By Christian Heimall, Staff Writer
For the second time this season the Hofstra baseball team failed to complete a furious comeback against a MAAC opponent, falling to Marist 12-11 on Wednesday at University Field. The Red Foxes scored 8 runs in the top of the third inning to take a 9-1 lead and were able to hold off the Pride late for the victory.
Freshman Kevin McCarthy made his first collegiate start in a homecoming of sorts. The Kellenberg High graduate pitched four innings giving up five runs, three earned, on just seven hits. He was lifted in the fifth and watched as his offense was able to keep the game intact.
Hofstra starter Stephan Kungl made his first start of the year as well. He was replaced in the third inning after giving up eight runs but only one earned. In that third inning, an error from freshman shortstop Logan Davis allowed Marist to put up five extra runs and seemingly put the game out of reach.
The Pride battled back in the middle frames however, pushing four runs across in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the fifth to close the gap to 9-7.
Reliever Brett Schreiber gave up three more runs as Marist pushed their advantage to 12-7 in the sixth inning.
Junior transfer Joe Perez blasted his team leading third homerun in the bottom of the seventh and watched his teammates scratch across three more in the eighth to make it a 12-11 game going to ninth.
Senior reliever Jeff Guthridge kept Marist scoreless in the top half leaving the door open for Hofstra.
With a runner on third and two outs, freshman infielder Logan Davis grounded out to second to end the game giving Hofstra its second straight loss.
Reliever Brett Houseal was awarded the win for Marist while Kungl was saddled with his third loss this year. Hofstra falls to 4-15 on the season.