by Michelle Rabinovich
The Hofstra Pride baseball team walked off their home opener, 6-5, over the University of Albany Great Danes. The Pride had nine walk-off wins last season on their way to the first CAA Championship in program history, got their first won of 2023 in the process.
The storyline of this game was both starting pitchers; Dylan Banner for Albany and Mark Faello of Hofstra are graduates of Plainview JFK HS. Additionally, both won the Diamond Award – which is given annually to the top player in Nassau County. Banner had the honor of being the Opening Day starter for the Great Danes as a freshman with several friends and family in the building. Neither pitcher factored in the decision in this game, though.
Contrary to the headline, Hofstra did not get on the board first. Albany’s Owen Silliman flew out to right field for a sacrifice fly to score Dan Tauken in the top of the second.
In the home half of the second, Steve Harrington was brought in by a Santino Rosso single that ripped right through the middle to tie the score at one. The bottom of the third had a similar situation, where Hofstra’s Brian Morrell shot the ball right through the middle to send Bruggeman across home plate for a 2-1 lead.
After some scoreless middle innings, Albany took the game back into their own hands, starting with Dan Tauken’s RBI on a fielder’s choice to score Will Feil. Carlson Dunkel struck out swinging, but that last pitch got away from the catcher, allowing him to reach first and Chris Fisher to score on a close play to regain the lead once again.
To add insult to injury, Will Binder drove an RBI single to allow Feil to score for the second time in the afternoon, proving that the Great Danes aren’t in the mood to lay down and roll over for the Pride, as they led 5-2 going into the eighth inning.
That being said, Hofstra had other plans. Jake Liberatore crushed a 2-R shot to left center with Harrington on base, bridging the score to 5-4. Nemjo held the Great Danes scoreless in a 1-2-3 ninth inning, giving the Pride one last chance on the diamond.
Pinch hitter Anthony D’Onofrio singled to get the rally going. Ryan Morash followed up with a single of his own, that advanced pinch runner Dylan Palmer to second base. Senior catcher Kevin Bruggeman singled to center right for Palmer to zoom to home plate to make it a tie game.
Will Kennedy was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Brian Morrell’s at-bat resulting in him reaching first on a fielder’s choice but Morash was forced out at home. Nonetheless, the bases were still loaded, so the Pride were not done.
The last at-bat of the day was none other than Harrington, who also reached first on a fielder’s choice, but an error by the UAlbany second baseman meant an inability to get the ball to home plate in time, giving Hofstra the 6-5 walk off win.
The team’s will be back in action tomorrow for Game 2 of the series. First pitch scheduled for 1pm.
