Hofstra Edges Stony Brook 9-8 to Advance to Program’s 15th CAA Championship Game
Hunter Peters
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (May 12, 2023) – Third-seeded Hofstra scored eight runs over the first three innings, and the Pride edged seventh-seed Stony Brook 9-8 to advance to its 15th CAA Championship game in program history.
The Pride (27-25), who have won a league-best 12 CAA Championships, will make its first appearance in the title game since 2018 against No. 5 Towson tomorrow at noon. The Seawolves (28-27) are eliminated from the championship after a memorable run in their CAA Tournament debut.
In an offensive slugfest, Hofstra and Stony Brook combined for a tournament record 25 hits, breaking the mark set by Georgia State and James Madison in 2012.
All nine starters for the Pride recorded a hit in the game, with three different players logging multi-hit efforts. Chelsea Manto, Aliya Catanzarita and Alanna Morse went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. Morse also added one RBI.
Alyssa Costello paced the Stony Brook lineup, going 3-for-5 with one RBI. Costello set the CAA Tournament record for hits, totaling 12 over six games this week. The sophomore outfielder hit .571 (12-21) for the tournament, matching the tournament record with eight runs scored while adding four RBIs.
Hofstra put up a four-spot in the top of the first, recording three hits and a walk to open the game. Kasey Collins drew a leadoff walk before Manto reached on an infield single. Meghan Giordano scored Collins with an RBI double, and Manto scored on a fielder’s choice from Angelina Ioppolo as the first four reached for the Pride. Ioppolo stole second before a one-out sac fly from Becca Vaillancourt plated Giordano. Morse followed with a two-out RBI single to give Hofstra a 4-0 lead.
Stony Brook pulled within one, responding with three in the top of the second. Brooke Dye started the two-out rally with a single before a double from Sofia Chambers put runners on second and third. Alicia Orosco followed with a double, scoring Dye and Chambers. Costello kept the line moving by beating out an infield single that drove in Orosco.
The Pride pushed its lead back to two with one run in the bottom of the second. Hofstra drew a leadoff walk for the second straight inning, with Kayla Wilson taking first. A sacrifice bunt moved Wilson to second before Manto’s second infield hit in as many innings placed runners on the corners with one out. Giordano plated Wilson with a sac fly to right field.
The Seawolves battled back to tie the game with two runs in the top of the third. Corrine Badger recorded a one-out single before Naiah Ackerman reached on an error, with Badger taking third on the play. Julianna Sanzone singled to right, scoring Badger before a two-out RBI single to left from Chambers tied the game at 5-5.
Hofstra wasted no time responding as three consecutive singles loaded the bases for the Pride in the bottom of the third. Catanzarita, Vaillancourt and Morse put ducks on the pond before Olivia Malinowski scored Catanzarita and reached safely on a fielder’s choice. With one out, Collins drove a ball deep to the left-center gap, which was caught by Orosco, and scored two on the sacrifice fly as Hofstra regained an 8-5 lead.
The score was stagnant until Hofstra added a crucial insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Ioppolo led off the inning with a single before Vaillancourt drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second. With two outs, Madison McKevitt took the first pitch of her at-bat through the right side of the infield to score Ioppollo and give the Pride a four-run advantage.
The Seawolves gave it their best shot in the top of the seventh as Catherine Anne Kupinski smacked a three-run homer to pull Stony Brook within one; however, Julia Apsel secured the save with a lineout to first base during the next at-bat.
In the circle, Mia Haynes tossed 3.0 innings of relief for the Seawolves, setting a tournament record with 36.1 innings pitched in her record-setting sixth appearance of the championship.
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