By Mike Rudin – Sports Editor
In addition to the CAA title, the Hofstra softball team has won their first NCAA game under head coach Larissa Anderson against the Florida Atlantic Owls in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel.
“We scored the one run that we needed,” said Anderson. “Our defense did amazing today, we made some great plays… defense kept us in the ball game.”
Freshman Britany Allocca delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the sixth inning to bring Kim Smith home and ultimately secure the win.
The Pride’s win in game one advances them to the winners’ bracket in their respective region of the NCAA tournament.Hofstra is 6-1 in first-game matchups dating back since 2006 in seven NCAA tournament appearances.
The Pride and Florida Atlantic University competed once before in the regular season and the game ended in the Hofstra’s only draw of the season.
Morgan Lashley got the nod for the game and went up against Owls’ starter Kylee Hanson.
Both pitchers mirrored the other’s success without giving up a run in the first four frames. Lashley started to get into a couple of jams in the top of the third and fourth.
The third inning became dicey when the bases were loaded and Lashley was forced to face the No. 5 hitter Melissa Martinez – who’s batted a .313 average with six home runs and 49 RBIs this year.
Luckily, Lashley worked out of the inning with an unassisted fielder’s choice to third that kept the game scoreless.
The top of the fourth posed a greater threat to the Pride’s standstill with another scoring opportunity by Florida Atlantic.
With a runner on second, the Owl’s No. 9 hitter Delaney Rickey smacked a single to centerfield and challenged the arm of Caryn Bailey.
Kiley Southall hustled towards home and was set to score the first run of the game until Bailey fired the ball to the catcher Erin Trippi, who applied the tag and saved a potential run from scoring.
Lashley finished the game with four scoreless innings while allowing seven hits, one walk and striking out one batter during her outing.
“Morgan wasn’t hit hard, a lot of the base hits that she had were just blooped in,” said Anderson. “She was getting a lot of runners on base in those situations. So, third time through the lineup, regardless I was going to make a change at some point.”
Taylor Pirone took over on the mound in the top of the fifth and continued Lashley’s work to compile the shutout needed for the win.
“I’m doing this new thing now where my mindset is not trying to have a mindset,” said Pirone. “I’ve finally learned to shut my brain off and my focus is through the roof.”
Pirone worked through the last three innings with four strikeouts and gave up one hit to keep Florida Atlantic off the scoreboard.
Kylee Hanson was stuck on the losing end, pitching six innings while surrendering one run, four hits, two walks but striking out eight Pride hitters.
The NCAA regionals double-elimination format have the Pride move to the winners’ bracket against #1 University of Florida on May 16th at 1:00 p.m.
If the Pride win, they’ll clinch their regionals slot against Florida Atlantic University, Florida A&M and #1 University of Florida and advance to the super regionals.
If Hofstra loses to Florida, the Pride will then compete against the winner of the losers’ bracket to determine the next team to be eliminated from the tournament.
