Pitt softball begins season, emerging 3-2 after opening weekend

Pitt softball’s season is officially up and running with the conclusion of their opening weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

Five games in, the Panthers enter their second week of play with a 3-2 record and have split two games against Power 4 programs. 

The team began the weekend with a doubleheader against North Carolina Central and Longwood. In both games, Pitt emerged victorious. 

In the NC Central matchup, the Pitt offense was oppressive and took down their opponents in an 11-3 drubbing. First baseman Calle Henne and first-year third baseman Gracie Helton led the team on offense, scoring two and one RBIs, respectively. Graduate student Kyra Pittman earned the team’s win, pitching six innings of four-hit, one-run ball to help her team secure their first victory.

That same day, Pitt came away with their second victory, defeating Longwood in a 4-0 shutout. The game against Longwood was much less offense heavy, with only one earned run across the entire game. First-year infielder Addison Oberbreckling notched a double during the second inning, sending sophomore catcher Mackenzie Reese home for the first run of the game. Errors brought the remaining three runs home for Pitt in the win. Sophomore pitcher Gwen Sparks pitched all seven innings, notching six strikeouts while allowing only three hits and two walks in her first win of the season.

Pitt’s good fortune changed during their third game, though, when they took on their first Power opponent in Michigan State. A slow start by the team doomed them, as they were only able to notch one hit across the first three innings, while first-year pitcher Amelia Long surrendered six runs, with five of them earned. Pitt put two runs on the board in the fourth inning off of two sacrifice flies — one from Henne and another from graduate infielder Tieley Vaughn. A fifth inning consisting of three runs surrendered by first-year relief pitcher Mia Kliethermes made it 9-2. Despite a five-run barrage by Pitt in the seventh, they were unable to equal Michigan State’s total, suffering their first loss of the 2026 season.

Pitt’s final win of the weekend came later that day — an extra-innings affair that saw them defeat Auburn in nine innings, 12-11. Vaughn hit Pitt’s first home run of the season, a solo homer as part of a three-RBI day. Henne also logged two RBIs and a double. Sparks started the game as the pitcher, but the win would go to Pittman, who allowed one Auburn run to Pitt’s two in the ninth inning, giving her team the victory. 

Pitt finished their weekend by falling to Western Kentucky University in a 3-1 loss. Pitt was only able to notch four hits, leaving 10 batters on base throughout the game. Pitt’s only run came off a walk by redshirt junior Macy Hamilton with the bases loaded.

Pitt will head to Houston for the Houston Invitational on Thursday and will kick off the tournament against Houston at 6 p.m. on Thursday. They will also face Michigan, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word and Penn State while in Houston.