STANFORD, Calif. – The Hofstra University softball team closed out action at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday against Drake University, however the Pride dropped an 8-0 decision to the Bulldogs in five innings at Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium on Sunday. Hofstra closed out the Stanford Invitational with a 1-4 record while Drake improved to 4-4.
 
Hofstra collected just two hits on the day including a lead-off single by sophomore Kasey Collins in the top of the first inning and a base hit by freshman Jordan Pietrzykoski in the fourth. Sophomore Meghan Giordano reached base three times and walked on all three occasions. Hofstra left seven total runners on base.
 
Drake put themselves on the scoreboard in the first inning with a two-out RBI double by Sarah Maddox. After each team was retired in order in the second frame, the Bulldogs posted three runs on four hits in the bottom of the third and did the exact same in the fourth.  Drake ended the game in the fifth when Macy Johnson hit an RBI single to left-center field.
 
Hofstra rotated through all four of its pitchers in Sunday's outing. Freshman Natalie Grubczak got her first career start on the rubber and pitched 2.2 innings with two strikeouts. Sophomore Madison Burns pitched 0.2 innings and struck out two batters, before freshman Nikki Mullin and sophomore Mackenzie Suto saw action and fanned one batter each.
 
Drake's Mackenzie Hupke (1-2) earned the win and tossed 5.0 innings, striking out three.
 
Next, Hofstra will travel to Boca Raton, Florida for the FAU Strike Out Cancer Tournament. The Pride will meet four different teams across five games including Illinois State, Florida Atlantic, North Florida and LIU. The first day of action is on Friday, February 21 when the Pride are set to face Illinois State at 11:45 a.m. followed by a game against host Florida Atlantic at 4:15 p.m.

NOTES:
-Kasey Collins and Lindsey Hay hit .286 to lead Hofstra at the tournament (four hits) while Meghan Giordano and Jaycee Ruberti posted three hits
-Five different Pride players each recorded an RBI
-Madison Burns struck out seven batters across 10.2 innings pitched
-Nikki Mullin tossed a team-high 13.2 innings and strike out three batters