NEWARK, DE -- The Hofstra University softball team defeated the University of Delaware, 9-0, Sunday afternoon at Delaware Field in the Blue Hens’ regular season finale.

Delaware, which ended its regular season 33-22 overall and 10-10 in the Colonial Athletic Association, will be the fourth seed in the CAA Tournament, which will be held Thursday through Saturday on the campus of regular season champion Georgia State in Atlanta. The Blue Hens and Panthers will face off on Thursday, while the day’s other game will feature second-seeded Hofstra and third-seeded UNC Wilmington.

The Pride, which improved to 33-17 overall and 14-6 in league play, bounced back after getting swept in a doubleheader by the Blue Hens on Saturday, the first time Hofstra had been swept in a conference twinbill since losing twice to Delaware on April 10, 2000 when both teams were in the America East Conference. The series also marked the Pride’s first CAA series loss since falling in its first-ever conference series against Towson in 2002. Hofstra had gone 25-0-2 in its last 27 CAA series before dropping two of three games to Delaware this weekend.

The Pride quickly jumped on top Sunday by scoring four runs in the top of the second inning. With one out Carolann Lubach doubled, and after Pam Dreslinski walked, Melissa Hodge singled to score Lubach with the first run of the game. Carolynn Sloat then relieved Lindsay Jones in the circle for the Blue Hens and immediately got Genevieve Haney to pop out, but Erika Bernstein’s fly ball was dropped by UD leftfielder Kate Termini, allowing Dreslinski and Hodge to score on the play. Laura Sweeney followed with a single to left to plate Bernstein and give Hofstra a 4-0 lead.

With one out in the fourth Haney singled, and she came around to score when Bernstein’s single got through Blue Hen rightfielder Katie DeSalvo. Sweeney then singled through the right side of the infield to plate Bernstein and make it a 6-0 game. The Pride tacked on three runs in the seventh on a two-run double by Lubach and an RBI single by Dreslinski.

Hofstra starter Kayleigh Lotti improved to 15-7 after allowing three hits and a walk while striking out nine in six scoreless innings, while Courtney Oliver pitched a perfect seventh for the Pride. Jones fell to 13-8 after giving up six runs, just one earned, on five hits in 2.1 innings of work, while Sloat allowed three runs, one earned, on six hits with seven strikeouts.

Katie Lee, Kim Ovittore and Quinn Megargel (above) each had a hit for Delaware, which honored seniors Jenny Gilkins and Jones prior to the game.

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