Clearwater, Fla. - Hofstra brought the potential tying run to the
plate in the final inning of both games on Friday but the Pride couldn't
complete comeback bids in falling to No. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette, 5-4, and 2-0
to Illinois on the first day of the NFCA Leadoff Classic at the Moore
Complex.
Junior infielder Becca Bigler continued her torrid start with her third home
run of the season against the Cajuns. Olivia Galati also was a highlight for
the Pride. The junior hurler did not allow an earned run in a six-inning
complete game against the Fighting
Illini, though the Pride still fell to 0-5 on the season.
Four of Hofstra's losses have come by a combined five
runs this season, including two one-run losses to nationally ranked opponents
after a 7-6 nine-inning defeat in the season opener against then-No. 21
Louisville.
Louisiana-Lafayette (9-0) scored four first-inning runs
in the opening game. A one-out walk and a stolen base set up the Cajuns first
run on Christi Orgeron's RBI single to center. Senior pitcher Erin Wade (0-2)
walked the next batter before Mattelaine Haack's two-run double down the left
field line. A single and an error set up the Cajuns fourth run, allowing Haack
to advance home from third base.
The Cajuns tacked on an insurance run in the top of the
third which proved to be the game winner. Orgeron reached on a fielding error
and advanced to second on a passed ball. Wade induced a groundout and posted a
key strike out after throwing a wild pitch. With Orgeron at third, Haack delivered
a triple to left to make it 5-0.
Wade did not allow a run after that, striking out 10
while allowing five runs (three earned) in seven innings for her second
complete-game effort of the campaign.
Hofstra battled back to turn a five-run deficit into a
one-run contest in the final inning. The
Pride scored twice with a two-out rally in the third. Junior outfielder Rachael
Senatore reached on a one-out walk and scored when Bigler hit her third home
run in four games, drilling a shot to left off Jordan Wallace (4-0) to put the
Pride on the scoreboard.
Junior Nicole Osovski registered her first RBI since 2010
with a run-scoring groundout in the fourth, plating senior Jess Hirschbuhl to
make it 5-3.
For the second straight game, Hofstra hit a home run in
the final inning to move within a single run, bringing the potential tying run
to the plate after junior Tessa Ziemba drilled a home run to left-centerfield.
Wallace, who retired the first two Hofstra batters in the
seventh before Ziemba's first homer of the year, ended the game with a
strikeout to keep the Cajuns undefeated.
In the second game, Galati (0-3) struck out four against
just one walk. She still took the hard-luck loss after Illinois scored two
unearned runs in the third inning.
Galati retired the first two batters in the inning before
Kelly Wedel reached on a fielding error. Wedel advanced to second on a passed
ball and scored on Jessica Davis lined a run-scoring single to left to open the
scoring.
Meredith Hackett then delivered a drive to left. A
fielding error on the play allowed Davis, who was running on the play, to score
Illinois' second unearned run of the inning.
Starting pitcher Pepper Gay surrendered just one hit in
seven innings to improve to 3-2. But Hofstra brought the tying run to the plate
in the last inning as Krista Thorn reached on a one-out walk and moved to
second on a ground out. Gay then forced a comebacker for the game-ending ground
out to improve Illinois to 4-6.
Hofstra will face back-to-back
top-15 teams on Saturday, starting with No. 10 Tennessee at 1 p.m. before facing 12th-ranked Michigan at 3:30 p.m.
The last time Hofstra played four ranked teams
in such a short span was in 2000 when it opened up against four straight top-20
opponents, including No. 1 UCLA.
