Hempstead, N.Y. – Senior Olivia Galati threw her ninth career no-hitter and drove in the game's only run in a 1-0 win in Game 1 and freshman Caryn Bailey hit a three-run double to help Hofstra sweep a doubleheader from Marist with a 9-3 victory in Game 2 on a cold evening at Hofstra Softball Stadium on Thursday.
Galati was dominant in facing the minimum 21 batters in the first game with Kyrsten Van Natta's leadoff fourth inning walk representing Marist's only base runner. Galati struck out nine and lined a hard hit RBI single up the middle in the third to extend her personal record to 18-9.
Hofstra belted out 15 hits in the nightcap with senior Becca Bigler going 4-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored to lift the Pride to 21-10 overall. Marist fell to 8-14.
In the opener, Galati struck out three through the first two innings to get into an early groove. No Marist player advanced past first base as Van Natta was caught stealing in the fourth. The West Babylon, N.Y. native retired the final 11 batters to secure the win. She extended her own program record with her ninth career no-hitter and second of 2013 following a road no-no at UNC Wilmington in a Colonial Athletic Association matchup.
The 2012 first-team All-America selection helped her own cause at the plate. Senior D.J. Slugh and junior Tori Rocha both reached safely to start the inning against Emily Osterhaus (3-6). After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Marist caught Slugh in a run down at the plate for the second out. But Galati came through with a clutch hit through the circle and into centerfield to plate Rocha with what proved to be the game's only run.
Hofstra scored four runs in the bottom of the first in the back-end of a doubleheader for the second straight day. Just like the Pride's effort against Rutgers on Wednesday, Hofstra got to Marist starter Paige Lewis early.
Rocha worked a leadoff walk and sophomore Erin Trippi continued her hot hitting with a two-out RBI single to right. Senior Tessa Ziemba doubled and freshman Maggie Hawkins walked to load the bases for Bailey, who continued her stellar freshman campaign with a bases-clearing triple to center that smashed against the wall for the 4-0 edge.
The Pride extended the lead to 7-0 in the second when the first four batters reached safely. Rocha and Jess Hirschbuhl both singled to ignite the rally and Galati picked up another RBI with a single to the left side. Trippi worked a walk after Hirschbuhl stole home when Marist couldn't get a pickoff on a throw to first; chasing Lewis (3-4) after the righty recorded just three outs. Hofstra capitalzed on an error by the Red Foxes to stake freshman starter Victoria Cabral to a seven-run edge.
Cabral earned a win for a second straight day in allowing just three runs (one earned) in six innings to improve to 3-0. Marist and Hofstra exchanged one run each in the third with the Pride scoring again on Slugh's RBI single.
Marist scored again in the fifth, though Bigler continued her resurgence at the plate with an opposite-field home run that marked her seventh long ball of the season.
The Red Foxes would score just once more in the sixth to make it 9-3, though Cabral got out of the inning and ended her outing with four strikeouts. Hawkins made her collegiate pitching debut in the seventh, throwing a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts as the Pride's primary first baseman became the fourth Hofstra pitcher to log time in the circle this season.
Hofstra will now look to improve a 4-1 CAA record this weekend with a three-game road set at Drexel starting on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Philadelphia.
