Hempstead, N.Y. – Freshman Maggie Hawkins threw four scoreless innings and drove in three runs to lift Hofstra to a 9-1 victory over LIU Brooklyn in a non-conference matchup on Thursday night at Hofstra Softball Stadium.
Senior Jess Hirschbuhl went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs, including a two-run single that keyed a six-run sixth inning to end the contest in a mercy rule. Sophomore catcher Erin Trippi also drove in a run as the Pride improved to 33-11 and won for the 15th time in the last 16 games. LIU fell to 15-33.
Hawkins allowed just two hits and struck out two in her second career start. The right-hander, who is Hofstra's usual starting first baseman, improved to 2-0 and lowered her ERA to 0.75. Senior Olivia Galati pitched the last two innings to notch her second save of the season.
Hofstra's rally in the sixth ensured the Pride won in a run-rule for the second straight day after defeating Fordham, 10-2, on the road on Wednesday.
Hofstra opened the scoring in the second when Hirschbuhl singled through the left side off LIU starter Nicole Archer. Hawkins drove her in with a hard-hit RBI double to left-center.
The Pride forced Archer (4-7) to throw more than 120 pitches in 5 1/3 innings of total work. Freshman Chloe Fitzgerald singled up the middle to start the third and advanced to second on senior Tessa Ziemba's one-out walk. Trippi walked to load the bases, setting up Hofstra's second run on the first of Archer's three wild pitches on the game.
Hawkins needed 30 pitches to escape the first inning but got out of a bases loaded jam and retired 10 of her last 11 batters faced. Lauren Morizi's singled sandwiched two walks to put three runners on with two outs.
But Hawkins struck out Archer to keep it scoreless and allowed only a fourth-inning double to Nichole Toven the rest of the way. Galati entered in the fifth and retired the side in order with two strikeouts.
Hofstra added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Rocha worked a leadoff walk and Hirschbuhl poked a single to the right side for her first RBI.
The Blackbirds made it interesting in the top of the sixth when Whitney West, Morizi and Toven all started the inning with singles to load the bases. Madison Zymkowitz worked a 10-pitch at-bat and took a close payoff pitch that was ruled a ball to force in West.
With the potential tying runs in scoring position, Galati struck out the next two batters and forced Emily Kakuska to line out to second, preserving Hofstra's 3-1 edge.
The Pride ensured Galati earned the save with a sixth-inning rally. Hofstra, which put up a nine-run fifth inning at Fordham, again displayed a propensity to score in bunches. Reliever Heather White started the inning with three straight walks. Despite a caught-stealing on the first batter, the Blackbirds went back to Archer. But Caryn Bailey scored in a wild pitch and Trippi singled home Galati. Trippi now has eight RBIs in the last six games.
Hirschbuhl then smashed a two-run single off the out-stretched glove of third baseman Ariana Lopez to score Rocha and senior D.J. Slugh. After a fielding error, Hawkins added a two-RBI single that scored two unearned runs and ended the game.
Hofstra will now face James Madison in a key Colonial Athletic Association series this weekend that could determine the league's regular season champion and the conference tournament host. The Pride (12-2 CAA) will face the Dukes (15-0) in a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. with the series finale scheduled for Sunday at noon at Hofstra Softball Stadium.
