BUIES CREEK, N.C. – College of Charleston rode the pitching of Mackenzie Mathis and five extra base hits to a 5-2 win over Hofstra in its opening game of the CAA Tournament on Wednesday.

The third-seeded Cougars (31-23) won their eighth in a row and 13th in the past 14 games to move into a winner's bracket contest against No. 2 Elon on Thursday at 2:30. Charleston won its opening CAA Tournament game for the second time in eight appearances.

Mathis (11-11) held the Pride without a hit over the first five innings and finished with six strikeouts in earning her ninth win against CAA opponents. Hofstra scored twice in the seventh to avoid being shut out by Mathis for the second time this season.

Austy Miller tripled in the first to extend her hitting streak to 16 games, the longest by a Cougar since the program joined the CAA in 2014. 

Game Summary

• The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the first on consecutive extra base hits by Miller and Leela Langston.
• Miller tripled down the right field line, her team-leading fifth of the season, and Langston followed with an RBI double to center.
• Karlee Hughes reached on a two-out error in the second, moved to third on a double by Halle Cannon and scored on a Jay Wrightsman single to make it 2-0.
• Wrightsman added a leadoff triple in the fifth, Langston recorded her second RBI with a sac fly and Miller scored on a passed ball for a 4-0 advantage.
• Mathis allowed three baserunners in the first two innings including two walks before settling into a groove over the next four frames.
• She retired 12 in a row, including three strikeouts in the fifth, before Hofstra got its first two hits of the game in the sixth. 
• Charleston tacked on another insurance run in the seventh on a walk to Karly Smith and RBI single by Cannon. 

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