Hofstra went off for five runs, all on home runs, in the top of the 10th inning to record an 8-4 win over Oregon State in game five of the NCAA Columbia Regional Saturday at University Field. Mizzou (37-11) will face Hofstra in the championship on today at 1 p.m. A Hofstra win in the first game would force a second game at 3:30 p.m. in a winner-take-all contest.
Mizzou’s Chelsea Thomas out-pitched Hofstra’s Olivia Galati, the nation’s leader in wins and strikeouts, to advance the sixth-seeded Mizzou softball team to the NCAA Columbia Regional championship game with a 1-0 victory over the Pride on Saturday at University Field.
Thomas scattered eight hits and walked two, but struck out seven to improve to 23-4 on the year. The win was also her sixth complete game shutout of the season.
Hofstra used the long ball against Oregon State in the top of the 10th inning to advance. With the game tied at 3-3 in the top of the 10th, Hofstra first baseman Maggie Hawkins led off the inning with a homer to left center to put the Pride up 4-3. Two batters later, Pride pitcher Olivia Galati smacked her first home run of the season to give Hofstra a 5-3 advantage.
A walk and a single then put two runners on for center fielder Tessa Ziemba, who cranked her team-leading 14th home run to break the game open for an 8-3 Hofstra lead. OSU added a run in the bottom of the 10th.