Softball: Pitt splits double-header with Syracuse, game 3 washed out

The Pitt softball team settled for a split with Syracuse this weekend, as rain washed out the… The Pitt softball team settled for a split with Syracuse this weekend, as rain washed out the series-deciding game.

In the first game, the Panthers fell 8-0, managing only one hit off Orange pitcher Jenna Caira.

“She’s a great pitcher,” Pitt head coach Holly Aprile said of the opponent’s pitcher. “She has a great changeup. We didn’t make good contact, and we only had one hit. It’s tough for us to win that way.”

Caira’s performance was noteworthy, but it was Pitt’s defense that decided the game. In the sixth inning, the Panthers gave up seven runs off six hits and committed one error. The inning put the game out of reach for the Panthers.

Syracuse’s Caira helped her own cause with an RBI single to left field, and then her teammate, Stacy Kuwik, brought in two runners with a double. Meghan Boston singled up the middle for an RBI, and a Pitt error allowed Kelly Saco to reach base and bring in a runner. Later in the inning, Syracuse’s Veronica Grant scored two with a single.

“We were uncharacteristically poor on defense, and we had a letdown on the mound,” coach Aprile said.“We’re usually pretty good in those areas.”

Aprile said Pitt’s pitcher Cory Berlinerstarted well but had a breakdown around the fifth inning. Kayla Zingercame in to finish the game for the Panthers midway through the sixth inning.

In the second game, Aprile said, the Panthers performed much better offensively and defensively, as they defeated the Orange 4-0.

“Syracuse is a solid hitting team,” Aprile said. “We held them down nicely in the second game. I’m happy with our response.”

Freshman catcher Holly Stevens hit her 10th homerun of the season, a record for a Pitt rookie, and is now third overall on the single-season homerun list.

“It’s impressive to see a freshman come in and take charge,” Aprile said. “She calls the games. She’s developed a good relationship with the pitchers. She’s very steady — not a lot gets to her, and that’s helpful, especially offensively.”

Aprile said that although Stevens struggled in a few games, she is always quick to recover, which helps her both offensively and defensively.

Stevens’ homerun came in the fourth inning and brought in half of Pitt’s runs. She hit the long ball after Pitt’s Ashley Amistade reached base with a single.

The Panthers added two more runs in the sixth inning, when Stevens brought in Amistade again, this time with a single to center field. Later, Stevens scored off Reba Tutt’s double to right-center.

Pitt had seven hits in the game. Panthers pitcher Alyssa O’Connell struck out seven in the win as she recorded her third shutout of the season.

“She’s got back on track with this game.” Aprile said. “She was less than stellar for a few games, but she’s made great improvement, great strides. It looks like she’s back on track.”

She said it’s good to see O’Connell pitching well as the Panthers enter their last series of Big East play after a doubleheader with Robert Morris today.

Pitt plays Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J., on May 8 and 9.

The Panthers are currently in sixth place in the conference, and the top eight teams qualifying for the Big East tournament. The Panthers are a half game behind Providence.

The Panthers haven’t clinched their postseason spot yet, and Aprile said staying in qualifying position will hinge on the aspects of the game Pitt depended on all season.

“We need to pitch well and play good defense,” Aprile said. “If we are good on the mound and on defense, we are tough to beat.”