Hempstead, N.Y. – Senior Tessa Ziemba hit two home runs and Olivia Galati struck out five and allowed just one hit for a three-inning save as Hofstra won the second game of a doubleheader, 6-5, to split a non-conference twin bill on Wednesday evening at Hofstra Softball Stadium. Alexis Durando's eighth-inning home run lifted Rutgers to a 1-0 victory in the first game.
Ziemba went 2-for-3 with four RBIS in the second game to lift the Pride to 19-10 overall. Rutgers is 19-13. Galati earned her first save of 2013 for freshman Victoria Cabral, who improved to 2-0 in going four innings.
The first game featured two superb pitching performances with Galati opposing left-hander Alyssa Landrith. The southpaw struck out 11 in eight innings, allowing just two hits. Galati struck out 13, marking the fifth time in her last six starts the righty registered double-digit strikeout totals.
Galati allowed just one run in 11 total innings on the day and Ziemba already has 11 home runs to match her 2012 total. Ziemba and teammate Becca Bigler tied for the CAA lead with 11 long balls last season, a figure Ziemba has already matched with 23 scheduled regular season games remaining.
Galati did not allow a base runner to advance past first from the third-through-seventh innings. The Pride looked to support the West Babylon, N.Y. native and loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh. Bigler and freshman Maggie Hawkins lined back-to-back one-out singles and, following a pop out, Galati walked. But Landrith notched her 10th strikeout of the contest to strand all three runners and send Hofstra to its first extra-inning game of the season.
Durando ensured a team finally broke through in the eighth. Galati struck out the first two batters before the first baseman pulled a 2-2 offering over the leftfield wall for her fourth home run of the season. Landrith pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to improve her record to 11-8 while Galati took the tough-luck loss in falling to 17-9.
But Hofstra's offense awoke in the nightcap with four runs in the first off Dresden Maddox. Junior Tori Rocha worked a leadoff walk and a fielding error put two runners on base. Sophomore Erin Trippi continued the rally with a hard-hit RBI single through the left side to score the first run and Ziemba launched a three-run home run to left-center for the 4-0 advantage.
Rutgers chipped into the lead in the second when Melanie Slowinski picked up a RBI with a fielder's choice to score Durando. Cabral escaped further damage but inducing a ground out to strand two.
The Pride re-established a four-run cushion when senior D.J. Slugh forced a leadoff walk , advanced to second on a ground out and scored on fellow senior Jess Hirschbuhl's RBI single up the middle.
In the third, the Scarlet Knights scored again. But Hofstra responded in a big way in the bottom of the inning when Ziemba crushed a solo shot that landed on the ledge of the Mack Sports Complex in right-centerfield for a mammoth blast and her 11th home run of the season. Ziemba leads Hofstra with 25 RBIs and a .700 slugging percentage through the first 27 games.
Bigler and Bailey followed with one-out singles to chase Maddox (6-2) after the right-hander gave up seven hits in 2 1/3 innings. Reliever Abbey Houston pitched around an error and left the bases loaded with Hofstra up, 6-2.
That set up a Rutgers comeback bid as the Scarlet Knights put up three fifth-inning runs. Jackie Bates hit a two-run home run to left and Durando and Whitley hit back-to-back doubles to make it 6-5 with the potential tying run on second and nobody out.
Hofstra head coach Bill Edwards summoned Galati for a nine-out save and the inherited runner in scoring position. Galati, a 2012 first-team All-America selection, saw Whitley advance to third on a sacrifice bunt before ending the threat with consecutive strikeouts.
Galati pitched a 1-2-3 sixth before Rutgers made a final push in the seventh. Bates led off with a single to center and moved to second on a ground out. A fielding error put runners on the corners before Galati struck out Ashley Bragg looking. Pinch-runner Stephanie Huang stole second, leaving the potential tying run at third and go-ahead run at second. Galati then notched her 10th career save with a fly out to left to secure the win for Cabral.
The Pride will next be in action with a Thursday doubleheader against Marist starting at 4 p.m. from Hofstra Softball Stadium.
