Fort Myers, Fla. – After opening the season 2-3 at the Michele Smith National Pediatric Cancer Foundation Invitational in Clearwater, Florida, last weekend, Hofstra Softball will return to the Sunshine State this weekend for the FGCU/Four Points Sheraton Invitational in Fort Myers.
The Pride will open the tournament with a matchup with Rutgers at 3:45 p.m. on Friday before taking on the host Eagles at 8:15 p.m. Hofstra will then meet Wisconsin for the second time in two weeks at 6 p.m. on Saturday before playing Florida International at 8:15 p.m. The Pride closes the weekend with a tilt against Boston College at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday.
Live stats will be available on HofstraStats.com, with links on this page and the Hofstra Softball schedule page.
The Pride went 2-3 to open the season, topping Binghamton, 14-6, in five innings, and Saint Josehph's, 6-5, but falling to Oklahoma State, 2-1, No. 25 South Florida, 7-5, and Wisconsin, 7-5.
Hofstra's bats came alive in the big win over the Bearcats, with junior
Megan Patierno hitting a first-inning grand slam and classmate
Brielle Pietrafesa adding a three-run homer in the second. Pietrafesa added three doubles on the weekend, finishing the tournament with six RBIs and a .450 batting average. Senior
Lacey Clark posted the team's best batting average on the weekend at .588, going 3-for-3 in both of the Hofstra's wins and adding a home run against USF as the Pride attempted to rally from a 7-2 deficit. Freshman
Kristin Hallam was also strong in her first collegiate weekend, hitting .474 and recording 13 putouts and 10 assists as the Pride's starting shortstop.
All three pitchers saw time for Hofstra, with a pair of freshmen making their collegiate debuts. Rookie
Alyssa Irons started against Oklahoma State and No. 25 South Florida, posting a 4.81 ERA and striking out six in 16.0 innings pitched. Classmate
Sarah Cornell went 2-0 with a 6.36 ERA and eight strikeouts in 11.0 innings pitched.
Rutgers is off to an 0-4 start, dropping two games each to Northern Illinois and Ohio last weekend. Carly Todd leads the team at the plate with a .462 batting average and three doubles. Pitcher Shayla Sweeney has appeared in all four games, posting a 7.43 ERA, five walks and three strikeouts in 13.1 innings. This will be the 32nd all-time meeting between the Pride and the Scarlet Knights, and Hofstra holds a 24-7 lead in the series.
Florida Gulf Coast comes into the weekend 5-4, posting four wins over LIU-Brooklyn and splitting with then-No. 21 Fresno State. Kelsey Huff leads the team with 13 hits, two triples and 11 RBIs. Pitcher Riley Randolph has seen the most work, posting a 2.70 ERA with 20 strikeouts and a 3-1 record in 23.1 innings. The Pride is 3-1 all-time against FGCU.
Wisconsin receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll this week after improving to 8-1, including a 7-5 win over the Pride last weekend. Chloe Miller leads the team with a .500 batting average, chipping in two doubles and six RBIs. The Pride is 1-2 all-time against Wisconsin.
Florida International also receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll after starting 8-3 with one of its losses to then-No. 1 Florida. Pitcher Shannon Saile has seen the most work, striking out 46 in 31.0 innings for a 2-2 record. This will be just the second all-time meeting between the Panthers and the Pride, with FIU taking the first contest.
Boston College is also off to a hot start at 7-3, including a win over No. 21 Arizona State. Pitcher Jessica Dreswick is 3-1 with a 4.88 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. Hofstra is 11-7 against BC all-time.
The Pride heads to Longwood for a three-game series next weekend.
