Mount Pleasant, S.C. – Junior third baseman Kim Smith drove in five runs in the opener and added another RBI in the second game to help Hofstra sweep the College of Charleston, 12-2 and 8-0, in a Colonial Athletic Association doubleheader Friday at Patriots Point.

Smith went a combined 5-for-8 and scored three runs with six RBIs in the sweep. Hofstra won the opener in six innings and senior Taylor Pirone threw a seven-hit shutout in the nightcap to extend the Pride's winning streak to eight.

Sophomore Lacey Clark drove in four combined runs for Hofstra, which already clinched the second spot in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship set for May 6-8 at top seed James Madison's campus. The Pride improved to 33-11-1 overall and 16-3 in league play. Charleston saw its chance of making the four-team conference tournament take a hit in dropping to 24-28 and 7-13 in league play with one regular season game remaining.

Pirone improved to 14-10 and followed Morgan Lashley's complete-game effort earlier in which she bettered her record to 19-1.

Hofstra turned a 2-0 deficit entering the fifth into a run-rule victory an inning later in the first game. The Pride scored five runs in the fifth in the opener off Charleston starter Valerie Cassell and worked five walks and sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning. Hofstra followed that effort by scoring seven runs in the sixth and batting around for the second consecutive frame.  

Smith's three-run double to the opposite-field gap put Hofstra ahead for good and keyed a big inning that provided the Pride with all the support the right-hander would need. Down 2-0, Hofstra loaded the bases with two outs on junior Caryn Bailey's walk and Smith took Cassell's offering to right-center. Pinch-runner Rachel Simodejka, Michaela Transue and Bailey all scored on the ball that rolled to the red fence.

Clark singled and a fielding error in left allowed Smith to come in and score. Freshman Brittany Allocca, who was making her first career start at catcher, reached base for the second time in the inning in drawing a bases-loaded walk for the fifth run that chased Cassell after the righty walked six to fall to 2-2.

Lashley won her 19th consecutive decision in needing just 77 pitches. The Davidson, North Carolina native has not lost since Feb. 13 and held the Cougars to four hits in six innings. Lashley struck out five and did not allow a walk.

Smith added insurance runs by again delivering with the bases loaded in the sixth. Smith hit a single up the middle off reliever Alex Pizzoli to score Transue and junior Chloe Fitzgerald, giving her five RBIs in two innings.

Freshman Nikki Michalowski registered her first career hit on a two-run single to left and Transue's RBI single gave Hofstra a six-run sixth inning to put the mercy rule in effect. Michalowski, who made her second career start and played first base in the contest, also recorded her first two career RBIs.

Hofstra threatened to open the scoring in the fourth, loading the bases on an error, junior Kim Smith's single and a walk. Freshman Megan Patierno squared up Cassell's offering for a hard line drive that went right to shortstop Victoria Bratcher, who snagged the ball without needing to range and stepped on second for the inning-ending double play.

Charleston's defensive play bolstered the team in the bottom of the inning. Carly Hansis pulled a two-run home run to the left-center gap. Her fifth home run tied her with Rebecca Mueller for the second most on the team and staked Cassell to the two-run edge before Hofstra scored 12 times in the next two innings.

Allocca became the first Hofstra player to start at catcher other than senior Erin Trippi since Courtney Crews in Game 3 of the Tampa Super Regionals on May 26, 2012. Trippi had started 151 consecutive games at catcher.

In the second game, Smith continued her torrid hitting by driving in Fitzgerald on a single to right-center in the first off starter Samantha Martin (11-12). Transue's solo home run on a full-count to left in the sixth marked the shortstop's fifth home run.

Bailey was credited with a triple when Charleston shortstop Victoria Bratcher and leftfielder Sara Garcia collided near the leftfield line, which brought in Fitzgerald. Clark and freshman Brielle Pietrafesa also logged RBI base hits to sustain a four-run rally and stake Pirone to a 5-0 lead.

Fitzgerald scored three runs in the second game, including her final tally on Clark's two-run seventh-inning triple. Pirone recorded her fifth individual shutout of the season.
 
Hofstra will cap the regular season Sunday in the finale of the three-game set at 11 a.m. from Patriots Point.