ELON, N.C. – The Elon University softball team closed out its CAA-opening weekend with a 4-1 win over Hofstra on Sunday, March 9, closing out a perfect weekend at Hunt Softball Park.
 
Elon (10-11, 3-0 CAA) swept the Pride (1-16, 0-3 CAA) for the first time in a three-game series while taking its first overall series win over Hofstra since 2019. This is the second straight season that Elon has swept its CAA-opening series.
 
At the Plate
• Elon had six hits in the finale with Greta Hessenthaler going a perfect 2-of-2 at the dish, extending her reached base streak to 20 games. Kaitlyn Wells and Gabi Schaal drove in a pair of RBI with Wells adding her team-best sixth homer of the season.
 
In the Circle
• Taylor Cherry earned the win for the Phoenix, going to 1-3 on the season. The Suffolk, Va., native pitched four scoreless innings and allowed one hit with a season-high six strikeouts.
• McKenna McCard pitch the remaining 3.0 innings with the senior giving up one earned run with three strikeouts of her own.
 
The Rundown
• Elon got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the opening frame. Hessenthaler led off with a single to second before Kaitlyn Wells drove a one-out, two-run home run to left field, giving the Phoenix a 2-0 lead.
• The Phoenix got into a jam in the top of the third. Hofstra had two batters reach on walks with one out, but Cherry was able to record the second out of the frame on a strikeout. The Pride however loaded the bases on another walk with the heart of its lineup coming up. Cherry finagled out of the jam as a fly out to center left the bags full.
• Two more runs would cross the dish for the Phoenix in the bottom of the third. Reagan Hartley and Hessenthaler both reached to lead off the inning on a single and a walk, respectively. Hofstra recovered to retire the next two batters before Schaal drove a double into right center, scoring Hartley and Hessenthaler as Elon increased its lead to 4-0.
• Hofstra got its first run of the game in the top of the seventh. The Pride hit a one-out solo home run to left field, breaking the Phoenix's shutout. That would be the only blemish for the Phoenix as McCard closed out the game with a strikeout to complete Elon's sweep over the Pride.
 
On Deck
• The Phoenix travels to Hampton for its next CAA series on March 14-16. The three-game set will stream on FloCollege (FloSoftball).