Hofstra softball wrapped up its final game of the regular season against Towson University on Saturday afternoon with a 4-2 win in Maryland. The Pride finished the regular with 37 wins and 12 losses overall and a record of 17-4 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play.
The matchup was a pitchers’ duel through five innings.
Sarah Cornell started on the mound for the Pride. She struck out seven batters and allowed two runs and four hits through six strong innings of work.
Courtney Scarpato put Hofstra on the board in the sixth inning with a three-run shot to left field that drove in Lydia Witkowski and Imani Myint. Myint was pinch running for Brittany Allocca, who singled to right field, and Witkowski was pinch running for Sarah Edwards, who also singled to right.
Scarpato entered the season with just one career home run, but now has eight on the season.
Towson answered in the bottom of the sixth inning. Brook Miko homered to center field, scoring Madison Wilson, but it was not enough to win the game.
The Pride would tack on one more run in the top of the seventh. Kaitlyne Musa started off the inning with a single to left field, advancing pinch runner Jessie Joy to first. Joy advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher from Michaela Transue. Kristin Hallam then had an infield hit to advance Joy to third. Joy came around to score on a sacrifice fly to left field off the bat of Brielle Pietrafesa.
Sophie Dandola would enter the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to earn the save for the Pride. It was her CAA-leading fifth save of the season. Cornell earned her 22nd win of the season.
Hofstra enters the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the CAA Championship, while the Tigers finish as the No. 3 seed.
The Pride head down to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to open the tournament against Towson. The first pitch is set for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday at James Madison University for the opening round.