Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra softball team flashed its power against visiting Fordham, belting three solo home runs over the Bill Edwards Stadium walls as the Pride posted a come-from-behind 7-6 win over the Rams in non-conference action. Hofstra improves to 16-23 with the home win, and Fordham's record is now 23-23-1.
 
After the Rams jumped out to a 2-0 lead following the top of the first inning, Becca Vaillancourt led off the bottom half of the inning with a towering solo home run to left field to cut the Rams' lead to one. The guests added a run in the second inning to up the lead back to two runs, and they scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third inning to lead 5-1 over the hosts. Vaillancourt scored her second RBI of the day on a sacrifice flyout to deep right, scoring the speedy Chelsea Manto from third to make it 5-2, and Chelsea Villar sent a double over the head of Fordham's center fielder to score Aliya Catanzarita and make it a two-run difference after three innings.
 
Following a one-run fourth inning for Fordham, Vaillancourt doubled home Mackenzie Fitzgerald to cut Fordham's lead to 6-4, and the Pride tied the game at 6-all on back-to-back solo home runs by Catanzarita and Villar in the fifth inning. Catanzarita launched a full-count pitch over the left field wall to bring Hofstra to within one, and Villar sent a 3-2 pitch over the same left field wall to even the score. After Manto bunted her way onto first base in the bottom of the sixth, Vaillancourt hit her second double of the day on the first pitch of her at bat to bring home Manto for the go-ahead run, allowing Annabella Pisapia to finish off the Rams for the Hofstra win.
 
Vaillancourt recorded a hit in all three at-bats for her today while tying a personal-best with four runs batted in. Villar drove in two runs on a 2-3 day at the plate, Catanzarita recorded two hits and four at-bats, and Manto hit twice in three at-bats. Pisapia struck out two Fordham batters in 4.0 innings of relief to pick up her second win of the season, and Marisa Ogden went 3.0 innings in the start.
 
The Pride closes out its home schedule with a three-game CAA series against Hampton, beginning on Friday, April 26, at 5 p.m.
 
NOTES:
-The Pride moves to 11-8 all-time against Fordham with today's win.
-Hofstra's three home runs are the most by the team in a game this season, and the most in a game since blasting three against Iona on March 9, 2019.
-Villar's home run was the first of her career.
-Manto stole her 16th base of the season, giving her 89 for her career and putting her three behind Charleston's Taylor DuPree (92, 2015-18) for the third-most in a career in CAA history.