By Mike Rudin -- SPORTS EDITOR Hofstra baseball battled University of Missouri in a pitchers’ duel on Sunday down in Fort Myers, but the Pride fell to the Tigers in the end 3-2.
Hofstra goes 0-7 to open up the season after being swept in the four-game series against Mizzou this past weekend. The last time Pride baseball started a season with seven straight losses was back in 2011, starting out 0-8.
On the brightside, Bowie Matteson’s performance on Sunday made a strong case as to why he can be the ace of the Pride right now.
Matteson pitched seven innings, gave up only one earned run and threw three strikeouts in his second start. He’s now compiled a 2.45 earned run average (ERA), while the team average stands at an 8.63 ERA.
The first five innings started off scoreless as both Matteson and Tigers starter Michael Plassmeyer found their strides early.
Plassmeyer had a no hitter going into the top of the fifth until Vito Friscia broke the dry spell with a base hit up the middle of the diamond.
Despite having no run, production came from Hofstra’s first hit of the game as the entire lineup began to heat up from that moment on.
After Mizzou scored the first run in the bottom of the sixth, Hofstra rallied back in the top of the seventh to take the lead for the first time on Sunday.
Hofstra’s Brad Witkowski and Ryan Karl got the rally started, hitting back-to-back lead-off singles to right field. Both hits ended Plassmeyer’s day on the mound and the Tigers went to the bullpen with Cole Bartlett.
Bartlett struggled off the bat, throwing a pitch that ran inside too much and hit Friscia to juice the bases. Then, Mat Annunziata stepped up and fired a base hit through the right side.
After a Nick Bottari pop up and another pitching change for Mizzou, reliever Brian Sharp faced off against Steven Foster for the Pride.
Foster won the battle, smacking a fly far enough in center field to drive in Karl for Hofstra’s first lead of the day.
The Tigers recomposed and killed the remaining offensive threat.
Then the game stayed status quo, 2-1 in Hofstra’s favor, all the way down to the bottom of the ninth. Pride reliever Dave Jesch had the potential to win the game and get the team’s first save of the season.
Yet, that dream died with a game-tying sacrifice fly by Trey Harris, which sent the game to extras. In the 10th, Hofstra failed to take advantage of a lead-off double by Teddy Cillis in possibly one of the most unfortunate scenarios.
Witkowski lined to third and Cillis was caught in no man’s land. He didn’t have enough time to get back to second and the top of the10th ended on a bizarre double play.
The Tigers sealed the deal off a game-winning base hit by Connor Brumfield in the bottom of the 10th.
Hofstra continues their opening road series, heading to Baltimore to face Coppin State. The two teams will open a three-game series with a doubleheader on March 5. Game one starts at noon while game two begins at 3:30 p.m.