Late-inning sloppy play from the Fordham University Rams allowed the Hofstra Pride to tie and then pull ahead for the 3-2 win at Bahoshy Field Tuesday afternoon. Down 2-1 after four innings of play, a key error on Fordham’s shortstop Amy Van Hoven gave Hofstra’s Courtney Scarpato a window of opportunity to tie it up, scoring on a Megan Patierno infield squib.
One inning later, Lacey Clark capitalized on a wild pitch, advancing home to give the Pride a late 3-2 advantage.
Clark led the Pride offensively; she finished 2-for-3 with a pair of two-baggers and a RBI. Brielle Pietrafesa, Brittany Allocca and Courtney Scarpato also tallied base hits for Hofstra.
The Rams got the bats going early, specifically Van Hoven. The senior shortstop blasted her first long ball of the season to center field in the first inning to put Fordham up 1-0. One frame later, Van Hoven, again, singled up the middle to bring home Morgan Figueroa and double the Rams’ lead. Van Hoven went 3-for-4 on the afternoon with two RBI and a stolen base.
The offense ended there for the Rams. Hofstra freshman hurler Sarah Cornell settled down and kept Fordham scoreless through the next five innings.
Cornell went the distance, allowing two runs off six hits, six walks and notching six strikeouts through seven innings. She tallied 136 pitches on the afternoon, her most recorded pitch total this season.
Hofstra has leaned heavily on the young right-hander in 2017 and for good reason. Yesterday’s win marked her eighth of the season, giving her an 8-4 record with a 2.64 ERA.
Hofstra finally got on the board in the fourth inning after Clark pulled a double down the left field line to score Pietrafesa. Clark leads the Pride in batting average, hits, doubles, total bases and on-base percentage.
Hofstra is next in action Saturday March 25 when they open up CAA play with a double-header against the Dukes of James Madison University at home – Hofstra’s first set of home games this year. Game one is slated for 2 p.m.