Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Hofstra
Softball Closes Out Regular-Season at Hofstra This Weekend
5/6/2010 2:15:50 PM | Softball
Philadelphia - Drexel's CAA Tournament hopes hang in the balance as the Dragons travel to play their regular-season finale at Hofstra this weekend. The Pride (37-10, 15-2) secured a first-place finish in conference play this season with a 2-1 series victory against Georgia State last weekend. Hofstra will play host to the CAA Tournament with the top four teams at the completion of regular season play earning bids. The Dragons (20-21, 8-10) are currently tied for fourth place with Delaware and James Madison, all three teams boast 8-10 records in conference games. In the event of a tie for fourth place, Drexel holds a head-to-head tie-breaker over Delaware and James Madison holds the tie-breaking advantage over the Dragons.
Drexel is coming off a 2-1 series loss to James Madison last weekend. The Dragons won the opener 4-3 on Saturday on a walk-off infield single by Laura Stagliano, but were victimized by a number of fielding miscues and some timely James Madison hitting in back-to-back losses on Saturday and Sunday. Stagliano was Drexel's hottest hitter last weekend, going 5-for-10 on the weekend with five stolen bases. Senior Ashley Botelho matched Drexel's all-time record for hits when she rapped her 196 hit in game two on Saturday.
Hofstra has cruised through the CAA this season, winning every series and dropping just two games. One of the Pride's losses in conference this year came against Georgia State in a 10-inning affair last Saturday. Led by rookie Olivia Galati, one of the most dominant pitchers in the conference this year, the Pride have hoovered just outside the national rankings all season. Galati is leading the league with 21 wins, a 1.20 ERA and 237 strikeouts. Opposing batters are hitting just .172 against her on the season. Fellow freshman Tessa Ziemba is supplying the Pride's offense, with 34 RBIs on the year, which ranks second in the conference.
Hofstra leads the all-time series 45-10 and has swept the Dragons in each of the last three seasons. Drexel's last win against Hofstra was April 29, 2006 in Hempstead, N.Y.
The series opens with an 11:00 a.m. doubleheader on Friday and concludes with a single game at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Fans can track the action via gametracker by clicking here.