Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
Gainesville, Fla. – Freshman Brittany Allocca delivered the game-winning RBI single in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie and senior Taylor Pirone threw three scoreless innings in relief to lift Hofstra to a 1-0 win over Florida Atlantic Friday afternoon in the Gainesville Regional opener at Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium.
Allocca’s two-out single drove in junior Kim Smith in the sixth, giving the first-year first baseman a RBI in her first NCAA Tournament game. Pirone held the Owls to just one hit as the Pride advanced to play in the winner’s bracket game on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the winner of top-ranked Florida versus Florida A&M later Friday.
Hofstra’s sparking defense threw out two FAU runners at the plate as the Pride has now won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of its last 13 appearances dating to 2000. Pirone improved on her career-high win total in moving to 19-10 while Hofstra is now 38-12-1. FAU fell to 37-17-1 and will face the loser of Florida-Florida A&M in an elimination game tomorrow.
Senior pitcher Morgan Lashley took the no-decision in scattering seven hits with one strikeout in four-plus innings. Lashley’s 19-2 record on the season remained unaltered. Lashley and Pirone combined for Hofstra’s 16th shutout this season.
FAU left nine on base. The Owls recorded at least one base hit in every inning except the seventh when Pirone threw a 1-2-3 inning to set the Pride up with a potential matchup against the defending national champion Gators on Saturday should Florida defeat Florida A&M on its home field.
Sophomore Kylee Hanson took the hard-luck loss for FAU in dropping to 17-5. The right-hander gutted out all six innings in humid conditions and held Hofstra to just four hits. She struck out eight and walked two in throwing 119 pitches to lower her season ERA to 1.58.
In a game that featured all three pitchers with ERAs of less than two, runs were at a premium. The Pride finally broke through when Hanson hit Smith on the leg to start the sixth and the Pride advanced Smith to second on a sacrifice bunt.
Hanson posted a strike out and appeared on the verge of getting out of the jam before Allocca singled to right for the game’s lone RBI. Left fielder Lindsey Shell scooped up the roller and threw home, but her toss went over catcher Alex Miller’s head as Smith slid in.
FAU loaded the bases in the third on a walk and two singles but escaped damage by forcing Melissa Martinez to hit into a force at third. Lashley needed 30 pitches in the inning but kept the Owls off the scoreboard.
The Owls mounted another rally in the fourth when Laura Mann singled. Pinch-runner Kiley Southall stole second and, with two out, got a late break on ninth-hitter Delaney Rickey’s single to center. JuniorCaryn Bailey, who was named an NFCA All-Region first-team selection earlier in the week mainly due to her bat, recorded her third outfield assist of the season by delivering a hard throw on the fly to senior catcher Erin Trippi to nab Southall by multiple steps.
Smith worked a 12-pitch leadoff walk and advanced on Lacey Clark‘s single down the leftfield line. A passed ball put two runners in scoring position with no outs, though Hanson settled down and induced a hard ground out before striking out Allocca. A fly out to medium-deep right ended the threat as the teams combined to strand 10 runners through four innings.
Shell hit a fifth-inning leadoff double to chase Lashley. Pirone entered and retired Christina Martinez on a ground out to first that moved Shell to third. The New Rochelle, New York product then threw out an Owl at the plate for the second time in the game when Shell tried to go home on a soft-hit comeback to the circle. Pirone struck out Emily Lochten following the fielder’s choice to end the fifth.
