Hofstra faces Charleston in CAA tourney opener

WILMINGTON, N.C. (Interstat) — The eighth-seeded Hofstra Pride (20-26) open the Coastal Athletic Association Baseball Championship on Wednesday evening against the fifth-seeded College of Charleston Cougars (28-26) at a neutral-site venue.

The Pride enter the single-elimination tournament reeling from a 23-0 loss at Stony Brook on May 16, the most lopsided defeat of their season. Hofstra managed only three hits in that game, while its pitching staff issued 16 walks.

Hofstra will likely turn to right-hander Joseph Curreri on the mound. Curreri tossed two scoreless innings of relief in that loss, allowing no hits and striking out three. Over his previous three outings, however, Curreri has surrendered four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings.

The Cougars counter with a potent offense fueled by shortstop Will Tippett. Tippett is 10-for-20 (.500) over his last five games with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He went 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs in Charleston’s 12-2 win over William & Mary on May 16 that clinched the regular-season series sweep.

Charleston has won six of its last eight games, averaging 8.6 runs per contest in that stretch. The Cougars swept a three-game set at Elon from May 8-10, outscoring the Phoenix 28-9.

Hofstra took two of three at home against Charleston during the regular season March 6-8. The Cougars won the opener 5-1, the Pride answered with an 8-3 victory, and Charleston claimed the series finale 5-4.

The Pride split a four-game series at Stony Brook, dropping the finale 23-0 after winning the first three contests by a combined 25-2 margin.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT. The winner advances to face the tournament’s top seed.