The Hofstra softball team brought home its ninth and tenth win of its last 11 games after it handled Elon in the twin bill Saturday afternoon, winning game one 10-1, and game two 5-1.
The strong day for the Pride featured 12 hits in each game, with seven different players recording RBI and six notching multiple hits.
Seniors Nikki Michalowski, Sarah Edwards and Megan Patierno each ended the day with three hits, helping Hofstra remain as the only unbeaten team in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play through two weeks.
Though the Pride only managed to score one run through the first three innings in the first game, Hofstra exploded in the fourth and fifth, breaking out into a 7-0 lead as it entered the sixth.
A three-run top of the seventh inning pushed Hofstra out of reach of the Phoenix as the first game of the doubleheader neared the end.
This run, consisting of a RBI off a Kaitlyne Musa double and a Michaela Transue single, was sparked by a Brielle Pietrafesa homer at the top of the inning.
With the home run, Brielle Pietrafesa earned her team high sixth of the season.
Nikki Michalowski on the other hand scored her first of the season in this game, while doubling her season total with another in the second game.
Pitching for the Pride was Sarah Cornell, who completed the game allowing six hits and one run.
The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader appeared to entertain a different outcome than the first after a deep shot by Ally Repko flew over the left field fence, tying the game up at 1-1.
While Hofstra managed to regain the lead with a Michaela Transue run in the third, it wasn’t until Megan Patierno’s single and Kimberly Wert’s home run that the Pride created the comfortable cushion it had in game one.
Prior to that, the Phoenix threatened in the fifth with two runners in scoring position after a flyout, and strikeout thrown by Sophie Dandola closed the window on Elon’s best opportunity.
Like Cornell in the first, Dandola gave up one run in the day’s second outing, while allowing two less runs with four.
“I didn’t think that Dandola and Cornell had their best stuff today, but they competed and that’s really the key,” said Hofstra head coach Larissa Anderson. “They didn’t have a lot of strikeouts, but they gave us some good pitches so then the ball wasn’t hit as hard.”
Overall, the wins on the day showcased Hofstra’s offensive ability.
“We swung the bat pretty well,” Anderson said. “We swung at good pitches. We had very timely hits and took advantage of opportunities with runners in scoring position.”
The Pride wrap up its series against Elon on Sunday as it hopes to wrap up Easter weekend with a win before heading home to face Binghamton only a few days later.
First pitch will be at noon.
