By PJ Potter – ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Hofstra softball team split the weekend series with UNCW in a doubleheader Saturday. Hofstra won the first game 4-3 and fell short 5-3 in the second game at Bill Edwards Stadium.
The Pride is now 16-14 this season and 2-3 in conference play.
The third game of the series scheduled to play Sunday was cancelled due to weather conditions and will not be made up.
Game 1
Three solo home runs carried the Pride to victory over the Seahawks in the opening game of the doubleheader off the bats of Nikki Michalowski, Michaela Transue and Kim Smith.
Michalowski’s sixth four-bagger of the year came in the bottom half of the second inning and was the game-winner, a shot over the right center field fence to give the Pride a 2-1 lead.
Transue’s home run made it a two run ballgame in the next frame, her sixth blast of the season as well.
UNCW then scored on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth to inch their way to within one run of the Pride.
But, Kim Smith went first pitch swinging in the fifth and roped her team-high seventh home run down the left field line, giving Hofstra the 4-2 lead.
The Seahawks fought back in the final inning, but came up one run short to give Hofstra the 4-3 final.
Hofstra’s only other hit in the game besides the three long balls was a second inning single by centerfielder Caryn Bailey.
For the Seahawks, Hannah Adamczyk and Merritt Wilkinson each had two hits.
Jessica Peslak improved to 11-6 after tossing six innings and allowing two runs. Peslak scattered four hits, six walks and three strikeouts.
Courtney Scarpato picked up her fifth save, pitching the seventh inning for the Pride and surrendering one run and two hits.
Peyton Jordan got the loss, falling to 11-4 in three innings. The junior plated three runs (two earned) to go along with three hits, three walks and two strikeouts.
Sarah Davis pitched the second half of the game, limiting the damage to just one run and one hit.
Game 2
UNCW answered their Game 1 loss with fire.
Right from the get-go, the Seahawks exploded to a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run home run by Merritt Wilkinson followed by a RBI single by Nella Chamblee three batters later.
Then, in the third inning, catcher Ashley Best got the best of Hofstra’s Madison Grimm. With no outs and a runner on first base, Best smashed her first home run of the season over the center field fence to put her team up by five.
UNCW’s bats cooled down for the remainder of the contest, getting shut out the rest of the way.
Second baseman Lacey Clark laced a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to give the Pride its first run of the game.
Caryn Bailey shortened UNCW’s margin to three with a sacrifice fly later in the inning.
Clark came around to score again in the next inning on a wild pitch, but that would be all the scoring for the game to make it a 5-3 final in favor of the Seahawks.
Nikki Michalowski, Chloe Fitzgerald and Clark each compiled two hits in the game.
Freshman Madison Grimm went the distance, going all seven innings for Hofstra in her fifth loss this year. Grimm (4-5) struck out six and walked four while giving up five runs.
Haley Lenderman moved to 4-2 this season in a five inning outing for UNCW. Lenderman held the Pride to no runs on four hits with one strikeout.
Hofstra returns to action Tuesday, April 5 as they host Seton Hall beginning at 5 p.m.
