Big Innings Doom Softball in 9-4 Loss at Hofstra

Sunday, April 28

Hempstead, N.Y.

12:00 PM

James Madison University

36-13, 15-3

Hofstra

36-11, 15-2

James Madison

Hofstra

4/28/2013 6:55:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., April 28, 2013 – Hofstra scored three times in both the second and third innings and Olivia Galati tossed her third complete game of the weekend to help earn a 9-4 win over the James Madison softball team in the final game of a three-game Colonial Athletic Association series on Sunday.

JMU lost three straight games for the first time all season, dropping to 36-13 overall and 15-3 in the CAA. HU moved into first place in the league standings, improving to 36-11 and 15-2 in the league.

Galati earned the win for the Pride, improving to 31-10 on the season. She limited Madison to four runs on six hits while striking out four in seven innings of work.

Freshman pitcher Jailyn Ford (Hot Springs, Va./Bath County) took the loss for the Dukes, dropping to 19-4 on the season. The left-hander gave up five runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings pitched. She struck out one and walked two. Sophomore right-hander Heather Kiefer (Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls) gave up a run on two hits in 2/3 of an inning while sophomore right-hander Miranda Kemp (Haymarket, Va./Battlefield (Iowa State)) ceded three runs on five hits in three innings of relief.

Catcher Erin Trippi went 2-for-2 with a double, two runs scored, two RBIs and two walks to pace the Hofstra attack. First baseman Maggie Hawkins added four RBIs on two hits and a walk while third baseman Jess Hirschbuhl went 2-for-3 with two runs and a RBI.

Ford led the Madison offense with two hits, a run and a RBI in three trips to the plate. Sophomore left fielder Morgan Heath (Yorktown, Va./Grafton) doubled and scored a run and sophomore infielder Sarah Mooney (Huntersville, N.C./North Mecklenburg) went 1-for-3 with a RBI.

HU took advantage of some free passes to take the lead early in the game. Ford started the second inning by walking Trippi and hitting Hirschbuhl with a pitch. Shortstop Becca Bigler followed with a single to load the bases before Hawkins drew a walk to force in the first run. Sacrifice flies by right fielder Caryn Bailey and Galati capped the inning with HU leading 3-0.

Three more runs came in for the Pride in the bottom of the third. Center fielder Tessa Ziemba was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to third on a double by Trippi forcing Madison to turn to Kiefer in the circle. Hirschbuhl singled to center on Kiefer's second pitch, scoring one before Hawkins drove in two more with a single to center.

An infield single by Hawkins extended the lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the fifth before JMU responded with four runs in the top of the sixth. Mooney, Ford and junior shortstop Caitlin Sandy (Fayetteville, N.C./Jack Britt) all picked up RBI hits for the Dukes.

Hofstra scored twice more in the bottom half of the inning to put the game away. Both runs came on a two-run single up the middle by Trippi.

JMU closes out its regular season next weekend at home as they host Georgia State at Veterans Memo