Bethlehem, PA – Senior Olivia Galati and freshman Victoria Cabral tossed complete game victories to lead the Hofstra Pride to a doubleheader sweep of the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh at Kaufman Field Wednesday afternoon.
The Pride, behind a four-hitter by Galati, defeated the Mountain Hawks, 5-2 in the opener before Cabral, who was making her first collegiate start, scattered seven hits in a 5-0 victory in the nightcap. Hofstra, which extended its winning streak to 13 games, improved to 16-8 on the season while Lehigh fell to 11-11-1.
In the first game, Galati won her 12th consecutive game to improve to 15-7 on the season and freshman Caryn Bailey drove in three runs with two hits to lead Hofstra. The Pride scored twice in each of the first two innings and added their fifth run in the sixth. In the first inning, senior Tessa Ziemba notched a run scoring single that drove home senior Becca Bigler, and junior Tori Rocha, who singled earlier, came around on an error by the Lehigh centerfielder for a 2-0 lead.
The Pride added two more in the second as freshman Maggie Hawkins singled and then scored on Bailey's fourth homer of the season for a 4-0 advantage. Bailey would drive home Hofstra's final run in the sixth on a two-out double that plated senior Jess Hirschbuhl, who reached base on a fielder's choice.
The Mountain Hawks scored their two runs in the sixth as Morgan Decker drove home Kristen Mitchell, who reached on a single, with a single, and Liz Lucas' sac fly scored Alexis Watanabe, who reached base on a fielder's choice. Rebecca Bliss (5-6), who allowed four earned runs and struck out two, took the loss for Lehigh.
In the second game, Cabral struck out three and stranded 10 Mountain Hawks on the base paths to post her first victory. Jess Hirschbuhl was three-for four at the plate and Maggie Hawkins was two-for-four with two RBI.
Like the first game, the Pride scored early, posting a run in the first and two in the second, and then added solo runs in the fifth and sixth. Bigler got the Pride on the board with her fifth homer of the season, to centerfield, to give Hofstra a 1-0 lead. In the second, Hawkins doubled to center, scoring sophomore Erin Trippii, who walked, and Hirschbuhl, who singled, to boost the lead to 3-0.
Hofstra bumped the lead to 4-0 in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Trippi that that scored Ziemba, who singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. The Pride tacked on their final run in the sixth as Galati drove home freshman Alyssa Cuzzola, who pitch ran for Hawkins who tripled, with an opposite field single. Emily Bausher (5-3), who pitched five innings and allowed six hits and four earned runs and struck out six, took the loss for the Mountain Hawks.
The Pride return to CAA action on Friday, March 29 when the Panthers of Georgia State come to Hempstead for a doubleheader at the Hofstra Softball Stadium beginning at 2 p.m.
