Down one run and to its final out, Alyssa Prukop delivered a pinch-hit, two-run, walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh inning to propel the Seton Hall softball team to a 4-3 victory over Hofstra on a warm, sunny Tuesday afternoon at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field.
The Pirates (19-15-1) were able to secure the win after getting two consecutive baserunners on with one out in the final inning of play. Hailey Arteaga walked and Darby Pandolfo was hit by a pitch before a strikeout, and then with two outs, Prukop made the most of her opportunity, sending a rocket off the wall in left field to bring around both baserunners in Seton Hall’s first win over Hofstra since 2007.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
“This team is great about knowing if you don’t come through then the next one will,” head coach Paige Smith said. “I was really excited when they put their last pitcher in because there is nobody that hits rise balls better on our team than Prukop so she went in with a mission and did it.”
It was the Pirates who struck first, as Lauren Fischer delivered a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, and the game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning when Hofstra pushed across two runs in the frame. For the Pirates, Chrisa Head hurled five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while also walking two.
The game then turned into a back and forth affair. The Pirates tied the score up at two apiece in the bottom of the fifth inning when Noel Lent homered to left-center field, but Hofstra answered in the top of the sixth with a solo home run of its own.
The Pirates, however, got revenge in the bottom of the seventh by way of Prukop’s clutch at-bat to seal the team’s eighth win at home and second true walk-off win of the season.
Tuesday’s game was also supporting the Go4Goal Foundation with Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer. Seton Hall and Hofstra players wore gold laces on their shoes to support the cause, as well as spreading awareness through donations.
“I reached out to my friends and family for support and it’s an awesome cause,” freshman Darby Pandolfo said. “We’re doing this as a team effort, and I know everyone is so happy to help.”
Seton Hall will next play in Omaha, Neb. for a three-game series against Big East foe Creighton, with game one starting on Friday, April 14 as part of a doubleheader before playing the final game Saturday.
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