Tampa, Fla. - Hofstra saw both of its starting pitchers toss complete game victories as the Pride earned the NFCA Leadoff Classic Tournament title with a 7-1 win over South Florida and an 8-0 victory against Massachusetts on Sunday.
Junior Taylor Pirone pitched a complete-game five-hitter and Hofstra supported the right-hander by putting up a three-spot in both the first and third innings to lift the Pride to the victory over South Florida in the first game.
Junior Morgan Lashley, who was named the Classic's Most Valuable Pitcher, won her third game in as many starts with a complete-game shutout against Massachusetts. She allowed just three hits while striking out three in six innings. The Pride went 4-1 in the season-opening weekend as Lashley (3-0) earned 75 percent of the victories. Hofstra won the tournament via tiebreaker over USF and DePaul, which all finished with 4-1 records in the tournament.
Pirone earned her first win in a Hofstra uniform by striking out three and not allowing a run until the fifth inning, by which point the Pride had already staked her to a 5-0 edge. The Fordham transfer improved to 1-1 on the season by forcing 12 ground outs.
Hofstra jumped on USF starter Erica Nunn with a three-run two-out rally in the first. Sophomore Chloe Fitzgerald hit a one-out single and the Pride loaded the bases with two walks. Senior Becca Bigler earned an RBI with a walk that forced in the first run and senior second baseman Tori Rocha lined a two-run single.
That turned out to be all the support Pirone would require, though the Pride chased the left-handed Nunn (2-3) in the third when sophomore Caryn Bailey and Bigler worked back-to-back walks. Senior Ashley Ainbinder ripped a run-scoring single off reliever Sam Greiner. Fellow senior Rachael Senatore also had a RBI single in Hofstra's three-run fifth inning.
Sophomore Kim Smith added an insurance run in the fifth when she scored off a USF error. Hofstra defeated the Bulls in the first meeting between the schools since the 2012 NCAA Super Regionals. The Bulls entered the week receiving votes in the ESPN top-25 national poll.
In the second game, Hofstra again struck early with three runs in the first inning against UMass. Junior Erin Trippi drew a bases-loaded walk and Bigler added a RBI single up-the-middle. Rocha continued a strong tournament with a run-scoring single to left that plated sophomore Maggie Hawkins.
Lashley did not allow a hit until the third inning. Overall, Hofstra posted a 16-3 advantage in hits. Rocha contributed to insurance runs with a two-run single in the fifth. Freshman Michaela Transue picked up her first collegiate RBI with a RBI double to right center in the sixth. Massachusetts fell to 1-4 on the season.
In addition to Lashley's Most Valuable Pitcher Award, Senatore, Bigler and Hawkins were named to the all-tournament team.
Hofstra will return to action in a five-game Florida Gulf Coast Tournament starting on Friday with games against Eastern Michigan and FGCU.
