The Hofstra University softball team marches on in the Coastal Athletic Association tournament as they will take on the top-seeded Campbell University Camels in the lower-bracket semi-finals on Friday, May 10, at 12:30 p.m.
The Pride held off elimination for the second straight day, taking down Stony Brook 2-0 in a rematch of their opening round matchup. The Camels fell 2-1 to tournament hosts UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) in the second round. This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season.
The Pride can go as far as Julia Apsel will take them. The senior boasts a 19-11 record this season, now coming off her second straight complete game shutout, with 16 strikeouts across the two outings. Apsel is in the midst of her best season at Hofstra with a career-best 1.48 ERA, punching out 165 batters this season. The Pride will need another clutch performance out of their top hurler if they expect to meet their goal for back-to-back conference championships.
Campbell will likely counter with their own ace in Isabella Smith. Coming off the loss to UNCW, Smith owns a 23-7 record and 2.19 ERA across 38 appearances. Smith struck out eight batters and only allowed one earned run in the Camels’ loss, but she gave up six hits and a walk across seven innings.
When it comes to batting, Aliya Catanzarita was the hero of Hofstra’s win against Elon University, driving in four runs on three hits including a home run, as she has hit safely in each game of the tournament so far. Olivia Malinowski, Mackenzie Fitzgerald and Chelsea Manto have also been swinging hot bats. Malinowski and Fitzgerald combined to go four-for-six with two extra-base in the win against Stony Brook while Manto has made at least one hit in nine of her last 10 games.
Campbell relies on a deep lineup for success on the offensive end, with six starters holding a batting average of .300 or better. Tyra Parker, Charlie Montgomery and Allyiah Swiney contributed seven of the Camels’ eight hits in their loss to UNCW. Parker leads the starting lineup with a .353 average on the season.
The winner will immediately move on to play the loser of University of Delaware vs UNCW who will face off in the upper-bracket semis. The lower-bracket semi-final is now scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. due to the forecasted inclement weather with a spot in the championship game on the line.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Doug Neeb
