By Nick Bond and Dave Gibb

The dominance of Kayleigh Lotti has long been known to those CAA sluggers unfortunate enough to stand in the batter’s box against the Pride’s ace right-hander. This weekend was simply a crushing reminder of Lotti’s excellence, as she managed to hold conference rival George Mason to a paltry 6 hits and 1 run, whilst whiffing 25 Patriots in only 14 innings.

Lotti, who has given up only one run in the last 8 conference games, was supported strongly by the Pride’s offense, who put up 10 runs in the two games Lotti pitched.

They were led by second base Casey Fee, who had 5 RBI in the doubleheader, second on the team behind first base Michelle DePasquale, who has 13 RBI on the season. The Pride offense added another 10 runs in a four-run victory in the back end of Saturday’s doubleheader, with Erin Wade getting the victory, her second of the season.

The series sweep capped what has been an exciting week for the Softball team. Lotti was named CAA Pitcher of the Week for the 12th time in her illustrious career, including an astonishing streak of six out of seven to close out the season last year. Lotti is no stranger to these weekly awards, as she began her record-setting career at Hofstra by winning 3 CAA Rookie of the Week awards as a freshman in 2006.

Lotti isn’t the only person in the softball program collecting accolades, the team’s coach, Bill Edwards, was named a Sports Illustrated “Face in the Crowd,” receiving the honor after garnering his 700th career win in a triumph over Brigham Young University on March 13. With Edwards at the helm, the Pride has won a remarkable 15 CAA titles, including the last 11.

The women of the softball team will next hit the field Thursday, March 26 for their home opener against Rutgers University at 4:30 PM. This weekend, CAA rivals JMU will come to Hofstra to play three games, a double-header on Saturday beginning at noon, and a third game on Sunday which begins at 12 PM as well.