Fort Myers, FL – Head Softball Coach
Susan Cassidy-Lyke officially began her tenure as head coach of the Pride down in Fort Myers, Florida at the FGCU Eagle Invitational with a pair of defeats against Louisiana Monroe and hosts Florida Gulf Coast from FGCU Softball Complex. The Pride dropped a 6-3 decision against Louisiana Monroe before falling 4-3 in 10 innings to the Eagles.
Game 1: Louisiana Monroe 6, Hofstra 3
Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention selection
Alanna Morse led off the second inning with a double, and
Gabby Sultan advanced Morse to third with an infield single to put runners on the corners. With two outs and facing a 1-0 count,
Gemma D'Orazio smacked a three-run home run clear over the left field wall to give the Pride a 3-0 lead over Louisiana Monroe. Hofstra had another opportunity in the top of the fourth inning with the bases loaded and no outs after Morse and
Ryleigh Smith drew walks and Sultan delivered another single, but pitcher Dakota Lake got the Warhawks out of the jam with three straight outs.
Louisiana Monroe cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fourth with a run off of a Hofstra fielding error, and they pulled in front with a three-run fifth inning to take a 4-3 lead. The Warhawks added another pair in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 6-3 over the Pride.
Morse went 2-2 at the plate with a walk against the Warhawks, and D'Orazio and Sultan also recorded two hits in three trips to the plate each.
Tyler Douglas and
Dahlia Palacio, also recorded hits against Louisiana Monroe to give the Pride eight hits in the contest.
Emma Falen pitched 4.1 innings and struck out three batters in the loss, while
Emma Brennan and
Jillian Locher also saw time in the circle for Hofstra.
Game 2: Florida Gulf Coast 4, Hofstra 3 (10 innings)
Hofstra's
Madison Steppe and Florida Gulf Coast's Victoria Ash opened the game with a pitcher's duel, with the two pitchers scattering a combined five hits in the first four innings without allowing a run until the bottom of the fifth. After a two-out single and stolen base put a FGCU runner in scoring position, Sietske Drijvers delivered a 3-2 single down the right field line to score the opening run with two outs. The Pride responded in the top of the sixth with an RBI single off the bat of
Dahlia Palacio, scoring lead-off hitter
Victoria Frobosilo from second to even the score at 1-1, but the hosts retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly to right field.
With one out in the top of the seventh inning and runners on the corners after a lead-off double by
Gabby Sultan and a
Gemma D'Orazio infield single, Frobosilo knotted the score at 2-2 with a single to the outfield to score pinch runner
Carmella Gallagher, and Steppe retired three Eagles batters to send the game into extra innings. Hofstra took its first lead of the game in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI single by
Alanna Morse to make it a 3-2 game, but Florida Gulf Coast delivered an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning to continue the contest. The game continued into the 10
th inning, when the Eagles won the game on a walk with the bases loaded.
In her collegiate debut, Steppe pitched all 10 innings and recorded five strikeouts in 147 pitches. Frobosilo, Morse, and
Kimmya Sims each delivered two hits for the Pride against Florida Gulf Coast, while Frobosilo and Sultan each recorded extra-base hits in the game.
Hofstra returns to FGCU Softball Complex at 5 p.m. on Friday to take on Florida Gulf Coast in the second day of the FGCU Eagle Invitational.
NOTES:
-D'Orazio caught a baserunner stealing for the ninth time in her career against Louisiana Monroe.
-Both of Sims' hits against Florida Gulf Coast were bunts.
-Dating back to last season, Morse has extended her hitting streak and on base streak to five games.
-Hofstra is now 4-4 all-time against Florida Gulf Coast and 0-1 against Louisiana Monroe.
