Hempstead, N.Y. – Hofstra will put a nine-game winning streak on the line when the Pride travels to West Orange, N.J. to face Seton Hall in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m.
The Pride (27-10, 10-1 against the Colonial Athletic Association) is coming off a three-game home sweep over a Delaware squad that entered the weekend tied for first place with what was a 9-0 ledger. But Hofstra out-scored the Blue Hens by a 21-3 aggregate score. With a CAA series at George Mason looming this weekend, Hofstra will look to stay sharp against a Seton Hall squad that is 14-21 and 2-9 in conference play.
Freshman Caryn Bailey will look to continue her hot hitting against the Big East-member Pirates. For the season, Bailey already has 33 RBIs through the first 37 games while slugging .767. She is Hofstra's leading hitter at .414 regardless her usual placement at bottom of the order. Despite her run-producing ability, Bailey hasn't sacrificed quality plate appearances in notching a .443 on-base percentage.
In a three-game sweep over Delaware, Bailey went 7-for-9 (.778 average) with five extra-base hits in those at-bats, five RBIs, two home runs and two runs scored. Her slugging percentage against the Blue Hens was 1.778. She also hit a pair of two-run home runs in the win on Sunday.
Senior Becca Bigler has been on a tear lately as well, going 4-for-6 with a .625 on-base percentage and two runs scored. Bigler hit a grand slam on her birthday on Saturday and again displayed her prodigious power with a three-run opposite-field shot to right-center on Sunday that clashed off the Hofstra Softball Stadium scoreboard.
At a premium position, Bigler has 10 home runs and 31 RBIs. Her home run total trails only fellow senior Tessa Ziemba's 12 for the team lead. Thanks in large part to the two power hitters in the middle of the lineup, Hofstra has 45 home runs compared to just 23 for the opposition.
Overall, Hofstra is hitting .325 while opposing teams have just a .208 average. But a large reason why the Pride has a plus-122 run differential is senior Olivia Galati, who threw every pitch in the sweep over the Blue Hens. Galati is 24-9 with a 1.71 ERA on the season. The West Babylon, N.Y. native has struck out 262 in 209 1/3 innings.
Seton Hall has lost six of the last nine, including two of three against Pittsburgh at home over the weekend. The Pirates are 2-6 at Essex County Mike Sheppard Sr., Field this season.
The Pirates do possess offensive threats. Yasmin Harrell leads the squad with a .342 average and 23 runs scored and Brittany Hammer is close behind a .336. Danielle Destaso has been Seton Hall's biggest power threat with six home runs and 27 RBIs.
In the circle, the Pirates could turn to their trio of pitchers in the doubleheader against Hofstra. Destaso is the staff ace with a 3.32 ERA and a 12-10 record with 131 strikeouts in 137 innings pitched. Jen Metzger (2-7, 7.37 ERA) has the only other shutout besides Destaso, logging 44 2/3 innings. Casey Moses (0-4, 7.32 ERA) has been Seton Hall's primary reliever, coming out of the bullpen in 10 of her 17 appearances.
Hofstra is 9-9 in the all-time series against the Pirates. The last game against Seton Hall came in a 5-3 loss in 2007. Hofstra's 12-2 victory in 2006 was the Pride's last win in the series.
