Pitt baseball, lacrosse and softball combine for a shaky weekend

This past weekend, three Pitt athletics programs — baseball, lacrosse and softball — participated in exhibition events to gauge their offseason progress and prepare for the long seasons ahead. While the results were not what they had wished for, the experiences should prove to help out the teams’ progress throughout the year.

Baseball

On Saturday, the Panthers traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats in an exhibition game at UC Baseball Stadium. This is the first game of Pitt’s fall schedule and only one of two away games for the season. 

The Panthers and Bearcats faced off in 14 innings — split between one 8-inning contest and one of 6 innings. 

Pitt took the win in the first game, with a score of 10-8. The Panthers had two hits in the 5th inning, 5 hits in the 6th inning and one in the 8th inning to win it.

However, Cincinnati caught up in the second game, with a Bearcat win of 7-2. The final score across the 14 innings was 15-12 — a loss for the Panthers.

The Panthers welcomed 22 newcomers for the new season in these two exhibitions. Sixteen transfers and six first-years make up Pitt’s transfer portal recruitment class, which was ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Next up, Pitt takes on Mercyhurst at home on Oct. 18. 

Lacrosse

This past Saturday, the Panthers traveled to Harrisonburg to face off in the James Madison Play Day. Pitt played against James Madison, Georgetown and Virginia Tech. 

This is the second play day for the Panthers, with the first taking place at home. These play days are exhibition practice tournaments to get players’ feet wet before the regular season starts up.

Eight freshmen and one transfer joined the team for the fall season, bringing the roster size to 39. Up next, the Panthers will travel to University Park to participate in another play day, this time in the Penn State Play Day on Oct. 19. 

Softball

On Saturday, Pitt softball traveled to Williamsport, for the Little League Girls with Game Experience at the Howard J. Lamade Stadium. 

The Little League Girls with Game Experience started in 2019 to honor the girls and women who have been part of shaping the Little League program and who inspire female softball athletes.

The Panthers faced off against Penn State in a neutral exhibition game, but ultimately lost 2-6 after participating in a three-hour clinic prior to facing the Nittany Lions. Pitt was one of four NCAA Division 1 teams competing in the event, and Maryland and Virginia faced off prior to the Panther’s game.

Before the games, assistant pitching coach Jordan Dail helped out with hosting a coaches’ clinic on Friday. Dail is a two-time Women’s Professional Fastpitch Champion. This event marked the final event in the fall 2024-25 schedule for the softball team. 

Catch these teams back on the field soon as they look to redeem their losses and head back into the win column this weekend, when baseball and lacrosse play at home and away in their respective upcoming competitions.