On the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) softball tournament’s opening day, the Stony Brook softball were outplayed in all three facets of the game en route to a swift playoff appearance.
On Wednesday, the fifth-seeded Seawolves (25-25, 18-9 CAA) were down in Buies Creek, N.C. for the 2025 CAA Championship. To begin the postseason, Stony Brook fell 13-7 to the tournament’s host team — the fourth-seeded Campbell Camels (35-18, 19-8 CAA). With the loss, the Seawolves were forced to compete in a win-or-go-home matchup against the sixth-seeded Hofstra Pride (21-28, 15-12 CAA) on Wednesday night, who eliminated Stony Brook from the playoffs for a third consecutive season with a 7-2 win.
To lead things off, the Seawolves scratched across a pair of first-inning runs. Shortstop Kyra McFarland tapped a ball back to Campbell starting pitcher Hannah Leierer, whose throw went down the first-base line to place McFarland at second. With McFarland now at third and center fielder Alyssa Costello at second, shortstop Alyssa Armijo bobbled a routine grounder off third baseman Madelyn Stepski’s bat with two outs, which allowed McFarland to score easily and Costello to alertly fly home behind her.
After its defense made some key blunders in the top of the frame, Campbell’s offense made up for it and then some in the bottom of the first. After starter Crimson Rice walked left fielder Tyra Parker and first baseman Hannah Cornetto to start the game, the duo completed a double steal with one out, which allowed catcher Madison Ford to drive them both in with a ground-rule double that Costello nearly made a sprawling catch on.
With a runner on first and two outs, Armijo fouled off Rice’s 2-2 offering but was able to take first base due to interference from catcher Emily Reinstein. Immediately after, third baseman Amber DeSena poked the first pitch she saw into right field for a run-scoring single.
Following DeSena’s knock, designated player Livie Davis banged a single through the middle that was just out of a diving second baseman Naiah Ackerman’s reach to drive in another run and make it 4-2.
Rice’s day initially came to an end there, as head coach Megan Bryant opted to pull the right-hander. The rookie recorded just two outs and allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and three walks in her first-career postseason start.
Stony Brook stranded a pair in scoring position in the top of the second and the Camels took full advantage by extending their lead off reliever Gabrielle Maday in the bottom half.
Parker and Cornetto walked to start the stanza again and used their legs to their advantage. With the pair positioned on the corners and one out, Campbell put on a double steal. McFarland cut off Reinstein’s throw at second and tried to nab Parker, who was scurrying back to third, but it went awry. Left fielder Nicole Allen’s throw home beat Parker, but the ball popped out of Reinstein’s glove when she applied the tag, making it 5-2.
With two outs, center fielder Charlie Montgomery drove in Cornetto with a single. Maday then lost the strike zone, as she walked Armijo and DeSana before plunking Davis to force in a run. During the ensuing at-bat, second baseman Haley Krebs picked up a run batted in (RBI) with an infield single to extend Campbell’s advantage to 8-2.
In the bottom of the third inning, left-hander Maddie Male took the circle and sandwiched a single between two walks to start the frame, allowing Montgomery to send a sacrifice fly to center field.
Despite being down 9-2, the Seawolves got a jolt of life in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Stony Brook loaded the bases for Costello, who crushed a pitch that barely stayed fair for a grand slam to bring her team right back into the game.
However, hope diminished quickly. With two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the frame, Male walked right fielder Allyiah Swiney before issuing another free pass to Ford, forcing in a run. With the inning prolonged, Montgomery sent an RBI single through the middle to make it 11-6.
With a pair of runners in scoring position during the following inning after a single and throwing error by Ackerman, Parker drove in a run via a groundout before Cornetto sliced an RBI double off the tip of right fielder Emma Scheitinger’s glove.
McFarland singled home Ackerman after a leadoff double in the sixth, but the Seawolves’ offense dried up from there. Designated player Mia Vannelli grounded into a double play with two on and one out to end the inning before Campbell reliever Cassiti Baroni retired the side in order to seal the 13-7 victory.
Stony Brook struggled in all three facets throughout the game. Along with their two errors in the field, the Seawolves’ lineup posted nine hits and drew four walks but left six runners aboard and hit into two double plays.
On the pitching front, Rice re-entered to work a scoreless inning in relief, during which she walked and struck out a batter. Maday allowed four runs on two hits, four walks and a hit-by-pitch across 1 ⅓ frames. Male went three innings and gave up five runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks.
During the nightcap of the doubleheader, Stony Brook failed to exorcise its demons in the playoff edition of the Battle of Long Island.
After coming out of the bullpen to open the tournament, Maday got the nod to start the elimination game and struggled out of the gate. With runners on the corners and one out in the top of the first inning, Hofstra right fielder Dahlia Palacio lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.
Immediately after, Hofstra designated player Tyler Douglas dumped a single into right field to extend the frame, paving way for third baseman Mackenzie Fitzgerald to drive in two more runs with a double into the right-center field gap.
While already up 3-0, the Pride padded their lead in the second inning. With a runner on first base and no outs, left fielder Lily Yepez chopped a grounder toward first baseman Malorie Hill, who let the ball skip by her and into right field. McFarland’s relay throw beat Hofstra second baseman Nicole Cancel to the plate, but Cancel swam around Reinstein’s tag to score.
The blunder also allowed Yepez to advance all the way to third base. With two outs, first baseman Anna Butler slashed an RBI single the other way to cash Yepez in and put the Pride in front 5-0.
After failing to get anything going through two innings, Stony Brook got on the board in the third. With McFarland and Hill standing on second and third base, respectively, Hofstra starting pitcher Carley Ernst fired off a wild pitch, allowing Hill to rumble home.
An inning later, the Seawolves cut their deficit to 5-2. With two runners on and two outs, Ackerman laced an opposite-field, RBI double into right center. Nonetheless, Hofstra reliever Emma Falen entered following the hit and got McFarland to groundout, stranding Ackerman.
The Pride quickly erased Stony Brook’s runs in the top of the fifth inning. Following a one-out, bunt single by Palacio, Douglas hit a ground ball to Stepski, whose throw to second base went into the outfield. With runners on the corners after the miscue, Douglas bolted for second and no one covered the bag. With no Seawolves in sight, Reinstein’s throw ricocheted off Douglas’ foot and onto the outfield turf, allowing Palacio to score while Douglas headed to third.
Next up, Fitzgerald flew out to Scheitinger in foul ground for a sacrifice fly, stretching Hofstra’s advantage to 7-2.
The Seawolves’ best chance to cut into the Pride’s lead came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Walks from Reinstein and Ackerman put two runners on for Stony Brook, but Falen bested McFarland again to escape the jam, as she hit into a fielder’s choice.
With their season on the line in the bottom of the seventh inning, Falen got Costello and Allen to ground out before catching Vannelli looking to put the final nail in the Seawolves’ coffin.
Despite her early inning struggles, Maday gave her team a chance to win and was largely let down by her defense, which committed three errors. The southpaw tossed a complete game, allowing seven runs with only three being earned. Across her seven innings, she struck out four batters while surrendering nine hits and a hit-by-pitch.
Despite drawing six walks and being hit by a pitch, Stony Brook put together just three hits against Ernst and Falen while stranding eight runners.
At the dish, Costello went 1-for-2 with a homer, four RBIs, two runs scored and two walks to start her day. However, she was held hitless in four at-bats against the Pride, snapping her hitting and on-base streak at 24 and 25 games, respectively.
McFarland went 3-for-8 with an RBI and two runs through both contests but left four runners on base during the elimination game.
Ackerman went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, two runs and a walk. Allen went 2-for-6 with two doubles and two walks.
Hill had a nice postseason debut, going 1-for-3 with two runs, two walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Stony Brook’s disappointing conclusion to the year will lead directly into another intriguing offseason. After enduring a substantial amount of roster turnover coming into 2025, the Seawolves will now have to offset the losses of five key players to graduation, including their two top hitters in Costello and McFarland. Whether that comes internally or externally remains to be seen, but Bryant will have her work cut out for her nonetheless.
