STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Stony Brook softball erased a three-run deficit to earn a 6-4 victory over Hofstra, clinching a berth in the 2025 CAA Championship.
Kyra McFarland and
Alyssa Costello plated the game-deciding runs in the sixth inning, while
Gabrielle Maday pitched five stellar innings out of the pen to secure the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- McFarland led things off with a single, moving to second on a wild pitch and crossing the plate with Stony Brook's first run on a Nicole Allen single.
- After Crimson Rice's clean first inning, Hofstra got to the freshman in the second inning. A pair of singles and a base on balls loaded the bases with one out. Hofstra evened things with a single, then scored three more runs with two outs to take a 4-1 lead and chase Rice from the game.
- Maday entered and recorded the final out of the second inning, stranding two runners on base.
- Stony Brook put runners on in the second, third and fourth innings but could not push any runs across.
- Maday was strong out of the bullpen, holding the Pride at bay. She retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings, setting the stage for the Seawolves' comeback.
- Three straight singles by McFarland, Costello and Allen loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth. Mia Vannelli plated a run with a sacrifice fly, then Emily Reinstein singled home a run and forced Hofstra to go to its bullpen.
- Emma Scheitinger greeted Hofstra's reliever with a game-tying sacrifice fly.
- Kaiya Simpkins pinch hit, drawing a walk to lead off the sixth inning. Naiah Ackerman reached on a throwing error, putting the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. McFarland's sacrifice fly pushed across the go-ahead run and Costello plated an insurance run with a single into right.
- Maday registered a 1-2-3 inning, slamming the door shut and officially clinching a postseason berth for Stony Brook.
STATS AND NOTES
- McFarland tallied three hits, matching her hit total from a season prior. It signifies her fourth three-hit game of the season and 22nd multi-hit performance. She also extended her hitting streak to 10 games and her on-base streak to 29 games.
- Allen and Costello registered multi-hit games as well, with each plating a run apiece. Costello extended her hitting streak to 18 straight games and has now reached safely in 19 consecutive contests.
- Maday worked 5.1 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just two hits. She struck out four and earned her sixth win of the season. She lowered her ERA against conference opponents to 1.78, the fourth-best mark in the league.
- Reinstein, Scheitinger and Vannelli all added a hit and an RBI in the victory.
- Stony Brook improved to 11-2 at home this season.
- With the win, Stony Brook clinched CAA postseason berth for the third consecutive season since joining the league in 2023.
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES
"Really tough, exciting ballgame and a great way for us to open up this series. We scored first and had a little blip there in the second inning, but we stayed the course. I liked our team's fight offensively, we played good defense and Gabby came in and was tremendous in relief," head coach Megan T. Bryant noted postgame.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook and Hofstra continue the series Saturday, April 26. First pitch is scheduled for 2 pm at University Field, streaming live on FloCollege.
For an inside look at the Stony Brook softball program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
