Fairfax, Va. -- Olivia Galati threw a complete-game four-hit shutout and shortstop Becca Bigler hit a two-run single in the fourth as Hofstra took the series against George Mason with a 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at GMU Softball Complex.
Hofstra won two-of-three in the Colonial Athletic Association series as Galati struck out two in moving to 27-10. The senior West Babylon, N.Y. native notched her 34th complete game, 13th shutout and second blanking against the Patriots.
The Pride has won 13 of the last 14 games to improve to 31-11 and 12-2 in CAA play. Mason fell to 15-32 and 3-12. Hofstra is in sole possession of second place with James Madison still in first with a 15-0 CAA record following a sweep at Delaware.
In a rematch of Saturday's series opener, Galati and Mason starter Anna Blessing both kept opposing offenses off-balance in the early stages. Both starters allowed just one hit through the first three innings with neither squad moving a runner into scoring position.
Mason tried a small-ball approach in the early going and Galati pitched to contact as Hofstra used strong defense to keep the game scoreless. The Patriots put down two bunts in the first and used shortened swings in trying to go for infield singles, though Hofstra recorded 12 total ground outs
Galati, who came in with five double-digit strikeout efforts in her last nine starts, didn't record her first strikeout until the fifth, though Mason only two balls were hit out of the infield through the first four innings (on Casey Price's single up the middle and Brooke Blankenship's fly out to left).
The Pride also used a patient approach to open the scoring in the fourth. Galati and sophomore catcher Erin Trippi worked back-to-back one-out walks and Hirschbuhl rocketed a single up the middle. Galati stopped at third, loading the bases for Bigler.
Blessing fell behind 1-0 to Bigler, prompting a visit on the circle. Bigler worked the count to 3-0 before Blessing battled back to bring it full. But Bigler then pulled a hard-hit single to left that scored Galati and Trippi for a 2-0 lead.
Bigler's RBIs gave Hofstra its first lead in the series since Game 1 and the Pride continued use discipline to ignite another rally in the fifth. Freshman Caryn Bailey was hit by a pitch to start the inning and fellow freshman Kim Smith walked to chase Blessing in favor of reliever Casey Herring.
Chloe Fitzgerland sacrificed both runners into scoring position and Hofstra scored on a wild pitch for the second time this series when Herring's offering skipped into the dirt and to the backstop to score Bailey for the 3-0 edge. Hofstra also scored on a wild pitch in a 2-0 victory in the series opener yesterday.
Mason threatened in the fifth with a comeback bid when Casey Price and Christine Gabriele hit back-to-back singles. The Patriots sent up consecutive pinch hitters, though Galati induced a groundout that put runners on second and third before she struck out Amanda Bender to strand two.
The Patriots again put runners on second and third in the sixth. Tiffany Webb hit a one-out single and Megan Blank reached on a fielder's choice in which the Pride could not get Webb out as the lead runner at second. Galati forced cleanup hitter Brooke Blankenship to ground out to second and again left a pair in scoring position with a groundout to short to preserve the 3-0 edge.
Blessing took the loss in falling to 1-8, allowing three hits and four walks without registering a strikeout.
With the win, Hofstra improved its all-time record in CAA series to 70-2-3. The Pride has still not lost a conference series since 2006 when Delaware won two-of-three at home.
Hofstra will next be in action with a non-conference road game at Fordham on Wednesday. First pitch in the Bronx is scheduled for 6 p.m.
