Due to weather, only five Long Island teams had the fortune of playing on Friday. We saw several highly contested games, but only two teams come out on top. Let’s take a lot at how things shaped out on Friday.
Division-I:
The Hofstra bats went ice cold on Friday as they were shutout by Pittsburgh, 1-0. In total, they collected five hits throughout the ballgame. The only bright spot for Hofstra was the top of their lineup, as Anthony D’Onofrio got on base twice, along with Jimmy Joyce and Austin Gauthier collecting two hits each. Although their bats weren’t on display in this one, their pitching was fantastic. Michael James started the game for the Pride, going seven allowing six hits, no walks and struck out five. Hofstra will look to turn things around today against Central Michigan and St. Peter’s in a double header.
After a slow start, Fordham came to life late as they defeated Maryland Eastern Shore, 7-2. Trailing 2-0 heading into the 5th, Fordham put up a quick five-spot and never looked back. Offensively, they took advantage of six errors made by Maryland Eastern Shore and continued to produce with runners in scoring position. Jake Guercio went 3-3 at the plate in this one, and Jake Mackenzie had two RBI. Fordham plays Maryland Eastern Shore in a double header today starting at noon.
St. John’s continued their slow start as they lost to San Diego. 9-3. They now stand at 1-5 on the young season. St. John’s actually held a 3-2 lead heading into the 6th inning, but their bullpen couldn’t hold it together. San Diego put up a combined seven runs in three innings, propelling them to victory. For the Red Storm, Brandon Bossard launched a 2-run HR, which was his first collegiate home run. Mitchell Hensaw went 2-4 with an RBI. On the mound, the St. John’s bullpen allowed a combined six earned runs over 4.2 innings pitched. They will look to bounce back on Sunday against San Diego.
Continuing their extremely tough schedule, Stony Brook dropped both games in their double header against No. 13 ranked Arkansas on Friday. Evidently, they were facing very tough pitching as they lost their first game 3-1. In total, the Stony Brook defense collected only six hits throughout the game. Dylan Resk hit his second home run of the season for Stony Brook, marking his 18th career. Michael Wilson continued to stay hot at the plate going 2-4, as he now owns a .382 average through the first seven games of the season. Their pitching however, was solid considering they were playing the 13th best team in the country. Adam Erickson pitched 2.2 shutout innings in relief, allowing two hits.
In game two of the double header, Stony Brook dropped a tough one, falling 4-3. This game was started off by a Chris Hamilton sac fly and a Michael Wilson solo HR, giving the Seawolves an early 2-0 lead. However, this lead would only last one inning as Arkansas tied the game in the bottom half of the 2nd. Fast forward to the bottom half of the 5th inning, Arkansas took a 4-3 lead and never looked back. The Razorbacks bullpen was dominant in this one, combining for 5.2 innings pitched and allowing only three hits. Although they were swept, Stony Brook hung in tough with Arkansas and almost stole a win. They will try to avoid the sweep today at 3 PM.
Division-II:
The LIU Post bats were virtually non-existent on Friday, dropping a tough one to Pace, 2-1. In total, they collected four hits through 10 innings. Being out hit 13-4 throughout the game, they somehow hung in the game until the 10th inning. What made the loss bitter was that it ended in walk off fashion. Evidently, the Post pitching staff stayed strong with runners on base until the very end. Ace James Varela started the game for post, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run, seven hits and seven punch outs. Anthony Vaglica had the only RBI for Post. Standing at 4-5 on the season so far, the Pioneers play their next game Friday against Findley.
