Baseball falls to Monmouth in extra innings
The Hofstra baseball team continued their struggles on Tuesday, March 26, as they dropped their fourth consecutive game to Monmouth University by a score of 3-2. The game ended up going to extra innings knotted at two, where Clay Koniencki hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Hawks their eighth win of the season. With the loss, the Pride falls to 3-15 on the season.
The Hawks made it on the board first in the bottom of the second inning when Nick Campana drove in Johnny Zega with a single. Hofstra finally broke through in the fourth inning and got their first hit and runs of the game. Rob Weissheier then hit a two-run blast to left field and put the Pride up by one. That lead did not last long, however. Monmouth came right back in the bottom of the inning and tied the game, thanks to an RBI single from Robbie Holmes.
Both offenses went silent after that, which forced the game into extras. The Pride went hitless the rest of the way and finished the game with only two. Monmouth’s bats also struggled after tying the game at two in the fourth inning, leaving four runners on base after.
The Hawks finally ended things in the bottom of the tenth inning when they rallied against Hofstra pitcher Jimmy Joyce. Joyce loaded the bases before getting a single out and then gave up the walk off hit to Clay Koniencki.
Despite the loss, Hofstra’s pitching staff was much improved after their rough series against St. John’s University. The bullpen was able to keep them in it and push the game to extra innings, with the offense failing to plate enough runs. Unfortunately for the Pride, they were out-dueled by the Hawks’ pitching staff.
The Pride was held to only two hits, as Monmouth’s pitching staff struck out 10 batters. The offense has been a huge problem throughout the season for the Pride, and it continued to show against the Hawks. The Tuesday game was the 10th time this season where the Pride was held to fewer than three runs in a game.
Anthony D’Onofrio and Weissheier, the most consistent hitters this season, had the only hits for the Pride. After Tuesday’s 3-2 game, D’Onofrio is batting .283 on the season, which is tied with Weissheier for the team lead. Andrew Mundy also pitched another solid frame for the Pride and lowered his season ERA to 1.76.
The loss dropped the Pride to 3-15 on the season, while Monmouth improved to 8-13-1. Hofstra will begin Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play on Friday, March 29, at 6 p.m. when they take on the College of Charleston. Charleston currently sits at No. 6 in the CAA with an overall record of 15-10.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
