HOFSTRA SPLITS A PAIR IN NCAA SOFTBALL REGIONAL ACTION

HOFSTRA SPLITS A PAIR IN NCAA SOFTBALL REGIONAL ACTION

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Arizona 10, Hofstra 0
Boxscore

The top-seeded Arizona Wildcats used a homer and three RBI from sophomore designated player Stacie Chambers (Glendale, AZ/Cactus) and a three-run homer from junior second baseman Sam Banister (Petaluma, CA/Petaluma) as it captured a 10-0 win over Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at Hofstra Softball Stadium.


Arizona improves to 38-16 on the season and advances through to the regional finals on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., while also capturing its second straight run-rule victory at the Hempstead Regional after beating Canisius 11-0 in five innings earlier on Saturday. Hofstra falls to 44-12 and will face the winner of the LIU-Canisius game on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. for the right to play Arizona in the regional finals.

Arizona struck for four runs in the top of the first, capped off by a three-run homer from Banister to take control of the game early. Freshman left fielder Brittany Lastrapes (Laguna Niguel, CA/Laguna Hills) led off with a walk, and moved to third on a double from sophomore shortstop K'Lee Arrendondo (Tempe, AZ/McClintock). A walk to junior third baseman Jenae Leles (Fair Oaks, CA/Rio Americano) loaded the bases, and after Hofstra junior starter Kayleigh Lotti (S. Attleboro, MA/St. Raphael's (RI)) bounced back with a strikeout, Chambers hit a sacrifice fly to center to make the score 1-0, before Banister's round-tripper capped off the inning.

Hofstra junior second baseman Casey Fee (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach) walked in the bottom of the first and stole second, her 25th steal of the year in 25 attempts, but Arizona senior starter Taryne Mowatt (Corona, CA/Corona Santiago) was able to work out of the minor jam with three strikeouts.

The Wildcats then tacked on two more runs in the second inning on an RBI single from Lastrapes and a sacrifice fly from Leles, while Arredondo added her second double in the left-center field gap in her first two at-bats. Sophomore first baseman Michele DePasquale (Waterford, NJ/Camden Catholic) made a bid for a hit to lead off the second, but her liner in the left-center field gap was caught by Wildcat freshman center fielder Lauren Schutzler (Monterey, CA/Notre Dame), who made a dive at full extension to catch the ball.

Chambers then stretched the lead to 8-0 with a two-run homer in the third inning, after junior first baseman Laine Roth (Glendale, AZ/Deer Valley) led off with a single, and senior catcher Callista Balko (Tucson, AZ/Canyon del Oro) then followed with a homer to left to make the score 9-0.

Sophomore right fielder Kris Root (Waynesboro, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) gave the Pride its first hit in the bottom of the third with a bunt single, after junior catcher Carolann Lubach (Langley, WA/South Whidbey) lined a shot in the left-center field gap that Lastrapes was able to pull in with a snow-cone catch on the run. Junior center fielder Erika Bernstein (Somerville, NJ/Sommerville) then ripped a ball back at Mowatt, who was able to get the force out at second. Fee followed with another bunt single, but Bernstein was caught over-running second base by Balko.

Mowatt allowed two hits and no runs in four innings to pick up her second win of the day and improve to 26-12 on the season. Lotti fell to 22-6 with the loss, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) and striking out five. Lastrapes was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI at the plate for the Wildcats.


Hofstra 1, Long Island 0
Boxscore

Hempstead, NY -- Senior shortstop Pam Dreslinski (Kingsville, OH/Edgewood) hit a solo homer and junior pitcher Kayleigh Lotti (S. Attleboro, MA/St. Raphael's (RI)) tossed a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts as the Hofstra Softball team advanced into the winner's bracket with a 1-0 win over Long Island on Saturday afternoon at Hofstra Softball Stadium.


With the win, Hofstra improves to 44-11, setting a new school record for wins in a season, and moves on to face top-seeded and ninth-ranked Arizona (37-16) at 2:15 p.m. LIU falls to 34-16 with the loss and will face Canisius (38-13) in an elimination game at 4:45 p.m.

Dreslinski broke up a scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fifth inning, when she led off by hitting a line-drive homer over the left-center field fence. It marked the fourth straight NCAA Tournament game that she has homered in, after hitting a round-tripper in all three games of last season's regionals.

Neither team generated much offense through the first four innings, as no runners advanced past first base. Lotti retired the first nine batters in order, and after Long Island freshman right fielder Lauren Kemp (Scottsdale, AZ/Desert Mountain) reached on an infield single, Pride junior second baseman Casey Fee (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach) turned a double play when she tagged Kemp on a grounder to second and got senior designated player Jessie DePippo (Westlake Village, CA/Agoura) at first.

LIU threatened in the top of the fifth as senior shortstop Celina Castillo (Redwood City, CA/Carlmont) bunted to third base and reached on a throwing error as Fee was just pulled off the bag. Back-to-back sacrifices moved Castillo to third, and sophomore third baseman Raylene Asman (Escondido, CA/Escondido) hit a chopper between first and second that sophomore first baseman Michele DePasquale (Waterford, NJ/Camden Catholic) was able to grab in the hole. She stumbled slightly, but was able to dive into first base before Asman could get there.

The Blackbirds then tested the Pride in the seventh inning, as sophomore catcher Mariesha Marker (Keizer, OR/McNary) led off with a double that hit the third base bag and bounced towards the Hofstra dugout. Senior third baseman Genevieve Haney (Levittown, PA/Conwell Egan) nearly got Marker going into second, but she was able to elude the tag of Fee. Castillo then singled sharply to left and stole second to put runners on second and third and one out. Senior first baseman Vanessa Mejia (Roanoke, VA/Northside) then hit a ball to DePasquale at first, who looked over to third and caught Marker moving down the line, throwing back to Haney at third for the second out. Lotti then struck out senior center fielder Brittany Murphy (Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos) to end the game.

Lotti improved to 22-5 on the year with her 10-strikeout, no-walk performance. LIU's Blaire Porter slipped to 20-7 with the tough luck loss, allowing only four hits.