Fairfield, Conn. -- Senior Becca Bigler hit a solo home run, freshman Maggie Hawkins threw four scoreless innings and Hofstra scored three runs in the sixth inning to lift the Pride to a 5-0 victory over Fairfield in a non-conference matchup at Alumni Softball Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Hawkins struck out a career high four batters to improve to 3-0. She has allowed just one run through her first three career starts and four total appearances, spanning 13 ⅓ innings. Senior Olivia Galati threw three scoreless innings in relief with six strikeouts to notch her third save of the season.
Hofstra won for the 19th time in the last 20 games in improving to 37-11 overall. Fairfield starter Becca Trott (11-6) took the loss in going three innings as the Stags fell to 25-19 overall.
Sophomore Lindsey Reid went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in a start at second base and senior Jess Hirschbuhl added a tack-on RBI single to right for a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning to give Galati a cushion.
Senior Tessa Ziemba hit a clutch two-out RBI single in the fourth to make it a 2-0 game before the Pride broke the game open in the sixth. Jess Hirschbuhl, Galati and and Ashley Ainbinder all registered RBI singles in the inning for a five-run advantage.
The Pride will enter the final regular season series against Towson with a half-game lead over James Madison in the Colonial Athletic Association standings. The regular season champion will get to host the conference tournament from May 8-10.
Both teams loaded the bases but failed to score in the first. Hofstra utilized three walks to load the bases in the top of the inning, though Trott stranded all three runners by inducing a fly out to left to keep the game scoreless.
Fairfield also loaded the bases in the first with Kristen Filicia and Sammy Ruffolo hitting back-to-back singles to left before a walk put three on base with none out. Hawkins responded by striking out Rae Bell on a 3-2 fastball and getting Lauren Filicia looking. Hawkins then induced a foul out near the rail in front of Fairfield's dugout to escape without any damage.
The Pride once again got early baserunners in the second with Hawkins, Bailey and Reid each hitting singles to load the bases. Once again, Trott did her best magician impersonation, getting out of the inning when a fielder's choice cut off Hawkins as the lead runner at the plate before a line out and a pop out ended the frame.
Bigler's home run to left-center off a 2-2 pitch broke the deadlock in the top of the third. Bigler's 11th homer marked Hofstra's first long ball in 10 games and gives Hofstra 49 on the season, which is just one off the team's single season record set in 2003.
Hawkins made the support stand up, pitching around Kristen Filicia's leadoff double. After a wild pitch put the potential tying run at third with none out, Hawkins got a foul fly to first and struck out the final two batters to keep Hofstra ahead, 1-0.
Ziemba made it a 2-0 Hofstra lead by smashing a two-out RBI single up the middle off reliever Lauren Falkanger to score Reid. Hirschbuhl picked up her 29th RBI in the sixth with a single to right.
Galati made an impact with her bat as well as her relief pitching, knocking a run-scoring single up the middle after a fielding error in right loaded the bases. Following a strikeout, Ainbinder delivered a pinch-hit single to right that scored Ziemba. That marked Ainbinder's second RBI of 2013.
The Pride took a different path than normal to the ballpark, catching the ferry from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport. After using the scenic route, Hofstra pounded out 12 hits against three Fairfield pitchers.
Hofstra will close the regular season with a three-game series versus Towson beginning with a Friday doubleheader at 2 p.m. at Hofstra Softball Stadium.
