Greenville, N.C. - Sophomore pitcher Olivia Galati (West Babylon, N.Y.) threw a two-hit shutout in the first game, and 4.2 innings of shutout relief in the second, as Hofstra defeated Kent State 12-0 and Virginia 2-1 on Sunday at the Pirate Classic at East Carolina University.
Hofstra improves to 6-3 with the two wins, bouncing back from a sluggish Saturday, when it fell 2-0 to Virginia and 5-0 to East Carolina on the first day of the Pirate Classic. Kent State slips to 3-6 with the loss, while Virginia slips to 6-3.
Offensively, senior catcher Laura Valentino (Smithtown, N.Y.) had a double and drove in four runs against Kent State to lead a Pride offense that scored 12 times after being shut out in both games on Saturday, then went 2-for-2 with two walks and an RBI in the win over Virginia. She finished the day 4-for-7 with two doubles and five RBI. Sophomore center fielder Rachael Senatore (Sparta, N.J.) was 4-for-5 against Kent State, and was a combined 5-for-8 with three runs scored and an RBI.
Freshman Tori Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass.) saw her first collegiate action against Kent State and added a two-run double in a five-run seventh inning. Junior second baseman Jess Hirschbuhl (Jamison, Pa.) also got the Hofstra offense jump-started with a two-run single in the second inning to break a scoreless tie, and after a Senatore RBI single, Valentino's three-run double capped off a six-run inning as the Pride took control.
Senior first baseman Sara Michalowski (Philadelphia, Pa.) was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI against Kent State, while Galati was 2-for-4 at the plate, accounting for as many hits on offense as she allowed in the circle. Galati struck out nine and walked none, allowing only a single to left in the second, and an infield single in the sixth, while throwing to two batters over the minimum.
In the Pride's second game against Virginia, Senatore led off the game with an infield single, her fifth hit of the day, before stealing second and coming home on a two-out RBI double from Valentino, her fifth RBI of the day, to give Hofstra an early 1-0 lead. Galati then singled to left field, but Valentino was thrown out at the plate to the end the inning.
The Pride then extended the lead in the top of the third inning as Hirschbuhl reached on an error and went to second on a sacrifice by Senatore. Sophomore right fielder Tessa Ziemba (Wilmington, Del.) then went the other way with a double down the line to score Hirschbuhl and give Hofstra a 2-0 lead. The Pride loaded the bases with one out on a Michalowski single and Valentino walk, but Virginia pitcher Melanie Mitchell escaped the jam to keep the score 2-0.
Virginia broke through in the bottom of the third, as junior pitcher Erin Wade (Taunton, Mass.) ran into control problems and walked the first two batters. Allison Pitman followed with a single to load the bases with nobody out and bring the top of the order up. After a forceout at the plate gave Hofstra its first out, Taylor Williams drove in the first run with an RBI fielder's choice to shortstop. The Pride brought Galati into the game in relief with one out, and she was able to escape further damage to keep Hofstra in front 2-1.
The Pride got runners to second and third in the top of the fourth, but did not score, and then Virginia loaded the bases with one out again in the fourth inning on back-to-back singles, a wild pitch, and a walk. Galati, though, struck out Pittman for the second out and coaxed a grounder to Hirschbuhl at second to end the threat. From then on, Galati was dominant, allowing only a two-out single in the fifth, and then retiring the side in order in the sixth and seventh. She finished with seven strikeouts in her 4.2 innings of relief, giving her 16 on the day.
Hofstra's bats nearly produced in the top of the fifth, as Michalowski lined out to center, Valentino singled, and Galati doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. But once again, no runs came across as Mitchell picked up a key strikeout and comebacker to leave the score 2-1.
The Pride is now 6-3 on the year and has avenged two of its three losses in rematches. Hofstra fell to Florida State on Saturday, Feb. 12, before coming back the next day for a 2-0 win to earn the championship of the Seminole Kickoff Classic. The Pride also lost 2-0 to Virginia on Saturday and came back with the 2-1 win this afternoon.
Tomorrow, Hofstra has chance to avenge its third loss as it plays a single game against East Carolina before returning home. The Pride will then be idle next weekend before returning to action at the LSU Purple & Gold Challenge on March 3-5.
