Softball: Pitt takes series against Connecticut

After suffering five consecutive home losses, the Pitt softball team found succeess on the road… After suffering five consecutive home losses, the Pitt softball team found succeess on the road and snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday at Connecticut.

By taking two games of a three-game series against the Huskiess, the Panthers (26-14, 5-6 Big East) improved to 25-9 away from their new field at the Petersen Sports Complex this season. They are 1-6 at home.

Pitt and Connecticut played a double header on Saturday, then finished the series with a game on Sunday. After losing the first game on Saturday, the bats woke up for the second half of the doubleheader as Pitt exploded for 11 runs off 15 hits to take game two of the series.

The Panthers’ offense hadn’t scored more than three runs in a game since their last win, a 5-2 victory over Ohio State on April 4. but

“[That win] was very important,” Pitt head coach Holly Aprile said in an e-mail. “It was a big step in the right direction for us. We got back to doing the things that lead to success.”

The Huskies jumped ahead early in the first game, eventually earning the 9-3 victory. Connecticut (17-9, 5-5 Big East) scored three runs in the first inning off starting Pitt pitcher Cory Berliner.

The Panthers tied the game in the top of the second with a three run home run from junior shortstop Niki Cognigni — her third of the season — but the Huskies took over from there. They scored three runs in the next inning to take the lead for good.

Pitt didn’t have to wait long to pick up its first victory of the weekend.

In the second game, Leadoff batter and senior center fielder Reba Tutt led Pitt to an 11-7 victory as she reached base on all five of her at-bats, scored three runs and collected three RBI.Sophomore catcher Holly Stevens, junior right fielder Yvette Bravo and junior designated hitter Keli Gaynor combined for eight RBI.

“We were tired of how we had played the last few games and really wanted to score more runs,” Stevens said. “So we concentrated on stringing hits together instead of having innings where we get a hit and no one scores.”

Senior pitcher Alyssa O’Connell pitched a complete game in the second game of the doubleheader to record her 10th victory of the season.

The Panthers sent Berliner back to the mound for Sunday’s game, and she too responded with a complete game, holding the Huskies to only two runs as Pitt clinched the series with a 5-2 win.

Tutt and senior Ashley Amistade each scored a run in the first, and the Panthers held that lead throughout the game while Berliner kept the Connecticut offense at bay. Berliner allowed six hits and struck out four batters.

“It was a good feeling to win those games and realize that this was still the same team I remember that got off to a great start that has been gone for the last week,” Berliner said.

Pitt only lost consecutive games two other times this season, a three-game losing streak to Maryland, Texas and LSU stretching from late February to early March and losses to Penn State and Ohio State on March 29 and April 6, respectively.

During their losses this season, the Panthers’ offense has typically struggled as they’ve been shut out five times. Pitt has only scored over three runs in one defeat, a 5-4 loss to Maryland on Feb. 27.

The Panthers will look to continue their road success as they travel to New York for a three-game series against St. John’s with two games on Thursday and one on Saturday.

“We need to take the energy and enthusiasm from this weekend and continue to play with that same level of confidence and focus,” Aprile said.