Softball: Amistade shines as Pitt Goes 1-2 in LSU Tournament

Senior left-fielder Ashley Amistade knows her role in the Panthers’ batting line-up and so… Senior left-fielder Ashley Amistade knows her role in the Panthers’ batting line-up and so far this season, she has played that part well.

“My job on the team is to get on base,” Amistade said after the team’s 1-2 performance in the LSU Purple and Gold Challenge. “By doing that job, I give my team a chance to score.”

In Pitt’s three games in the Challenge, Amistade recorded a .500 on base percentage and converted on all three of her stolen base attempts en route to an All-Tournament distinction.

But= Amistade’s offensive production was not enough to propel the Panthers past their first two opponents of the weekend.

In Friday morning’s contest, the Panthers fell 4-0 to No.12-ranked Texas as senior pitcher Cory Berliner suffered the loss.

Berliner gave up two earned runs and 10 hits in six and a third innings while fellow senior Alyssa O’Connell came in during the seventh inning in relief and put away both batters she faced.

Offensively, the Panthers managed only three hits against the Longhorn’s freshman ace, Rachel Fox. Pitt senior center fielder Reba Tutt led off the game with a triple while sophomore catcher Holly Stevens and Amistade each contributed a single.

The next game would present a similar challenge as the Panthers faced the No. 21-ranked LSU Tigers later in the day and lost by the same score of 4-0.

While the offense struggled against Texas, the game against LSU saw even less production as Amistade’s third-inning single was the Panther’s only hit.

On the mound for the Panthers was freshman Karlyn Jones who allowed four runs off of six hits as she suffered her first loss of the season.

Going into the LSU Challenge, the Panthers were aware that they would be competing against top-ranked opponents, but according to head coach Holly Aprile, that does not change the team’s game approach.

“We really try to play Pitt softball, rather than trying to play against the name on the opposing jersey,” Aprile said. “While you cannot ignore the fact that a team is ranked or not, we try to stay focused and keep the game plan simple.”

That game plan brought success in the Panthers’ final contest of the challenge as they earned a 3-1 win over Hofstra on Sunday, with Jones receiving credit for the victory.

Jones was able to rebound from her first loss of the season as she allowed just six hits in a complete seven-inning performance.

“Jones has a good demeanor,” Aprile said after the win. “She doesn’t get too high or too low and just moves on to the next game.”

Amistade and Tutt each recorded multi-hit games while Stevens and junior Yvette Bravo chipped in with one hit each. Junior third-baseman Kelly Hmiel led the team with two RBIs.

For Aprile, the third and final game was a culmination of the things that the team had learned from the previous two losses.

“In our losses to Texas and LSU, we were not able to generate offense, even if people were on base,” Aprile said. “Against Hofstra, we were able to execute.”

Amistade agreed and noted that the level of competition in the challenge served as a sort of benchmark for the Panthers going forward.

“When we played against Texas and LSU, we were able to hang with them and were in a position to win,” Amistade said. “Despite the losses, those games let us know that we are a good team and that showed in the win over Hofstra.”

A lack of homeruns and big hits may seem to be a concern but the Panther team relies on situational hitting for the offensive production and Aprile sees Amistade as a good fit for that style of play.

“We like to generate our own offense, by stealing bases and bunting,” Aprile said. “Amistade is a good slapper with a lot of speed, so she is an important part of our offensive attack.”

As the Panthers prepare to travel to the East Tennessee State University Tournament on Friday, the primary focus will be on executing that offensive game plan.

“We will continue to work on defense to stay sharp, but we plan on doing a lot of hitting,” Aprile said. “We need to build up our confidence at the plate.”