By John Napolitano -- STAFF WRITER The Hofstra Pride softball team traded wins with Towson in its CAA-opening doubleheader in Maryland on Saturday.
Brittany Allocca’s four-RBI performance was good enough to lift the Pride over Towson 8-2 in the opening tilt, but an eighth inning rally allowed the Tigers to steal game two, 6-5.
Sophomore Megan Patierno started the third inning of the opener with a solo homerun. After Brielle Pietrafesa scored off a Kim Smith single, Allocca brought outfielder Chloe Fitzgerald home with a single of her own, bringing the score to 3-0 in favor of Hofstra. Allocca kept her foot on the gas, plating three runs off a homerun in the fifth inning.
Junior Jessica Peslak earned the win for the Pride. Peslak threw 4.1 innings, allowing two runs off of two hits and two walks. The Hofstra right-hander struck out seven on the day. She improved to 9-5 on the 2016 season. Courtney Scarpato took command of the circle for Hofstra after Peslak walked Towson freshman Daria Edwards.
Scarpato blanked the Tigers in her 2.2 innings of work, allowed no hits, and recorded one strikeout. She stranded Edwards on second base at the close of the fifth inning, preserving Peslak’s 4.71 ERA.
The sixth inning saw senior Caryn Bailey join Patierno and Allocca in the long ball club with a two-run homerun to right field. A 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh secured the 8-2 win for the Pride.
Hofstra answered Towson’s challenge in game two, tying the ball game in the top of the seventh before the Tigers scored in the eighth inning following a wild pitch from Scarpato.
The Pride remained scoreless through four innings, while Towson combined for four hits and took advantage of sloppy defense, tallying three runs off of two errors. Hofstra answered in the fifth with a Pietrafesa double and a Nikki Michalowski RBI single.
Towson freshman Brook Miko upped the ante with a two-run homerun in the sixth. Kim Smith came up big for the Pride in the top of seventh after a bases-clearing double to center field. Allocca earned her final RBI of the day by plating Smith with base hit to left field.
Tied at five, the Tigers made quick work of Hofstra in extra innings. Kendyl Scott took two bags on a double to right center. Olivia Yarbrough bunted her over to third, and Scott scored on a wild pitch to complete the walk off for Towson. Scarpato (3.41) notched the loss for Hofstra. She fell to 1-3 on the season.
The final game of Hofstra’s opening CAA series with Towson will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m.