By Joe Barone, Elliot Rubin and Frank Aimetti -- STAFF WRITERS
Game One
After back-to-back consecutive offensive explosions against non-conference teams during the week, the Hofstra Pride was confident they could win their third game in a row on Friday afternoon vs. Northeastern.
But Huskies’ pitchers Nick Berger and Mike Fitzgerald thwarted the Pride’s plans as the duo compiled a two-hit, one-run outing as the Pride dropped this one, 5-1.
Early on, the Pride picked up where they left off in their last game when Mat Annunziata led off with a single. It was a promising start, however, the Huskies completely took over, baffling Pride hitters along the way.
The two teams were held off the scorecard for the opening two innings until Northeastern’s Keith Kelly brought home the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly putting the Huskies up 1-0 after three innings.
Hofstra remained composed and sparked a minor rally in the top of the fourth. Brad Witkowski took matters into his own hands as he led off the inning with a walk, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Northeastern catcher Josh Treff. With a runner on third and one out, sophomore David Leiderman smacked a Nick Berger pitch to left field for a sacrifice fly – Hofstra’s lone run on the afternoon.
This was a pivotal moment for the Pride, who attempted to keep up with a strong Northeastern team that won six out of their last eight games. It was evident who the hotter team was since the Huskies were quick to respond, starting a two-out rally.
Hofstra starter Bowie Matteson did not find a way to get the final out of the inning, as Northeastern scored three runs by smacking three hits, one being a big two-run single by Keith Kelly.
Hofstra had their best chance of the game in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and one out. After Brett Johnson and Eric Ferguson walked, Chris Hardardt played some small-ball, bunting the two runners over into scoring position.
The next pitch hit Mat Annunziata, setting up arguably the Pride’s best hitter, Steven Foster, with the bases loaded. He though grounded into a double play, ending the rally, and embodying the type of frustrating afternoon it was for Hofstra.
Northeastern added one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning, putting the finishing touches on the victory.
Game Two
The Pride lost a close game Saturday, 3-2, to the Northeastern Huskies, despite the fact that starting pitcher Alec Eisenberg had a strong outing.
Eisenberg went six innings, allowing three runs, nonetheless it was still not enough for the Pride.
Hofstra scored the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly off the bat of second baseman Brad Witkowski, scoring designated hitter Mat Annunziata to take the early 1-0 lead in the first.
Unfortunately for the Pride, they didn’t score again until the seventh inning, at which time it was 3-1 Huskies.
In the third inning, Huskies designated hitter Cam Hanley’s bat woke up, as he hit a two-run triple in the frame followed by an RBI double two innings later.
The two-run deficit proved to be costly as the Pride lost by a run, 3-2, despite left fielder Brett Johnson’s home run in the seventh inning making the game a little closer.
The pitchers to enter the game after Eisenberg were Kevin Weissheier, who issued a six-pitch walk, and Luke Noone, who recorded a strikeout on 12 pitches in the seventh. They were followed by Brendan Mulligan allowed one hit and also had one strike out.
In the game, Brett Johnson recorded his sixth home run of the season and drove in his 17th run of the year, going 2-for-4 in the loss.
Center fielder Steven Foster recorded his 17th stolen base, to go along with a .359 average on the season. Third baseman David Leiderman swiped his eighth bag, to support a .303 average.
With the loss, Alec Eisenberg dropped to a game below .500 on the season, 3-4.
Northeastern starter, Dustin Hunt, pitched 6.2 strong innings, only yielding two runs and allowing four hits.
Hunt improved to 5-3 with the win.
Game Three
Hofstra’s CAA woes continued in an 8-3 loss to host Northeastern, dropping the Pride to 3-15 in CAA play and further entrenching them in the cellar of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Pride’s season record fell to 15-25 with another demoralizing defeat in a season already filled to the brim.
Designated hitter Brian MacDonald smacked his second home run of the season in the second inning to put Hofstra up 2-0. That would be the Pride’s first and only lead of the day, as the Huskies put up three runs in the bottom of the third inning on a couple of home runs.
Starting pitcher for the Pride Nick Kozlowski was hit hard, allowing three runs and five hits, forcing him into an early exit after three innings. A lone positive for Kozlowski was the five strikeouts on the day, matching his previous season-high.
The pitching didn’t get much better for the Pride either, as the bullpen allowed five runs in the following five innings, ballooning the lead to 8-3.
Hofstra added a single run in the eighth on perhaps the most exciting play of the day. Outfielder Steven Foster stole home after an attempted pick-off move by the Huskies pitcher. The steal was Foster’s 18th on the season in 28 attempts.
The Pride’s next game will see them take on Monmouth University in a single game road contest at 3:30 p.m. on April 28.