Hempstead, N.Y. – Senior Olivia Galati threw her fourth career perfect game in the first contest against Towson and followed with a two-hit shutout as the Pride swept Towson, 8-0 and 9-0, in a pair of five-inning run-rule victories over the Tigers in a Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader on Friday afternoon at Hofstra Softball Stadium.
Galati struck out 15 against no walks on the afternoon, retiring all 15 batters she faced in the first game for her 11th career no-hitter. Her four perfect games moved her into a tie with South Carolina's Trinity Johnson (1995-97) for the second-most perfect games all-time in Division I history. Fordham's Jen Mineau (2009-12) has the record with five.
Sophomore Erin Trippi had four RBIs total and caught every Galati pitch on the day as Hofstra has won nine in a row to improve to 39-11 and 17-2 in CAA play. With a win on Saturday in the regular season finale, Hofstra can clinch a CAA regular season championship for the 11th time in 12 seasons and host the conference tournament. Towson, which has already secured a spot in the tournament, fell to 29-25-1 and 11-9.
Senior Tessa Ziemba went 5-for-6 on the day with five RBIs and four runs scored. That helped provide support for Galati (32-10), who extended her Division I-leading shutout mark to 17. The West Babylon, N.Y. native now has a nation-leading 339 strikeouts.
In the first game, Galati and Towson starter Katie Lingmai both retired the first nine batters faced before Hofstra broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning. The Pride sent nine batters to the plate, starting with freshman Chloe Fitzgerald's single and sophomore Tori Rocha's walk.
Ziemba ensured she registered a 40-RBI season for the fourth consecutive year, smashing a first-pitch triple down the right field line to open the scoring. Trippi added a sacrifice fly and, after back-to-back hit batters and a single to right, freshman Caryn Bailey hit a two-run double to center.
Galati only allowed two balls to go past the infield in Game 1 with leftfielder D.J. Slugh catching both of fly balls. After getting staked to the six-run lead, she set down the side in order in the fifth punctuated by her ninth strikeout when she fanned Bina Abbot.
The Pride concluded the contest via the mercy rule in the bottom of the inning on senior Jess Hirschbuhl's game-ending two-home run. Her seventh home run gave Hofstra 50 on the season, tying the team record for most long balls in a season that was set originally by the 2003 squad. It also ensured Galati recorded her second perfect game of 2013, joining the six-inning perfecto she notched at Drexel last month.
Galati needed just 66 pitches to get through five innings, throwing 52 strikes while Lingmai fell to 17-13. In Game 2, Galati was even more efficient, needing just 47 pitches to get through five with 40 of those going for strikes. The first-team All-America selection struck out six and did not allow a runner to get past second base with Olivia Yarbrough's first-inning double and Delanie Dunham's fourth-inning single providing Towson's only base-runners on the afternoon.
Hofstra jumped on starter Ambar Hickman (7-5) early, scoring two first-inning runs on four hits. Trippi and Hirschbuhl had RBI singles that scored Rocha and Ziemba, respectively.
The Pride then put the mercy rule in play again by putting up a six-spot in the second inning. Ziemba and Trippi both had RBI doubles and Hirschbuhl added a sacrifice fly. The Pride capitalized on a Towson error to score another run for the 8-0 lead.
Hofstra added a tack-on run in the third when Ziemba pulled a RBI single to the right side to score Fitzgerald.
Saturday will mark the finale of the series with a noon start. Senior day ceremonies will begin approximately 15 minutes before first pitch with Hofstra honoring Slugh, Nicole Osovski, Rachael Senatore, Galati, Hirschbuhl, Ziemba and Bigler.
