Tampa, FL - Freshman Olivia Galati (West Babylon, NY) continued the storybook start to her collegiate career by pitching a three-hitter in the circle, and batting 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate, as the Hofstra Softball team earned the championship of the LaQuinta Inn and Suites Tournament with a 4-1 win over host South Florida on Sunday afternoon.
Senior left fielder Christie Novatin (Farmingdale, NJ) gave Hofstra the lead for good with a solo homer in the fourth. Hofstra improves to 5-0 on the season with the win, its first 5-0 start since the 1994 team began the year 9-0, while South Florida falls to 5-4. The last time Hofstra began the year 4-0 was in 2006, when South Florida handed the Pride its first loss with a 7-5 comeback win in the championship game of the Wilson Invitational.
This time, Galati allowed no such drama, striking out five and walking three to improve to 3-0 in the pitching circle over the weekend. Two of the three hits she allowed were of the infield variety (including one bunt), and she closed out the game by retiring the last eight batters in order.
The performance capped off a strong weekend for Galati, who opened the tournament (and her college career) with a four-hitter with 11 strikeouts and no walks in a 2-1 win over North Carolina State on Friday, after tying the opening game against North Dakota State with a two-out RBI single in the seventh as the Pride won 12-11 in nine innings. She then had a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks in a 2-1 win over Michigan State on Saturday, while driving in the winning run with an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Against South Florida on Sunday, Galati got the Pride started when she continued her torrid hitting with a two-out RBI single in the top of the first. Senior center fielder Kris Root (Waynesboro, PA) started the game off with an infield single and moved to second on a single from junior third baseman Sara Michalowski (Philadelphia, PA). One out later, Galati singled up the middle for her fifth RBI of the young season.
Galati ran into some trouble when she walked two straight batters in the second inning, her first walks of the season (after 22 strikeouts). Laura Fountain singled home the tying run to make the score 1-1, but Galati escaped the inning with no further damage.
Novatin broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth inning with a solo homer, her first of the season. The Pride tacked on two more runs later in the inning as freshman second baseman Becca Bigler (Bainbridge, PA) ripped an RBI double to score Galati (who walked) and freshman right fielder Tessa Ziemba (Wilmington, DE) followed with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 4-1.
Galati's 2-for-3 performance at the plate improved her hitting stats to 7-for-13 with five RBI through her first four games (she was not in the batting order for the North Carolina State game on Friday). Root and Michalowski each went 2-for-4 for the Pride as well.
Hofstra will next be in action when it travels to Columbus, Georgia to take part in the NFCA Leadoff Classic next weekend. The Pride will open play on Friday against Virginia Tech and Mississippi State, before facing Kent State and Florida State on Saturday and Mississippi Valley State on Sunday.
