Queens, NY – Staying on Long Island for the first of four road games, the Hofstra softball team weathered 12 hits from St. John's to claim a 3-1 win over the Red Storm in non-conference action.
 
Hofstra improves to 16-24 with the win on Wednesday, and St. John's drops to 34-14-1.
 
Hofstra did all of its damage against the Red Storm in the third inning. After Lily Yepez reached base safely on an infield hit, Chelsea Villar stepped to the plate and launched the first pitch she saw for a two-run home run to pull the Pride in front by two. After Anna Butler doubled immediately following Villar's home run, Hofstra added a third run on an RBI double by Dahlia Palacio to make it 3-0.
 
Carley Ernst and the Hofstra defense combined to strand 10 St. John's baserunners, including leaving the bases loaded without allowing a run in the fifth inning. Butler made the switch from first base to the pitcher's circle with one out and the bases loaded once again, but she forced two quick outs to finish the inning unscathed. The Red Storm broke the shutout with an RBI single, but the Pride retired the final two batters to complete the win.
 
Butler and Palacio tallied two hits apiece against St. John's, while Villar and Yepez recorded one hit each. Ernst picked up her fifth win of the season with a pair of strikeouts in 5.1 scoreless innings, and Butler earned the save.
 
Hofstra returns to CAA action with a three-game series against Stony Brook, beginning on Friday, April 25, at 2 p.m.
 
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 38-7-1 all-time against St. John's.
-With a double today, Palacio is now in sole possession of fourth for the most doubles in a season in program history with 18. She needs one to tie and two to pass Alicia Smith (19, 1999) for third-most in Hofstra softball history.
-Hofstra stranded 14 St. John's runners on base and limited the Red Storm to 2-12 with runners in scoring position.
-Villar's home run was her sixth of the season.