The Pride began their weekend at the Mardi Gras Invitational with a 10-3 win against Nicholls State. Hofstra tallied 18 hits to Nicholls’ three. Thanks in part to a masterful performance from starting pitcher John Rooney, he threw five no-hit innings in which he struck out six. When he left he had put his team in great position to win–as Hofstra was up 7-0.
Hofstra wasted no time, first baseman Nick Bottari got them on the board with a two-run double in the game’s third at bat. They continued to pad their lead until the seventh inning, when Hofstra delivered a knock-out blow in the form of a three-run home run from shortstop Mikey Riesner. Nicholls came back to score three unearned runs in the eighth, but by that point it was all but over.
Riesner led the team in RBIs with three, and Bottari led them in hits with four. Sean Rausch went three for four, and Steven Foster, Brad Witkowski, Teddy Cillis, and David Leiderman all had multi-hit days. Vito Friscia singled and scored a run on a first-inning sacrifice fly.
Hofstra has to feel as good as they can with a 1-4 record. They lost some tough games to quality opponents last weekend, but this could be a win that turns the tides. The Pride hope to build off this win tomorrow, when they face off with Southern University.
