Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra University softball team cruised past the LIU Sharks in the final game at Bill Edwards Stadium of the 2022 season Tuesday afternoon. The Pride used a five-run third inning to take control and eventually defeated LIU in five innings, 9-1. Hofstra improved to 19-25 overall while LIU fell to 23-27.
 
McKevitt finished her big day at the plate going 2-for-2 with a home run, double, walk, and two runs scored. Kasey Collins also was solid at the dish going 2-for-3 with an RBI triple and two runs scored while Sam Ward went 2-for-4 with the game-ending RBI single. Chelsea Manto and Angelia Ioppolo also drove in runs for the Pride behind one hit.
 
LIU's Katie Hinkle drove in the Sharks first run of the game with a two-out single, but Hofstra got out of the inning with a line-out to shortstop. In the bottom of the second, Hofstra put its first three runners on base but nothing was able to cross as the Sharks retired three-straight Pride batters.
 
Hofstra went on to score five runs on four hits in the bottom of the third with the help of four LIU errors. Collins and Ward led off the stanza with back-to-back singles before Aliya Catanzarita loaded the bases with a walk. Hofstra cleared the bases during its next plate appearance when the Sharks made two errors on a batted ball by Ioppolo, giving Hofstra a 3-1 lead. McKevitt followed up with an opposite-field double before Manto found the 5-6 hole to score McKevitt.
 
After the Pride got out of the top of the fourth inning with a double play, McKevitt stretched the Pride lead to 7-1 when she lifted her first home run of the season over the right-center field wall.  
 
Manto drew a five-pitch walk and stole second to get the fifth inning started and Collins followed up with a triple to the right-center gap before Ward dropped a single in front of the LIU left fielder to clinch the run-rule victory.
 
In the circle, Haley Venturini (7-8) earned the victory, going 4.0 innings with four strikeouts and one earned run. Annabella Pisapia pitched one inning in relief and retired the side in order.
 
Hofstra returns to the diamond for one final Colonial Athletic Association regular season series this weekend, as the Pride is set to travel to Towson University. Hofstra will take on the Tigers in a doubleheader on Friday at noon and 2 p.m. before closing out the series on Saturday at noon.
 
Notes:
-Hofstra is now 20-8 all-time against LIU
-Ioppolo and Manto recorded their 100th career hits
-Manto extended her reached base streak to 26 games and hitting streak to seven
-McKevitt recorded her fifth multi-RBI game of the season
-Manto now has 26 stolen bases this season which is third all-time in a single-season at Hofstra behind Kristin Hallam who had 34 in 2019 and 29 in 2021. Manto is also eighth all-time in career stolen bases.