Piscataway, N.J. – Hofstra hit two home runs and belted 11 hits to win the opener, 13-1, but Rutgers' Alyssa Landrith threw a complete-game five-hitter in a 3-1 Scarlet Knights victory in the second game as the Pride split a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday at RU Softball Complex.
The Pride snapped a three-game losing streak with the win in the opener and is now 14-7 on the season. Rutgers moved to 13-10 with the victory in the finale. Hofstra is 24-6 in the all-time series against the Scarlet Knights.
Senior shortstop Becca Bigler hit a three-run home run as part of a four-run second inning rally in the opener and junior pitcher Morgan Lashley allowed just four hits in a game shortened to five innings because of the run-margin rule. Sophomore Maggie Hawkins added a two-run home run and three RBIs on the day. Bigler also scored three runs.
Hofstra scored seven unearned runs off of five Rutgers errors, including five runs in the fifth that was set up by a pair of miscues from the Scarlet Knights. The Pride set up the run-rule shortened game for the first time this season with Rutgers setting a season high for opponent errors.
Hofstra jumped on starter Dresden Maddox for a pair of runs in the first. Junior catcher Erin Trippi hit a two-out RBI double to left-center that brought in senior Rachael Senatore for the game's first run. Hawkins then plated the second run on a single to left to extend her team-leading RBI total to 18 for the season.
The Pride then put the game out of reach in the next inning. Sophomore Caryn Bailey hit a one-out single and sophomore Chloe Fitzgerald reached on Maddox's error, which chased the pitcher from the circle. Senatore greeted reliever Shayla Sweeney with a bunt single with a run scoring on a throwing error. Bigler then capped the rally with her second home run of the season on a deep shot to left.
Hawkins picked up her second RBI in the fourth and sophomore Kim Smith drove in Hofstra's second run on a single to center that scored Trippi's second run of the contest in putting Hofstra ahead, 8-1.
Maddox (2-1) was tagged with her first loss of the season as Rutgers fell in its home opener. Lashley snapped a personal two-game losing streak in improving to 10-2. She did not allow an extra-base hit with Rutgers scoring only one run on Emma Woo's second-inning sacrifice fly.
Hofstra set up the mercy rule in the fifth when senior Ashley Ainbinder walked and Bailey singled. Following a sacrifice bunt, back-to-back throwing errors on shortstop Carly Todd led to two runs and Trippi lofted a sacrifice fly. Hawkins' two-run home run punctuated the barrage and Lashley pitched a scoreless fifth to earn her 11th complete game in 13 starts.
In the second game, Rutgers' Melanie Slowinski opened the scoring with a first-inning RBI single to left that scored Jackie Bates. Alyssa Landrith gave up just two hits through the first four scoreless innings and was staked to a 2-0 lead on Chandler Howard's third-inning solo home run.
Landrith (7-4 ) logged a complete game and struck out three without allowing a walk. Hawkins made her first start for Hofstra and allowed just three hits in season-high four innings. The right-hander fell to 0-2. Junior Taylor Pirone gave up one run in two innings of relief.
Rutgers went up 3-0 in the fifth on Bates' RBI single. Hofstra freshman Lacey Clark ended Landrith's shutout bid with a seventh-inning solo home run. That marked Clark's first career home run.
Hofstra will resume Colonial Athletic Association play on Saturday with a doubleheader at Towson starting at noon.
