Hempstead, N.Y. -Tessa Ziemba smashed two home runs, Becca Bigler went deep and Olivia Galati did not allow an earned run in seven innings
as Hofstra defeated Fordham, 6-1, in a non-conference game on Tuesday night
from Hofstra Softball Stadium.
Ziemba hit her team-leading ninth and 10th home runs of the
season as part of a 3-for-3 day in which she drove in five runs. Bigler's solo
shot-her ninth home run- accounted for the other offense to help the Pride
improve to 25-13 overall with the team's 23rd victory in the last 25 games.
Fordham fell to 27-18.
Galati (19-5) won her 17th straight start, tying Kayleigh
Lotti for the second-longest streak in program history behind Callie Osborne's
21-game winning streak set in 2005. Galati scattered five hits and struck out
10 without allowing a walk.
The matchup featured a pair of aces who entered with ERAs of
less than 1.70. Galati opposed Fordham's Jen Mineau, who was a third-team
All-America selection last year and had already won 21 games with a 1.65 ERA
this season.
Hofstra mustered three hits off Mineau with two of them
being home runs. The Fordham right-hander dropped to 21-10 while the Pride
added three more runs against reliever Taylor Pirone.
Fordham's only offense off Galati came in the first when the
Rams scratched across an unearned run. Nicole Callahan hit a one-out double
before Galati struck out Paige Ortiz. But the third strike hit the dirt and a
throwing error down to first put runners on the corners. Brianna Turgeon's
sacrifice fly to right put the Rams ahead, 1-0.
The Pride countered with two runs in the bottom of the
inning of Ziemba's first home run of the contest. Junior Rachael Senatore
worked a leadoff walk and after Mineau got two outs, Ziemba lofted a high fly
ball to right that cleared the wall for a two-run shot.
Bigler produced another clutch two-out hit with her
third-inning solo home run to center. Teams exchanged zeros until the sixth
when Pirone hit Bigler and Galati singled through the right side to start the
frame. Ziemba then added three insurance runs with a hard-hit line-drive home run to center for a 6-1 lead.
Galati recorded a 10-strikeout game for the eighth time this
season and has given up just one earned run in her last 10 appearances spanning
50 innings.
Hofstra will next be in action on Wednesday when the Pride
travels to face St. John's in a non-league game at 4 p.m.
