-7 after the opening day from Red & Carline McCombs Field.
 
Game #1: Northwestern State 1, Hofstra 0 (8 innings)
Hofstra's Julia Apsel engaged in a pitcher's duel with Northwestern State's Maggie Darr, as both pitchers held the opposition scoreless for seven innings each. Apsel hit a patch of trouble in the fifth inning when the Lady Demons loaded the bases with only one out, but she forced flyouts to escape the jam unscathed.
 
Hofstra had a chance to take the lead in the top of the eighth inning, with runners on second and third with one out, but the next two batters couldn't bring the go-ahead run home for the Pride. In the bottom half of the inning, Northwestern State had runners on the corners with one out, and a wild pitch from Apsel allowed the winning run to cross home plate.
 
Aliya Catanzarita, Olivia Malinowski, and Becca Vaillancourt all tallied hits for the Pride, and Catanzarita and Kaya Wilson both drew walks against Northwestern State. Apsel pitched the full game and struck out five batters while giving up six hits and one run.
 
Game #2: Tarleton State 6, Hofstra 4
Hofstra began its first-ever meeting against Tarleton State with a lead-off error by the TSU shortstop, allowing Chelsea Manto on base. After she advanced to second on a force out at first, Catanzarita laced a double to right field, allowing the speedy Manto to cross home and make it a 1-0 Pride lead. Hofstra's lead didn't last long, as the Texans scored two in the bottom of the first on an RBI double and a two-out RBI single to lead 2-1.
 
After Tarleton State upped its lead to 4-1 after adding another two runs in the second inning, Hofstra evened the score with a three-run fourth inning. After Alanna Morse and Nicole Cancel drew consecutive walks to start the inning and back-to-back fielder's choice outs, Catanzarita smacked her second double of the game, this time to left center to score Manto and Lily Yepez and make the score 4-3 Tarleton State. Vaillancourt tied the game in the next at bat with a single to left, making it 4-4. Unfortunately, Tarleton State retook the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning, as the Texans scored twice to take a two-run lead.
 
Catanzarita recorded two hits in four at bats, scoring three RBI and crossing home plate once. Becca Vaillancourt drew two walks and went 1-2 with an RBI against the Texans, while Manto scored twice. Yepez and Mackenzie Fitzgerald also recorded hits for Hofstra. Annabella Pisapia got the start in the circle and went two innings, striking out two and allowing four hits and four runs. Haley Venturini saw 1.1 innings of relief and picked up the loss, while Marisa Ogden pitched the remaining 2.2 innings against Northwestern State.
 
Hofstra returns for day two of the Longhorn Invitational at 11 a.m. (ET) against Penn State, then again at 4 p.m. (ET) versus hosts and #2 Texas.
 
NOTES:
-Becca Vaillancourt recorded the 100th hit of her collegiate softball career.
-This was the 15th multi-hit game of Aliya Catanzarita's career.
-Hofstra is now 1-1 against Northwestern State and 0-1 against Tarleton State.