St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Softball Hosts Local Rival Hofstra
3/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 23, 2010
Game Notes | | Live Video
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's softball team hosts local rival Hofstra on Wednesday, March 24, when the Pride make the 25-minute trip from neighboring Hempstead, N.Y., to Red Storm Field for a 3 p.m. matchup.
The Red Storm and the Pride have played each other in 28 games all-time. Hofstra leads the series 25-12-1. STJ will look to snap a seven-game winless streak against the Pride. The two teams tied, 3-3, in the second game of a doubleheader on April 13, 2005.
Hofstra and St. John's last faced off on March 18, 2009, when the Pride took a 6-1 win at Red Storm Field. Kacee Cox went 1-of-3 with one home run in the game. Linzee Sumrall tossed a complete game, striking out 10 and allowing three earned runs in the contest.
After defeating Fairfield in an 8-0, five-inning game March 17 at Red Storm Field, St. John's is now 4-1 in its last five non-conference home games.
St. John's will next head to Conway, S.C., to compete in the Coastal Carolina Tournament March 27-28. STJ will take on Kent State and Siena on March 27. The Red Storm will face tournament host Coastal Carolina and Kent State on March 28.
SCOUTING HOFSTRA
The Pride is 13-4 this season and 3-0 on the road. Hofstra is riding a three-game winning streak after defeating UConn twice and Boston University in the Hofstra Invitational March-20-21.
Hofstra and St. John's have faced one common opponent so far this season: Louisville. The Pride defeated the Cardinals, 2-1, on March 13 at the Louisville Invitational.
Despite their hot start to the 2010 season, the Pride's numbers are actually down from last season when the squad went 26-21. As a team, Hofstra is batting .234, down from .274 in 2009. Pride pitchers have a 2.53 ERA this year after posting a 1.97 ERA last season.
Senior first baseman Michele DePasquale is Hoftra's top hitter as she leads the team with a .354 batting average, 17 hits, three doubles and a .456 on-base percentage. Sophomore infielder Jess Hirschbuhl is second on the team with a .290 batting average. Sara Michalowski and Tessa Ziemba lead the team with three and two home runs, respectively.
Hofstra's ace pitcher is freshman Olivia Galati, who leads the team with a 1.53 ERA, 7-2 record, 59.2 innings of work, 70 strikeouts and .192 opposing batting average. Sophomore Erin Wade has seen expanded playing time this season and ranks second on the Pride with a 3.08 ERA, 5-2 record, 50.0 innings of work, 31 strikeouts and .200 opposing batting average.
Galati and Wade are coming off impressive pitching performances in the Pride's last three wins. Galati struck out 23 batters and allowed just five hits and one run over 14 innings of work in Hoftstra's wins over UConn (March 20) and BU (March 21). Wade allowed two hits, two walks and one run in the Pride's win over Connecticut on March 21.
