Lights-out pitching and a solo home run from Dahlia Palacio lifted the Hofstra University softball team to a 3-0 victory over the College of Charleston in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship tournament on Thursday, May 8. After a 5-2 loss to the Cougars in the first round, the Pride bounced back and stayed alive in the tournament.
Emma Falen and Carley Ernst tossed a combined no-hitter through 6.0 innings. Falen was shut out through five hitless innings, allowing just two walks and striking out four batters. Ernst allowed the only hit of the day in the bottom of the seventh inning and notched one strikeout.
Palacio had an explosive game at the plate with her second home run of the season and a single. Alanna Morse continued to be a solid bat for the Pride with a two-hit game.
The Pride struggled against Cougars pitcher Mackenzie Mathis in game one of the tournament. Mathis stopped the Pride from earning a hit through 5.1 innings pitched; however, the Pride gave Mathis trouble, and she was tagged with the loss in the second matchup between the Pride and Cougars in the tournament. She pitched six innings in the circle and allowed three earned runs on six hits.
The Pride got up early thanks to a solo shot to right center field from Palacio in the second inning. Falen proceeded to toss a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning with two strikeouts. This would be the start of nine consecutive retired Cougars hitters.
Hofstra kept rolling with a one-run inning in the fourth. Morse started the inning off with a single up the middle. Anna Butler moved Morse into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt that set the table for an RBI single from Tyler Douglas. Douglas has really shaped up toward the end of the season. She had a three-hit series against Monmouth University and a hit in each CAA Tournament game.
The Cougars had an opportunity to pounce in the fifth inning but left two runners in scoring position. Gracyn Hyatt started the inning off with a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. Sierra Paradis reached on a throwing error by Mackenzie Fitzgerald that advanced Hyatt to third. Samantha Horn pinch ran for Paradis and stole second base, but the Cougars were shut down on a strikeout.
The Pride strung together hits in the sixth inning for a productive one-run inning. Chelsea Villar led off the inning with a double in the left center field gap. Morse followed with her second hit of the day, a single that trickled into right field. Butler lifted a foul ball to the left field side, which allowed Villar to tag up and score. Palacio kept the momentum going with a single and Douglas moved both baserunners into scoring position on a groundout. Despite the traffic on base, the Pride were only able to manufacture one run.
The Cougars broke the no-hitter in the seventh inning. Kennedy Rhue got aboard on a throwing error by Ernst and Julia Sitterding followed with the only Cougars hit of the day. Sally Trent moved both runners into scoring position on a sacrifice fly. Despite the threat on the basepaths, Ernst remained poised on the mound, forcing a strikeout and a groundout to first.
The Pride advanced to the next round of the elimination bracket and faced the CAA regular season champions, the University of Delaware, on Friday, May 9, whom the Pride took the series over in the regular season. The first pitch was scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
