Harrisonburg, Va. – Junior catcher Erin Trippi hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Hofstra put up a six-spot in the third to lead Hofstra to an 8-4 win over the College of Charleston in the opening day of the Colonial Athletic Association Championship on Wednesday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park.
Sophomore Maggie Hawkins and senior Becca Bigler each delivered two-run doubles in the third inning to help the third-seeded Pride improve to 33-11 with its 11th consecutive win. Hofstra will now face top-seeded James Madison on Thursday at noon in the winner's bracket matchup of the double-elimination tournament. CofC saw its own 10-game winning streak snapped in falling to 40-15 and will face fourth-seeded Towson in the loser's bracket contest at 2:30 p.m.
Hawkins went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Trippi also scored twice. Hofstra scored six runs in the third to put the contest out of reach. The Pride defeated the Cougars for the third time in four meetings this season. CofC, which is in its first year in the CAA, was one of two teams in the conference to reach 40 wins in the regular season but will now face the Tigers in an elimination game on Thursday.
Trippi continued a career-best season for power by driving Hope Klicker's 0-2 pitch over the right-centerfield wall for a two-run home run in the opening inning. Hawkins singled through the left side and Trippi responded with the opposite-field blast that marked her eighth long ball of the season, which trails only Hawkins' nine for the team lead.
Named an All-CAA Second Team selection the night before, Trippi launched her first home run in seven career CAA Tournament games. Junior pitcher Taylor Pirone (16-5) then took the circle in the bottom of the inning and escaped a two-on jam by initiating a lineout-double play on a hard comebacker. Pirone snared power-hitting Kelsey Hodgson's line drive and doubled off Rebecca Mueller at first to end the inning.
Hofstra's two speedsters in sophomore Chloe Fitzgerald and senior Rachael Senatore reached to start the third inning. Hawkins then went the opposite way with a two-run double to right-center that put the Pride ahead, 4-0, and chased Klicker (9-9) from the game after she allowed four hits while logging just six outs. Hawkins recorded her first career multi-RBI game in CAA Championship action.
Bigler hit a two-run double off reliever Samantha Martin and sophomore designated player Kim Smith contributed a run-scoring single.
Pirone, who earned All-CAA First Team honors in her first season at Hofstra after transferring from Fordham, capitalized on the run support in winning her sixth consecutive start. The New Rochelle, New York native struck out two and allowed just three earned runs.
CofC got on the scoreboard on Muller's two-run single to the right side in the bottom of the third. But Hofstra's strong defense – complete with three double plays through the first four innings – prevented the Cougars from mounting a serious comeback bid. Senior second baseman Tori Rocha, who entered in place of Lacey Clark, ended the game on a great lunging stop and a strong throw to first to complete the victory.
The teams combined for seven errors. Three of the four teams made at least three errors on the day with JMU also making three errors in the winning effort of the first game.
