Hempstead, NY – Senior Tessa Ziemba and sophomore Erin Trippi each drove in two runs and senior Olivia Galati recorded her fourth consecutive shutout to lead the number one seed Hofstra Pride to a 6-0 victory over the fourth seed Towson Tigers in the first game of the 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Softball Championship at Hofstra Softball Stadium on Wednesday evening.

The Pride, who improved to 41-11 with their 11th consecutive victory, will face James Madison at 12 p.m. on Thursday.. Hofstra earned the number one seed in the CAA Championship by capturing its 11th conference regular season title in the past 12 years.

The Tigers, who are now 29-27-1 on the season, will face Delaware on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

Galati (35-10), who shutout the Tigers three straight times in the final regular season series last weekend, extended her consecutive scoreless inning streak to 30 1/3 as she recorded her Division I-leading 19th shutout of the season. She allowed just four hits and struck out eight to increase her NCAA-leading strikeout total to 360 on the year.

In addition to Trippi, who had a two-run double in the fifth to boost the Pride lead to 3-0, and Ziemba, who added a two-run double in the sixth to plate Hofstra's fifth and sixth runs of the game, freshman Chloe Fitzgerald had three hits in four trips to the dish while classmate Maggie Hawkins added two hits in three trips to the plate. Junior Tori Rocha scored twice for the Pride which had eight hits in the contest.

After a three-hour delay to the start of the Championship due to rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Hofstra took the field to begin defense of their 2012 conference championship title which propelled the Pride through the NCAA Regional at UCLA and to the NCAA Super Regional at South Florida in Tampa.

The Pride stranded a runner at second in the first inning before the Tigers had the first threat of the contest, loading the bases, in the second. After senior Jillian Donnelly flied out to open the inning, sophomore Macie McGeehan singled to left and senior Bina Abbott reached on an error. After junior Mo Hepner struck out swinging, freshman Caitie Barber singled to left to load the bases with two down. But Galati, the four-time CAA Pitcher of the Year, struck out Lyons swinging to end the threat.

The Pride got on the board in the bottom half of the inning as senior Jess Hirschbuhl, an All-CAA first team selection, opened with a walk. After Bigler flied out, Hawkins, a CAA All-Rookie Team selection, doubled to right center to plate a sliding Hirschbuhl and give Hofstra a 1-0 lead.

Hofstra threatened again in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with two out before senior Becca Bigler flied out to end the inning. But the Pride settled down both offensively and defensively after the early Towson challenge and added two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

In the fifth, Fitzgerald, an All-CAA second team selection, singled and stole second. Rocha then walked before Ziemba sacrifice bunted both runners over to second and third. Trippi then recorded her 13th double of the year to score Fitzgerald and Rocha and give the Pride a 3-0 advantage.

In the sixth inning, Hawkins opened up with a single to right before CAA All-Rookie Team pick Caryn Bailey flied out to right. Galati was then hit by a pitch from starter Katie Lingmai (17-15). Fitzgerald then fouled out before Rocha reached on an error that scored Hawkins. Ziemba then tallied her 13th double of the season to score the Pride's final two runs of the contest.

Lingmei allowed three earned runs and eight hits in six innings of work for the Tigers.