Weekend Sports Recap | Gymnastics competes at regionals, softball takes series against Notre Dame

Pitt athletics had a packed schedule this weekend, competing in both ACC and NCAA tournament play. Softball took two of three against Notre Dame while three members of the gymnastics team competed in the NCAA regional championships. 

Baseball

Pitt (12-12, 4-5 ACC) headed to Durham, North Carolina, this weekend and faced Duke (17-10, 5-6 ACC) in conference play. 

The Panthers took the first game, 13-1, in a fantastic all-around performance.  

“I thought it was one of our most complete games as a team this year,” head coach Mike Bell said. “A total team effort up and down.”

Junior starting pitcher Jack Sokol pitched a strong 6.2 innings, giving junior reliever Dylan Simmons and graduate student pitcher Nash Bryan an easy route to close out the game for Pitt. 

Duke defeated Pitt in the second game of the series, but not without a fight. The first five frames were back and forth. With every run Duke gained, Pitt responded with one of their own. Duke managed three more runs in the sixth frame to enlarge the deficit. Senior infielder Noah Martinez hit a solo home run in the seventh, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to come back. 

Duke ultimately took the series in the final game holding Pitt scoreless through all nine frames. 

Pitt baseball returns to the diamond next Tuesday to face Youngstown State at 5 p.m.

Softball

Pitt softball (15-14, 1-6 ACC) headed to Notre Dame (19-9, 4-5-1 ACC) this weekend to face the Fighting Irish. 

The Panthers broke an eight-game losing streak on Friday and defeated Notre Dame 8-5 to capture their first win against the Fighting Irish since 2015. Graduate student infielder Yvonne Whaley added a lengthy list of contributions to her campaign. She went 2-4 at the plate, scored a run and had two doubles and six assists in the field. 

The Panthers defeated the Fighting Irish in game two, 13-11. After the first frame, Notre Dame led by two runs, but after Pitt scored nine runs in the third, Notre Dame could not come back from the deficit. 

The Fighting Irish took the last game on Sunday. The Panthers struggled offensively, enduring an eight run defeat. 

The Panthers play next in Moon Township to face Robert Morris Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse

Pitt (4-9, 0-6 ACC) traveled to Boston College (9-3, 5-1 ACC) on Saturday in an ACC contest at Alumni Stadium. 

The Panthers showed their competitive vigor in the first quarter. Graduate student goalkeeper Hannah Van Middelem saved four out of the Eagles first six shots. Pitt’s defense kept Boston College at bay by the end of the first. 

From there, the Eagles took over the next three-quarters of the game, outscoring Pitt 15-2. First-year attackers Ava Washington and Sydney Naylor scored Pitt’s only two goals. 

Pitt’s lacrosse will return to the field Friday to face North Carolina in Chapel Hill at 2 p.m.

Gymnastics

Pitt hosted the NCAA Regional Championship this weekend at the Petersen Events Center. Sophomore Hallie Copperwheat, first-year Reyna Garvey and first-year Natalia Pawlak competed in this weekend’s contest. 

Copperwheat competed in all four events this weekend, finishing regionals strong with a score of 9.850. She also competed in bars and earned a score of 9.900. Her vault score earned her 9.700, and a 9.175 on beam. 

Reyna competed in beam this weekend as well, earning a 9.900. Pawlak competed in bars and earned a 9.175.

The NCAA Championship starts April 13 in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Track and Field

The Panthers traveled to Gainesville this weekend and competed in the Pepsi Florida Relays. 

On day one, the women’s 4x100m dash relay team advanced to the finals with a time of 44.84 seconds, which is the sixth-best time in program history. The men’s 4x100m relay team also advanced to the finals with a time of 40.69 seconds, earning the eighth-best time in program history.

On day two, sophomore Otoniel Badjana threw 16.78 meters while competing in shot put and set the second-best length in program history. Sophomore Nigel Hussey ran in the men’s 100m dash as well, and his time of 10.50 is now the fifth-best in program history. 

The Panthers travel to Durham, NC, next weekend to compete in Duke’s invitational.