The Hofstra softball team opened this weekend’s series against the College of Charleston by sweeping Saturday afternoon’s doubleheader at Bill Edwards Stadium.
The Pride extended their win streak to five games after winning the first game 11-1 and the second 10-2, and are now 8-0 in conference play.
The Pride’s ace Sarah Cornell took the mound for the first game. Through five strong innings of work, she struck out two batters and allowed only four hits.
Hofstra took the lead early in the game, putting two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Courtney Scarpato doubled to left field, scoring Sarah Edwards and Brittany Allocca.
In the top of the third, Charleston scored their only run of the game off of a home run from Dexlie Inman.
The Pride’s bats really came alive in the bottom of the fourth inning. Megan Patierno started the inning off with a single to left field. Kimberly Wert singled to left field and then advanced to third base on an error from the left fielder, which also allowed Patierno to score.
Kristin Hallam doubled to right field, scoring Wert and advancing Michaela Transue – who had reached base on a walk – to third. Edwards and Scarpato both drew walks.
In Patierno’s second at-bat of the inning, she homered to left field to score Scarpato and Lydia Witkowski, who was pinch running for Edwards. In the following at-bat, Nikki Michalowski homered to left center field.
With strong pitching by Cornell and solid defense and power hitting by the Pride, Hofstra was able to defeat Charleston in just five innings, 11-1.
In the second game of the day, Sophie Dandola started on the mound for the Pride.
She struck out three, walked one and allowed four hits through six solid innings of work.
The Pride quickly took the lead, scoring two runs, again, in the bottom of the first. Allocca doubled to right center field, scoring Brielle Pietrafesa. Allocca scored two batters later, from a single off the bat of Scarpato.
Charleston answered right back in the top of the second inning, scoring two runs to tie the game.
The Pride regained the lead again in the bottom of the second inning. Transue singled up the middle, allowing Michalowski to score.
Allocca started the bottom of the third inning off with a solo home run to left field. In the following at-bat, Edwards hit a solo shot to right field.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Pride tacked on five more runs. Pietrafesa hit a two-run home run to right center field, scoring Hallam. Scarpato doubled to right field, scoring Witkowski, who was pinch running for Edwards, and Jessie Joy, who was pinch running for Allocca.
Michalowski singled up the middle and Scarpato scored.
The Pride would finish the job in the next inning, picking up the 10-2 win over the Charleston Cougars via the mercy rule.
Five different players had home runs on the day.
Scarpato and Pietrafesa both finished the day with five RBIs.
Allocca is now tied for the fourth spot on the program’s all-time career home runs list with 29, while Pietrafesa moved into sixth place with 28.
The Pride finished the day with a .426 team batting average.
