Hempstead, N.Y. - Senior first baseman Sara Michalowski (Philadelphia, Pa.) had the game-winning RBI in the first game and had a double, a home run, and five RBI in the second game as the Hofstra Softball team swept a doubleheader from Delaware 2-1 and 7-1 on Saturday afternoon at Hofstra Softball Stadium.

Sophomore pitcher Olivia Galati (West Babylon, N.Y.) threw a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the opener to get the win and improve to 13-5. With the sweep, Hofstra stretches its winning streak to 12 games and improves to 21-8 overall and 5-0 in Colonial Athletic Association play. Delaware falls to 10-23 overall and 2-3 in league play with the losses.

In the opening game, the Pride broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the third inning, as junior left fielder Michelle Lavagnino (Fredricksburg, Va.) singled and came around to score when sophomore right fielder Tessa Ziemba (Wilmington, Del.) had a soft liner tip off the glove of Delaware third baseman Michelle Grap and roll into the shallow outfield behind shortstop for an RBI single. Michalowski then followed with a line drive RBI double to right field to stretch the lead to 2-0.

Delaware used three singles in the top of the fourth to pull back within 2-1, with the third coming as catcher Gina Knutson hit a grounder up the middle that junior second baseman Jess Hirschbuhl (Jamison, Pa.) pulled in with a dive to her right, but she wasn't able to get enough on the throw to first while lying on the ground to get Knutson.

From there, Galati shut the door down as she finished with 12 strikeouts, including getting the side swinging in the top of the seventh to end the game and improve to 13-5 on the year.  Galati allowed just three hits and walked none on the day.

In the nightcap, Delaware took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as Jenny Richards led off with a double into the left-center field gap. After a sacrifice moved her to third, center fielder Lara Andrews laid down a perfect squeeze bunt in front of the plate for a single to score the first run.

The Blue Hens made several spectacular defensive plays to keep the Pride off the board in the early innings. Right fielder Rachel Jones made an over-the-shoulder catch with her back to home plate at the wall on a shot off the bat of Michalowski to lead off the second. Then with the bases loaded  and two outs, Andrews came in on a line drive from sophomore center fielder Rachael Senatore (Sparta, N.J.) and made a diving catch off the grasstops to keep the game scoreless.

Hofstra kept the pressure on and finally broke through in the fifth inning by loading the bases with nobody out on a walk, hit by pitch and an error. After Kathleen Conway bounced back with a strike out, Michalowski lined a shot into the right-center field gap to clear the bases and put Hofstra ahead 3-1.  A double from senior shortstop Trisha Dreslinski (Kingsville, Ohio) helped the Pride re-load the bases, and sophomore left fielder D.J. Slugh (Marlboro, N.J.) singled into left-center to score two more runs.

Michalowski then hit a homer down the left field line in the bottom of the sixth to score two more runs and push the lead to 7-1, giving her five RBI in the game and six in the doubleheader. She was 2-for-3 in the game, while four other plays had a hit apiece for Hofstra. Michelle McKinnon was 3-for-3 with the Blue Hens, while Andrews was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Junior pitcher Erin Wade (Taunton, Mass.) went the distance to get the win in the circle for the Pride and improve to 8-3 on the year. Wade scattered eight hits on the day, struck out seven and walked three.   

The two teams will complete their three-game series with a single game tomorrow at 12 noon.