Hempstead, NY – Junior center fielder Jaycee Ruberti laced a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to force extra innings, but Drexel answered with one run in the eighth to edge out Hofstra by a score of 6-5 in Hofstra's Colonial Athletic Association finale at Bill Edwards Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
 
Hofstra dropped to an even .500 (14-14) on the season and completed its CAA slate with a 6-8 mark while first-place Drexel improved to 24-9 overall and 10-5 in the league.
 
Drexel took a three-run lead over Hofstra in the second inning with back-to-back RBI doubles, but the Pride responded back in the bottom half of the inning when freshman Brianna Morse ripped a base hit to left field. Hofstra shrunk the deficit to 3-2 in the third when another run scored with two outs when junior first baseman Angelina Ioppolo drilled a pitch to center field, scoring Ruberti who reached on a base hit to left earlier in the frame.
 
Drexel stretched out the lead to 5-2 in the fifth, but Hofstra continued to chip away as Ruberti's hot bat led off with a triple down the right field line before she eventually reached home on a Meghan Giordano sacrifice fly. In her next at bat, Ruberti was clutch once again as she turned on another inside pitch and tied the game at five for Hofstra with her third blast of the season. Drexel left two runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh, but no further damage was done as Burns retired the Dragons with a ground out.
 
Drexel put runners on first and second with a base hit and error to begin extra innings, but the Dragons scored the go-ahead run when Linda Rush singled to center field, giving the visitors the 6-5 advantage. Hofstra was unable to answer as the side was retired in order, giving Drexel the series win for the weekend.
 
Ruberti went 3-for-5 on the day and finished one double short of the cycle, while she also scored three runs and drove in two for the Pride. Senior Devyn Losco went 3-for-4 with a run, and Giordano and Ioppolo had one RBI.
 
Junior Madison Burns pitched six innings in relief and ultimately took the loss despite allowing just one earned run.
 
Though Hofstra's conference schedule has concluded, the Pride will visit the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights for a non-conference doubleheader on Sunday, May 9. First pitch in Teaneck, N.J. is at 12 p.m. In the meantime, Hofstra will await its CAA Championship fate following the conclusion of the remainder of the conference schedule.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 72-17 all-time against Drexel
-Chelsea Manto had Hofstra's only stolen base on the day, but it was a meaningful one as the Pride set a single-season program record with 78 stolen bases on the year. The mark is particularly impressive as Hofstra's previous program record of 77 stolen bases (2019) was set through 47 games, but during the 2021 shortened season, Hofstra has recorded 78 swipes through just 28 games.
-Hofstra recorded 11 hits to Drexel's eight
-The game featured eight combined errors
-Hallam has reached base successfully in 21 consecutive games while she extended her hitting streak to eight games.