HOFSTRA SOFTBALL BOWS OUT OF NCAA TOURNAMENT

HOFSTRA SOFTBALL BOWS OUT OF NCAA TOURNAMENT

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Arizona 5, Hofstra 0
Boxscore

Freshman left fielder Brittany Lastrapes (Laguna Niguel, CA/Laguna Hills) saved two runs with a diving catch in the outfield in the third inning and broke a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fourth as the Arizona Softball team captured the championship of the NCAA Hempstead Regional with a 5-0 win over Hofstra on Sunday afternoon at Hofstra Softball Stadium.


With the win, Arizona improves to 39-16 and moves on to the Super Regionals next weekend against the Oklahoma-Oregon winner. Senior pitcher Taryne Mowatt (Corona, CA/Corona Santiago) tossed a three-hit shutout to get her third win of the Hempstead Regional, allowing no runs in 14 innings of work. Hofstra ends the year at 45-13 after setting a school record for wins in a season and advancing to the regional finals for the third time in the last five years.

Arizona threatened in the first inning, as Lastrapes led off with a double down the right field line. She moved to third on a groundout, and a walk to junior third baseman Jenae Leles (Fair Oaks, CA/Rio Americano) put runners on first and third. The Pride, though, got out of trouble as it executed a first-and-third defensive play on a double-steal, getting Lastrapes in a rundown between third and home for the second out as Leles moved over to third bases. After a walk put runners back on first and third, Hofstra senior starter Courtney Oliver (Swansea, MA/Coyle & Cassidy) retired junior first baseman Laine Roth (Glendale, AZ/Deer Valley) on a grounder to short.

The Wildcats then left the bases loaded in the second inning, as two walks and a tapped single in front of the plate from freshman center fielder Lauren Schutzler (Monterey, CA/Notre Dame) loaded the bases with two outs. However, sophomore shortstop K'Lee Arredondo (Tempe, AZ/McClintock) flew out to shallow left-center as Hofstra junior center fielder Erika Bernstein (Somerville, NJ/Somerville) made a sliding catch to keep the game scoreless.

Lastrapes then turned in a defensive gem in the top of the third to keep the Pride off the scoreboard, making a diving catch on a liner from sophomore first baseman Michele DePasquale (Waterford, NJ/Camden Catholic) with the bases loaded and two outs. Sophomore right fielder Kris Root (Waynesboro, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) and junior second baseman Casey Fee (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach) led the inning off with back-to-back slap singles. Two outs later, a walk to Oliver loaded the bases, and DePasquale took an 0-2 pitch the other way that Lastrapes caught an inch off the grass. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Mowatt nearly hit DePasquale to force in a run, but the ball hit the handle of the bat for a strike.

The Pride continued the string of defensive gems in the bottom of the third inning, as Arizona put runners on first and second and one out. Junior second baseman Sam Banister (Petaluma, CA/Petaluma) hit a line drive up the middle, but Hofstra senior shortstop Pam Dreslinski (Kingsville, OH/Edgewood) made a lunging catch to her left and flipped the ball backhanded to Fee at second to double off sophomore designated player Stacie Chambers (Glendale, AZ/Cactus) and end the inning.

However, Arizona finally broke through in the fourth inning as Lastrapes was able to drive home the first run of the game on a bloop into shallow left-center. Schutzler started the rally with a slap single to shortstop and a walk to senior right fielder Cyndi Duran (Tucson, AZ/Flowing Wells) put runners on first and second. Lastrapes then flared a single into shallow left-center that eluded the dive of Bernstein. Schutzler scored from second and Duran was able to come home when the relay went to the backstop for an error. Leles added a third run on a sacrifice fly to center field to make the score 3-0.

The Wildcats scored twice more in the bottom of the fifth inning off of freshman reliever Sara Michalowski (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan), as Duran blooped an RBI double into shallow left field line that eluded the dive of junior left fielder Melissa Hodge (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West). Arredondo then followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to stretch the lead to 5-0.

Lastrapes was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks for the Wildcats, while Schutzler was 3-for-3 at the plate. Oliver threw 3.2 innings and took the loss to fall to 10-3 on the season. Mowatt picked up her third win of the regionals to improve to 27-12 on the year.

Hofstra 5, Canisius 1

Boxscore

Sophomore first baseman Michele DePasquale (Waterford, NJ/Camden Catholic) broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning with an RBI single and junior pitcher Kayleigh Lotti (S. Attleboro, MA/St. Raphael's (RI)) picked up her second win of the NCAA Regionals as the Hofstra Softball team advanced to the Regional finals with a 5-1 win over Canisius on Sunday morning at Hofstra Softball Stadium.


With the win, Hofstra improves to 45-12, extending its school record for wins in a season, and will move on to face top-seeded Arizona (38-16) in the regional finals at 12:45 p.m. It is the Pride's third regional finals appearance in the last five years, including 2004, when it came one win from the Women's College World Series. Canisius ends its season at 39-14 with the loss, setting a new school record for wins.

Hofstra broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning with four runs, scoring the first run when it led off with three straight singles. Freshman third baseman Sara Michalowski (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan) led off with a single up the middle and moved to second on a wild pitch. Senior designated player Courtney Oliver (Swansea, MA/Coyle & Cassidy) ripped a single through the right side to put runners on first and third, and DePasquale ripped another single through the right side to score senior pinch-runner Genevieve Haney (Levittown, PA/Conwell Egan).

A walk to senior shortstop Pam Dreslinski (Kingsville, OH/Edgewood) loaded the bases, and junior catcher Carolann Lubach (Langley, WA/South Whidbey) followed with a line drive to left for a sacrifice fly to score freshman pinch runner Trisha Dreslinski (Kingsville, OH/Edgewood). Junior left fielder Melissa Hodge (Hamilton, NJ/Hamilton West) then hit a slow roller to shortstop as sophomore pinch runner Christie Novatin (Farmingdale, NJ/Howell) broke for the plate. Senior shortstop Ashley Bonetto (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) tried to come home, but the throw was wide as Novatin slid in, and Pam Dreslinski was able to come all the way around from second to make the score 4-0.

Canisius got a runner to third base in the first inning, as freshman left fielder Lauren Hope (Los Osos, CA/Morro Bay) slapped a single through the left side with one out and stole second, her 39th steal of the year in 40 attempts. Senior second baseman Katie Miranto (N. Tonawanda, NY/N. Tonawanda) then hit a chopper in the hole between first and second, but Pride junior second baseman Casey Fee (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach) was able to dive to her left and flip the ball backhanded to first to get the out. Lotti was then able to strike out sophomore designated player Michelle Fridey (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) to get out of the inning.

Hofstra threatened in the top of the second with two outs, as Pam Dreslinski lined a double off the left field wall, just missing her second home run of the NCAA Regionals and her fifth NCAA Tournament homer in the last two years. After Lubach walked, Hodge lined a single to left to load the bases, but Canisius senior starter Lindsay Morris (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) was able to get sophomore pinch-hitter Stefanie Feinstein (West Chester, PA/Henderson) to ground out to third base to end the threat.

The Pride then had two runners thrown out at the plate on the same play in the top of the fifth. Hodge led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch, before Fee laid down a bunt single. Fee took second on the play as junior center fielder Jenny Maheu (Hollister, CA/San Benito) tried to run in from center field to cover second, but Fee was barely able to slide in safely. Junior center fielder Erika Bernstein (Somerville, NJ/Somerville) then hit a chopper to shortstop, and Ashley Bonetto was able to come home to get Hodge. Bernstein ran to second, and Canisius junior catcher Angela Turrey (Riverside, CA/Martin Luther King) threw down to Miranto. Fee then broke for the plate, and the throw back from Miranto was in plenty of time for the final out of the inning.

Hope led off the bottom of the sixth with her third single of the game and stole her 40th base of the year. But Miranto followed with a lineout to DePasquale at first and DePasquale was able to double Hope off of second base.

DePasquale added an RBI groundout in the top of the seventh, scoring Bernstein, who led off with a single up the middle. Trisha Dreslinski added a bunt single in the inning around a Canisius error to load the bases with nobody out, and DePasquale's chopper to second allowed Bernstein to score from third to make the score 5-0.

Ashley Bonetto was able to break up Lotti's shutout bid with a home run down the left field line with one out in the seventh. Lotti improved to 23-6 on the season with the win. Junior Juliette Bowers (Morgan Hill, CA/Live Oak) took the loss in relief to fall to 20-3 on the season. Morris threw four shutout innings for the Golden Griffins, but had a no-decision. Oliver was 2-for-3 at the plate for the Pride, while Hope was 3-for-3 for Canisius.