Elon, NC – Leading 2-1 going into the top of the seventh inning, #5 seed Charleston flipped the script with a three-run rally to upset the Hofstra softball team – the top seed at the 2026 CAA Championship – 4-2 in the Pride's opening game of the double-elimination tournament from Elon, North Carolina.
Hofstra drops to the loser's bracket with a 29-22 record, and Charleston advances in the tournament with a 28-28 mark.
After both teams went scoreless in the first inning,
Chelsea Villar blasted a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall for the first hit and run of the contest in the bottom of the second, and the Pride continued to put runners on base with a walk to
Ryleigh Smith and a single by
Lily Yepez to put runners into scoring position.
Mackenzie Fitzgerald smoked a 1-1 pitch to left to score Smith and make it a 2-0 ball game.
Emma Falen limited Charleston to four baserunners through the first four innings before a lead-off triple in the top of the fifth, and Charleston got on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly RBI to make it a one-run difference. The Cougars threatened to even the score in the inning with runners on second and third, but Falen forced a groundout to get out of the jam. After a scoreless sixth inning by
Madison Steppe, Charleston put a runner on second with a lead-off single and fielding error, and a wild pitch allowed the runner to advance to third. An RBI on a sacrifice flyout tied the score at 2-2 and, after a single put a runner on base, Charleston's Halle Cannon belted the go-ahead two-run home run to right field.
Gemma D'Orazio drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the seventh to put the tying run on base, but Hofstra was unable to bring any more runs across home plate.
Hofstra will return to the diamond at 2:30 p.m. on Friday to take on #2 UNCW in the loser's bracket.
NOTES:
-Hofstra is now 20-13 all-time against Charleston, and the Cougars have won four of the last six meetings against the Pride.
-Hofstra finished the game 2-9 with runners on base compared to Charleston's 4-12.
-Hofstra is now 4-3 against teams from the CAA South Division this season.
-Fitzgerald swiped her third base of the season in the second inning.
