Harrisonburg, Va. – No. 2 seed Hofstra Softball topped No. 4 UNCW, 9-6, on Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Park to advance to the Colonial Athletic Association Championship. The Pride will be making its 13th appearance in the CAA title game, taking on No. 1 James Madison at 11 a.m. on Friday.
 
Freshman Sam Tomasetti nearly doubled her season RBI total, driving in three runs and going 3-for-4 with a home run and a two-run double. Junior Megan Patierno continued her solid tournament, adding a homer and a double of her own, as the Pride improved to 27-21 on the season.
 
The Seahawks (33-18-1) put up a run in the top of the first, but the Pride answered right back in its half of the inning. With runners on the corners, junior Sarah Edwards reached on a fielder's choice, bringing home classmate Brielle Pietrafesa.
 
Tomasetti got the Pride out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second, making a diving catch in center field for the third out. Patierno then gave Hofstra the lead in the bottom of the second with a solo home run, her eighth long ball of the season, over the left-field wall.
 
Patierno led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to center field, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt from junior Kaitlyne Musa and coming home on an illegal pitch. Tomasetti then blasted her first career home run to dead-center for a 4-1 Hofstra lead.
 
Freshman pitcher Alyssa Irons inherited two runners in the top of the fifth, stepping in to relieve senior Jessica Peslak and working out of the jam, including throwing her first strikeout of the game to escape the inning unscathed.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Tomasetti dropped a double into right-center to bring in two more runs. She drove in junior Nikki Michalowski, who had singled to lead off, and senior Lacey Clark, who had walked.  Freshman Kristin Hallam then singled, advancing to second on the throw, with Tomasetti coming home for a 7-1 Pride lead.
 
UNCW pulled back two runs in the top of the sixth on a two-run single from Hannah Adamczyk.
 
Edwards walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth, with Irons stepping in to pinch run. With one out, Clark then singled up the middle, and a walk to Patierno loaded the bases. Musa then knocked a two-run single into left field to put the Pride up, 9-3.  
 
The Seahawks attempted to mount a rally in the top of the seventh, tacking on three more runs, but Irons threw a strikeout for the final out to seal the win.
 
The Pride return to Veterans Memorial Park on Friday morning at 11 a.m. to take on top-seeded James Madison. Because the Dukes are coming out of the winners' bracket and the tournament is double elimination, Hofstra must beat James Madison twice to claim the CAA crown.