By Kyle Kandetzki - SPORTS EDITOR
Don’t tell the Hofstra Pride how unbeatable Megan Good and the James Madison Dukes were all season: they just beat them twice in two days to capture another title.
Hofstra softball had two opportunities to win a CAA Championship Friday thanks to the double elimination tournament format. After falling to the Dukes 4-3 in the first game, Hofstra hoisted the CAA trophy for the 11th time with a 2-1 victory in “game 7”. Taylor Pirone earned Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for her 4.2 innings of one-run ball in the Championship game.
“I am so unbelievably proud of this team,” said head coach Larissa Anderson. “They fought their way [here], which is tough to do after a loss earlier today.”
Offense was hard to come by in the winner-take-all game of the CAA Tournament, with Pirone facing off against CAA Pitcher and Rookie of the Year Megan Good. But Hofstra had just handed Good the first loss of her collegiate career the day before, and jumped on the board quickly this time around.
Chloe Fitzgerald opened up the game with a single, and moved over to second on a bunt, setting up Lacey Clark for an RBI single into right field. This allowed for a change of tune for the Pride, who fell behind the Dukes early in each of their previous meetings.
“I give credit to Caryn [Bailey] because it is tough for a hitter when a team starts pitching around you,” said Anderson, referencing the two walks they gave to the team's power bat. “She said she would wait for her teammates to hit, and that’s what [Lacey] did.”
Pirone controlled the mighty JMU lineup all afternoon, allowing a hit in many innings, but always kept her composure to leave the threatening runners on base.
Clark came up at the right time again in the 3rd inning, after Fitzgerald once again made her way into scoring position. This time, Clark went the other way, dropping a fly ball into shallow left field to put Hofstra up 2-0.
The 4th inning proved to be the biggest threat yet for Pirone, after Good (also a .379 hitter) doubled off the right field wall. This time, the Pride infield came up huge, as shortstop Michaela Transue laid out to make a diving stop to her right on what could have been a Jailyn Ford RBI. Good’s pinch runner, Mimi Morris, assumed too quickly the ball had trickled through, and took off for third, but was met with a Kim Smith tag on Transue’s throw to get her out and end the scoring threat.
Pirone, who had already thrown 6.2 innings in the day’s first game, seemed to finally run out of gas in the 5th, allowing JMU’s first run after hitting the previous batter in a two-strike, two-out count. Catcher Erica Field followed with runners on the corners and drove the ball into left field, cutting the lead in half, 2-1.
Morgan Lashley came on in relief following the RBI single, looking to turn her day around after only surviving a third of an inning in game 6. With the lead run on first, Lashley calmly struck out Good to end the inning.
“Morgan just came in and elevated her game to another level,” said Anderson.
Pirone added, "Morgan turned to me on the bus and said, 'dynamic duo today', and I said, 'absolutely'."
The Pride offense couldn’t find their way against Good the remainder of the afternoon, so it was all on Lashley to shut down the Dukes for a seven-out save.
Lashley’s sixth inning was masterful, striking out the side, giving her four Ks against four batters faced. With the hosting Dukes down to their final three outs, the crowd came to a nervous quiet in the bottom of the 7th.
JMU’s first batter Jessica Mrozek flew out in the infield for the first out, followed by Morgan Tolle sending one deep to left field, but not deep enough, as Fitzgerald came up with the catch.
The Dukes opted to send in a pinch-hitter, Alyssa Buddle, instead of Tahli Moore as the possible final batter. Lashley immediately put her in a 0-2 hole and finished her of with an off-speed pitch that painted the outside corner for strike three.
Ball game over, Championship won, as the senior Lashley threw her glove into their air and was mobbed by her teammates.
“Throwing the glove in the air and winning that conference ring is exactly what I envisioned for the last nine months,” said Lashley. “Our whole season has been CAA's and making it past CAA's and we wanted JMU after they beat us at our home, so we wanted to beat them at theirs.”
It has been said time and time again, this was the first season for head coach Anderson, inheriting the position from Bill Edwards. And with a ring to show for it in one year at the helm, she has clearly eased into the role.
Hofstra only had five hits on the afternoon, but their stellar pitching kept them ahead all day long. Both pitchers had very different outings: Pirone’s one-run day came with no walks, but no strikeouts either. On the other end, Lashley’s 2.1 innings saw her strike out five of the seven batters she faced.
Earlier on, Hofstra suffered a 4-3 loss to the same James Madison team, thanks in part to two first inning solo homers. The Pride battled back from a 4-0 hole to come within one in the sixth, but couldn’t complete the comeback, forcing a game 7.
“I thought we had that game, I didn’t think we would need two,” said Pirone. “But we honestly laughed it off, coach said we had five minutes, then you have to let it all go, and we did.”
The Pride’s win is even more impressive considering James Madison’s reign over the CAA all season long. The #1 seed entered the tournament 17-0 in conference, behind pitcher Megan Good, who was 26-0. Hofstra not only handed JMU their only two conference losses in two days, but also gave Good, a sub-1.00 ERA pitcher in the regular season, her first two losses ever.
Hofstra now awaits the selection committee’s decision as to who they will play in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The 64-team field will be announced Sunday at 10:00 p.m.