By Chris Buckley (Staff Writer)
This past weekend the Hofstra softball team swept a three-game road series from the Drexel Dragons in Philadelphia. With the sweep, the Pride has now won 29 of its last 30 CAA matchups.
Needless to say, senior pitcher Olivia Galati has had something to do with that success. Galati was spectacular in the most recent CAA slate, pitching a complete game in all three wins, including a doubleheader on Sunday.
With three wins on the weekend, Hofstra improves to 24-10 (7-1 CAA) and Galati to 21-9. It’s the fourth time she has won at least 20 games in her Pride career.
In Saturday’s complete game, Galati struck out 12 Drexel batters en route to her seventh shutout of the season and an 11-0 win. Hofstra broke the game open in the fourth inning when all nine Pride batters reached base safely— all with two outs.
The Pride would score nine runs in the frame, thanks to a two-run home run from senior outfielder Tessa Ziemba who had four RBIs in the game, and a three-run triple from junior second baseman Tori Rocha.
On Sunday, Galati took to the mound again, and this time she was perfect. In game one, she retired all 18 batters faced with 13 strikeouts to earn the third perfect game of her prolific career.
Hofstra would go on to win 13-0, as sophomore catcher Erin Trippi had a monster offensive day with two home runs including a grand slam and six RBIs in the first game alone. Just one Drexel batter managed to hit a ball out of the infield off Galati.
The second game of the pair was not much different. Once again, Galati went the distance, this time a one-hitter in a 5-0 shutout. Trippi had her second multi-hit game of the day reaching base safely three times. She also caught every pitch from Galati in the two games.
The series against Drexel capped off an amazing stretch for Galati, one which began the week before.
On Thursday, she helped Hofstra toward another doubleheader sweep, this time against the Marist Red Foxes. In game one, she tossed a no-hitter and drove in the only run of the game to give the Pride a 1-0 edge. Hofstra would win the second game 9-3 with freshman Victoria Cabral on the mound.
On Wednesday, the Pride faced off against Rutgers in another pair of games at Hofstra Softball Stadium. Galati lost the first game 1-0 in eight innings, but rebounded in the second with a three inning save of a 6-5 Hofstra win. She allowed just one run in 11 total innings on the day.
Galati’s amazing performances earned her major recognition. This past Tuesday it was announced that she had been named the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week for April 1-7. She also picked up a Player of the Week mention by ESPN-W and was named the Pitcher of the Week by the CAA.
In addition, Galati was named National Division I Co-Player of the Week by the NFCA earlier in the day.
In that span, the senior allowed just one run in 36 innings. The right-hander racked up 62 strikeouts over those 36 innings of work and sported a spectacular 0.19 ERA. At the plate, she hit .333 with four runs scored and three RBIs.
“It’s a great honor to win such a prestigious award,” Galati said. “I appreciate the consideration, and I’d like to thank my teammates and coaches. I would not have been able to win it without them.”
“It’s a great honor and a privilege to have Olivia put in the company of the best players in the country,” said Hofstra head coach Bill Edwards. “We’re proud of Olivia and it’s great to see her recognized for her contributions to our program. It’s rewarding to see her hard work and dedication lead to such a prestigious award.”
