Houston, TX – The Hofstra softball team kicked off its 2023 season on Friday at the Cougar Classic with a pair of losses against Washington and Morgan State from the Cougar Softball Complex in sunny Houston, Texas.
 
Game 1: Washington 10, Hofstra 0
 
The Huskies (5-1) opened the game with eight runs in the first inning, chasing starter Julia Apsel after two-thirds of the first inning. Washington scored another run on a sacrifice fly in the third inning, and added another with a home run in the fifth inning.
 
Emma Brennan entered the game in relief and pitched 4.1 innings while recording three strikeouts against two hits and two runs. Alanna Morse and Kayla Wilson tallied the only two hits of the contest for the Pride.
 
Game 2: Morgan State 2, Hofstra 1 (10 innings)
 
Hofstra jumped on the board in the first inning thanks to a solo home run to left field by returning NFCA All-Region Third Team selection Meghan Giordano. Morgan State evened the score in the top of the fourth inning with a sacrifice bunt by Madison Nunez, scoring Mia Ewell as she beat the throw home.
 
Despite a combined five hits between the two sides – with Hofstra putting up four of them – after the Bears tied the game in the fourth inning, neither side was able to push through the go-ahead run. With a runner on second base to start the 10th inning, Deb Hamilton laced a single to right center, scoring Maia Wilkins from second. Hofstra started the bottom of the inning with Madison McKevitt on second, but Alanna Morse grounded out to second, and Wilson hit into a double-play to end the game in extra innings.
 
Chelsea Manto and Becca Vaillancourt both went 2-4 against Morgan State, and Angelina Ioppolo and Giordano tallied one hit each against the Bears. Haley Venturini got the start in the circle and went six innings while pitching seven strikeouts against three hits and an earned run. Nikki Mullin tossed the final four innings for the Pride in relief and notched five strikeouts, but she picked up the loss.
 
Hofstra continues action at the Houston Classic on Saturday, February 18, with a 10 a.m. CST rematch against Washington before taking on hosts Houston (3-2) at 3 p.m. CST.
 
NOTES:
-Emma Brennan and Alanna Morse both made their collegiate debuts against Washington, and Becca Vaillancourt made her Hofstra debut after transferring from UMass-Lowell.
-The Pride pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts across both games.