Hempstead, N.Y. – Junior pitcher Morgan Lashley continued her undefeated season and junior Taylor Pirone followed with another gem as the Pride swept the Hofstra Invitational with a 5-1 win over Fairfield and a 3-2 victory over Columbia on Saturday at Hofstra Softball Stadium.
Playing its first two home games of the season, Lashley extended her record to 9-0 by holding Fairfield to five hits in the complete-game victory in the opener. Pirone then held Columbia to just one run in six innings before Lashley earned the save by pitching the seventh. Hofstra improved to 13-3 on the season. Anticipated cold weather canceled all four of Sunday's scheduled games in the tournament.
Sophomore Maggie Hawkins produced the game-changing play with a three-run home run off Fairfield starter Rebecca Trott in the third in the home opener. Hawkins' third home run tied her with junior Erin Trippi for the team lead and keyed a four-run inning that staked Lashley to all the runs she would need.
Sophomore Chloe Fitzgerald started the third with a leadoff triple and came all the way around on the play on an error off the relay throw. Senior Becca Bigler and Trippi both walked, setting up Hawkins' blast to left-center for the 4-0 edge.
In the next inning, senior Rachael Senatore added a sacrifice fly for a five-run edge. Trott allowed nine hits in the complete but fell to 0-4 while Fairfield dropped to 2-7.
Lashley struck out eight and did not walk a batter. Fairfield's only run came in the sixth on catcher Lauren Liseth's RBI single. Lashley threw a 1-2-3 seventh to record her eighth complete game in 10 starts.
In the second game, Pirone also gave Hofstra a strong showing as the right-hander struck out three and threw 59 of her 78 pitches. Pirone induced 13 ground ball outs in an effective outing as the Fordham transfer improved to 4-3.
Hofstra jumped on Columbia's Brooke Darling (1-4) in the first on Senatore's one-out single through the right side. Bigler drove in the game's first run on a RBI double to center and the Pride went ahead 2-0 on a throwing error that plated Bigler.
Emily Snodgrass cut Columbia's deficit to 2-1 on a RBI double to left-center in the third. Pirone did not allow another run and ended her outing by not allowing a hit in the fifth and sixth innings. Trippi's RBI off a fielder's choice in the bottom of the third made it 3-1 and scored what proved to be a vital insurance run.
Hofstra turned to Lashley in the seventh for Hofstra's first save of the season, though Columbia mounted a late comeback bid. Lashley struck out the first two batters she faced before back-to-back singles brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate.
Snodgrass picked up her second RBI with an inning-extending single to right that Kayla Shimoda and put Alix Cook at third with the tying run. But Lashley struck out cleanup hitter Alyssa Rodia swinging. By striking out the side, Lashley earned her first save as a member of the Pride.
Hofstra will be off for a week before beginning Colonial Athletic Association play at James Madison on Saturday for a three-game series. The matchup will feature the squads ranked 1-2 in the league's preseason poll and will be a rematch of last season's CAA championship game that Hofstra won. Both schools qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament.
Georgetown (9-12) defeated Columbia, 4-0, in its second game of the day. The Hoyas also downed Fairfield, 3-0, in the opener of the tournament at Hofstra Softball Stadium.
